App Economics 2026

What does an AI iOS app actually cost? Run the math before you build.

15%

Small Biz Cut

~$0.25

AI / User / Mo

$5-30

Backend / Mo

35%

Typical Margin

AI API pricing (per million tokens)

Haiku 4.5

$0.80 in · $4 out

Cheap

DEFAULT

Sonnet 4.6

$3 in · $15 out

Opus 4.7

$15 in · $75 out

Premium

Gemini Flash

$0.30 in · $2.50 out

Cheap

Revenue model fit

Paid up-front

Revenue stops; AI costs continue. Bad fit for AI apps.

$0.99-$9.99

RDR2 USES

Freemium unlock

Free + paid unlock at value moment. 3-7% conversion typical.

Indie

Subscription

Best for continuous-value apps + recurring AI cost. Highest LTV.

Power

Cost Cheat Sheet

Casual user: $0.05/mo
Engaged: $0.25-$0.50
Power user: $1-$3
Without rate limits: $10-$50 🔥

Margin Killer

Using Opus for every query. Switch routine work to Haiku + aggressive prompt caching = 70-90% cost cut.

Worked: $9.99/yr subscription

Breakeven math