How Much Does a Restaurant App Cost in 2026?
A real price breakdown answering how much does a restaurant app cost, what is included, what costs extra, and how it compares to a delivery app.
Restaurant owners researching this usually hit the same wall: how much does a restaurant app cost? There is no single number, because the real cost has two parts. There is a setup fee paid once, and a monthly price paid for as long as the app stays live. On top of both, every app needs its own $99 a year Apple Developer Program account before it can go on the App Store, no matter who builds the app.
How much does a restaurant app cost to create?
Two real prices exist for a one-location restaurant app from Kin Studios. Kin App costs $1,500 to set up, then $199 a month, with a 12 month minimum. Kin App Pro costs $3,500 to set up, then $399 a month, also with a 12 month minimum. Both include a Core website.
| Kin App | Kin App Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup fee | $1,500, once | $3,500, once |
| Monthly price | $199/mo | $399/mo |
| Minimum term | 12 months | 12 months |
| Website included | Core | Core |
A restaurant that needs several locations or staff tools, like a back-room order queue across stores, moves into a custom build. Custom apps start at $25,000, plus $450 a month in care.
What's included in that cost, and what's extra?
Kin App covers the restaurant's brand and photos, a menu, hours, directions, a loyalty card with stamps or points, and push notifications the owner sends themselves. The monthly price covers hosting, push delivery, every iOS release Apple ships, bug fixes, and two edit requests a month.
Kin App Pro adds order ahead and pickup paid inside the app. It also adds events with tickets, live stock synced from the restaurant's own register, and two promo notifications a month written by Kin Studios instead of the owner. A second location, or staff tools, is what turns the job into a custom quote instead of either monthly plan.
How much do delivery apps charge restaurants compared to having your own app?
A delivery app charges a restaurant per order, not a flat monthly fee. The more a restaurant sells through it, the more it pays. A restaurant's own app works the other way. The price is fixed every month, no matter how many orders come through it. The restaurant also keeps the customer's name, phone number and order history, instead of the delivery app keeping it.
That trade matters most to a restaurant doing steady repeat volume. A restaurant with light, occasional online orders may still be better served by a delivery app for now, and can add its own app later.
Is a restaurant app worth it for a one-location business?
For a single location, Kin App or Kin App Pro is built to fit; the custom tier exists for multiple locations or staff-side tools a one-location restaurant does not need. The question to ask is what the customer does in the app. A customer who checks hours and collects loyalty stamps needs Kin App. A customer who orders, pays and picks up, or books a ticketed event, needs Kin App Pro.
Read our restaurant website cost breakdown first if the restaurant mainly needs a menu, hours and photos online. A Core or Premium website alone may answer that, without an app's setup fee or monthly price.
How long does it take to get a restaurant app live?
The app still has to clear Apple's own App Store review before it goes live, on top of the build time. Apple's App Store Review Guidelines set the rules every app has to pass, from any studio. Kin Studios has not posted a fixed build-to-live timeline, so ask for a current one on the intro call rather than relying on a guess here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a restaurant need its own Apple Developer account? Yes. Every restaurant app needs its own $99 a year Apple Developer Program account, regardless of who builds the app.
What is the difference between Kin App and Kin App Pro? Kin App covers a menu, loyalty card and owner-sent push notifications. Kin App Pro adds paid order ahead and pickup, ticketed events, and live stock synced from the restaurant's register.
Does the monthly price ever stop? Both app plans have a 12 month minimum. After that, the plan continues month to month unless the restaurant cancels.
Is a website enough instead of an app? For many one-location restaurants, yes. See the website plans that cover a menu, hours and photos without an app's setup fee.
Next step
Look at the Kin App and Kin App Pro plans to see what each one includes before paying any setup fee.
Tell us the business and we will tell you which plan fits.