How Much Does It Cost to Build an App Like Netmeds?
Realistic cost to build an app like Netmeds: USD 30k–350k depending on scope. Features, tech stack, timeline, team and…
How Much Does It Cost to Build An on-demand doctor app?
Realistic cost to build an on-demand doctor app: USD 30k–350k depending on scope. Features, tech stack, timeline, team and monetisation explained.
Founders ask us about the cost of building an on-demand doctor app every month. Below is the breakdown we give them: realistic ranges, what drives the price up or down, and where you can save without hurting the product.
The short answer
Building an on-demand doctor app typically costs USD 30,000 to USD 130,000 for most businesses, with large-scale platforms going beyond USD 150,000. Here is how that breaks down:
| Version | What you get | Typical cost | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| MVP | Core user journey on one or two platforms, basic admin | $30k – $55k | 12–16 weeks |
| Full product | All main apps, payments, notifications, analytics | $60k – $130k | 18–28 weeks |
| Advanced platform | Scale, automation, AI features, integrations | $150k – $350k+ | 32–48 weeks |
These figures assume a professional team in India working at typical market rates. The same scope built entirely in the US, UK or Australia usually costs two to three times more.
How this kind of healthcare product works
Healthcare products like the one you are planning carry real responsibility: patients rely on accurate information and timely care, doctors need tools that save time, and regulators require strict handling of health data.
Core features and the apps you will need
Patient app
- Doctor search and booking
- Video or chat consultations
- Prescriptions and reports
- Medicine orders
- Reminders and family profiles
Doctor app
- Schedule management
- Patient history
- E-prescriptions
- Earnings
Admin console
- Provider verification
- Payments and payouts
- Content and support
- Analytics
Advanced features that add cost (and value)
Once the core works, these are the upgrades that typically move a healthcare product from good to category-leading. Each can add anywhere from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars:
- AI symptom triage
- Wearable integration
- Insurance claims
- EHR / FHIR interoperability
Where the budget goes
For a full product of around USD 95,000, a typical split looks like this:
| Phase | Share | Approximate cost |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery, UX and UI design | 12% | USD 11,400 |
| Mobile and web front ends | 33% | USD 31,400 |
| Back end, APIs and integrations | 30% | USD 28,500 |
| Quality assurance and testing | 13% | USD 12,400 |
| Project management and DevOps | 12% | USD 11,400 |
How location changes the price
The same features cost very different amounts depending on where your team sits. Indicative market rates:
| Region | Typical hourly rate (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| India | 25 – 50 | Deep talent pool; best value for full product teams |
| Eastern Europe | 40 – 75 | Strong engineering, good EU overlap |
| UAE & Saudi Arabia | 50 – 100 | Local presence, higher overheads |
| United Kingdom | 70 – 150 | Agencies in London at the upper end |
| Australia | 80 – 160 | Senior local talent is scarce and expensive |
| United States | 90 – 180 | Silicon Valley and New York at the top of the range |
A hybrid model — product leadership close to your market and engineering in India — is how many companies get the best of both.
Recommended technology stack
There is no single correct stack, but a sensible, well-supported starting point for healthcare products is:
- Apps and front end: native Swift and Kotlin where performance matters, Next.js for web
- Back end: Node.js (NestJS) or Python (FastAPI)
- Database: PostgreSQL with Redis for caching
- Cloud: AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, with a region close to your users
- Also relevant: Flutter, React Native, Node.js, PostgreSQL, AWS
The team you need
A typical team for the full-product version:
- 1 product manager / business analyst
- 1 UI/UX designer
- 2–4 mobile and front-end developers
- 2–3 back-end developers
- 1–2 QA engineers
- A part-time DevOps engineer and solution architect
Timeline
| Phase | Duration |
|---|---|
| Discovery and design | 2–4 weeks |
| MVP build | 12–16 weeks in total |
| Full product | 18–28 weeks in total |
| Post-launch iteration | Ongoing, in 2-week sprints |
How to make money
Common monetisation models for healthcare products:
- Consultation fees or commission
- Subscription health plans
- Pharmacy margins
- B2B corporate wellness
Compliance to plan for
Depending on where you launch, budget time for HIPAA (US), UK GDPR and NHS standards, DPDP and telemedicine guidelines in India, and DHA/DoH rules in the UAE. Building these in early is far cheaper than retrofitting them after launch.
Ongoing costs after launch
- Maintenance: budget roughly 15–20% of the build cost per year for updates, OS changes and fixes
- Cloud hosting: from a few hundred dollars a month at launch, scaling with usage
- Third-party services: maps, SMS/OTP, payments, email and analytics fees
- Marketing and support: often larger than the tech budget for consumer products
How to reduce the cost without cutting corners
- Use cross-platform frameworks unless native performance is truly required
- Buy commodity components (payments, chat, maps) instead of building them
- Launch an MVP in one city or segment before expanding
- Automate testing early to keep later releases cheap
- Defer advanced AI features until you have real user data
Get an estimate for your idea
Every product is different. Share a few lines about your idea through our contact page or try the app cost calculator for a quick ballpark. If you want to go deeper, see our Healthcare App Development page.
