Built in Swift
for the features cross-platform cannot reach
Most apps do not need a fully native iOS build, but some do: a home screen widget, lock screen rendering, a background pipeline doing real work while the app is closed. We wrote native Swift modules for exactly this on our own TaskWall app, which paints a user's to-do list onto the wallpaper and lock screen, something no cross-platform framework does cleanly.
What it is
A native iOS app is built directly against Apple’s own frameworks, SwiftUI or UIKit for the interface, WidgetKit for home and lock screen widgets, Core Data or SwiftData for local storage, rather than through a cross-platform layer. It gets full access to the newest iOS APIs the day they ship, and can do things a cross-platform app cannot reach cleanly: rendering content onto the lock screen, running background work with real system priority, deep integration with iOS-specific interactions.
When you need it (and when you do not)
It earns its cost when the feature that matters most is something iOS-specific at a system level. We built TaskWall natively because its entire premise, painting a user’s actual to-do list onto their phone’s wallpaper and lock screen in under a second after they check something off, needs direct access to wallpaper rendering and widget APIs that a cross-platform framework either cannot reach or reaches slowly and unreliably.
It is the wrong tool, or at least an expensive one, if your app is mostly forms, lists and a backend with no deep platform integration; building that twice, once for iOS and once again for Android in a separate native codebase, doubles the cost for no real benefit over React Native. We tell clients this directly even when a bigger native project would be worth more to us, because an app that did not need to be native twice is a client we want back for the next project.
How we build it
Before writing Swift, we confirm native is actually the right call: what specific feature needs it, and would a React Native app with one native module cover the same need at lower cost. If the honest answer is that most of the app is standard screens and only one feature is deeply iOS-specific, we usually recommend React Native with a native module instead, which is why this page exists separately from our React Native page rather than as the default answer.
When native is the right call, we build in SwiftUI for new projects, with widgets, background tasks or other system integrations built against their specific frameworks (WidgetKit, BackgroundTasks, Core Location) rather than hacked around. The app’s core logic gets automated tests, not just manual QA tapping through screens, since a crash in a background task is much harder to catch by hand than in a test that runs the same code path every build.
App Store submission is part of the build, not an afterthought: screenshots, privacy disclosures (which Apple checks closely, especially around background processing and data collection), and handling the first round of review feedback, which is common even for apps that follow the guidelines closely.
What to watch
iOS ships a major OS update every year, and widget, lock screen and background APIs are exactly the kind of thing Apple changes between versions, so a native app has real ongoing maintenance cost tied to Apple’s release calendar, not just your own feature roadmap. App Store review timing is outside anyone’s full control; we build in margin for at least one rejection-and-resubmission cycle rather than promising a launch date the review process does not guarantee. And a fully native iOS app has no Android counterpart by definition, if you need both platforms, we scope whether a second native Android build or a React Native rebuild with native modules is the better path for your budget.
Price and timeline
| Option | Price | What it covers | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focused feature app | from $6,000 | Core screens, one or two deep iOS integrations, App Store submission | 6 to 9 weeks |
| Full app with backend sync | from $14,000 | Everything above plus backend, accounts, ongoing data sync | 10 to 14 weeks |
Running cost is the Apple Developer Program fee plus backend hosting if the app syncs data, typically $20 to $300 a month.
Related
This pairs with native Android app development if you need the same feature set on both platforms built natively, and with push notifications infrastructure and deep links and app indexing for the surrounding app infrastructure. See the development service page for our full build process. For a real example, see TaskWall, our own wallpaper to-do app.
Have a feature idea that needs real iOS-level access? Get in touch and we will tell you honestly if it needs to be native.
FAQ
How much does a native iOS app cost?
From $6,000 for an app with a focused feature set that genuinely needs native code, 6 to 12 weeks. A larger app with several screens, a backend and ongoing sync runs $12,000 to $25,000; we scope it exactly once we know the feature list.
How do I know if I need native instead of React Native?
If the core feature touches home screen widgets, lock screen content, background audio or location that keeps running when the app is closed, custom camera or image processing, or anything using the newest iOS APIs before a cross-platform framework catches up, native is usually the right call. If the app is mostly screens, forms and a backend, React Native is cheaper to build and maintain and we will say so instead of overselling a native build.
SwiftUI or UIKit?
SwiftUI for new projects, since it is faster to build with and is where Apple is investing. UIKit when we are extending an existing app already built on it, or when a specific interaction needs control SwiftUI does not yet expose cleanly.
Who owns the app and the Apple Developer account?
You. We either use an Apple Developer account you already have or help set one up in your name, and the repository is yours from the first commit.
What about App Store review and rejections?
We build against Apple's current guidelines from the start, especially around privacy disclosures and background processing, which are the most common rejection reasons, and handle the submission and any review feedback as part of the project, not as a surprise extra.