What does it cost to build an app like Spotify?
Sample range · freelance
$34k–$75k
An agency would be $61k–$165k for the same scope. This is a pre-computed sample, not your estimate. Your version is probably smaller.
Where the money goes
Why this kind of app is expensive
Rights management runs on every play, not just at upload — each track needs territory and licensing rules enforced per stream.
Offline downloads mean syncing an encrypted local cache that expires on its own schedule, not just saving a file.
A recommendation engine that builds a listener's weekly mix is ongoing infrastructure, and free-tier ads versus paid-tier silence means two playback paths through the same player.
The cheapest honest version of this idea is streaming only, no offline downloads, no collaborative playlists. That lands nearer $27k–$60k.
Your app is not Spotify. Get the range for what you are actually building.
Not open yet
Launching this weekend.
The free range, the $79 spec and the $199 execution pack all open then. Nothing to sign up for — come back and paste your idea.
Same maths, other archetypes