Online shopping is growing exponentially, especially after COVID-19 in Middle East areas, hence, the demand for marketplace app development is increasing simultaneously. All successful businesses and entrepreneurs want to have a Marketplace App that has multiple new and advanced features to defeat their competitors.
Unsurprisingly, businesses are investing in this business, especially the IT-oriented areas like UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. So, without any delay, let’s just start this blog and get to know a thorough breakdown of marketplace app development cost in these IT specialized areas.
Let’s get started.
Market Analysis of Marketplace App Development
The demand for marketplace mobile development is increasing exponentially, and here, we will discuss the number and percentage of organizations that have adopted this business.
Let’s first talk about the market analysis of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
- Revenue Growth: A report by Statista states that the eCommerce Market revenue in Saudi Arabia is projected to reach US$16.53 billion by the end of 2025.
- Market Expansion: The e-commerce industry is projected to grow at a 9.92% CAGR during the forecast period.
- User Adoption: By 2029, the number of marketplace app users is expected to reach 5.7 million.
- User penetration is projected to reach 32.4% in 2025 and grow to 49.4% by 2029, with an ARPU of $1,370.
Kuwait
- Rise in Online Shopping: More businesses are investing in hyperlocal delivery models, catering to the demand for fast shopping experiences.
- Revenue Growth: Statista suggests that the KSA eCommerce market revenue will reach US$1,776.00m by the end of 2025.
- Market Expansion: Kuwait’s e-commerce sector is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.57% from 2025 to 2029.
- User penetration is set to reach 33.2% in 2025 and grow to 38.1% by 2029, with an ARPU of $1,245.
United Arab Emirates
- Revenue Growth: As per Statista, the revenue in the UAE eCommerce Market is projected to reach US$8 billion by the end of 2025.
- Market Expansion: The industry is projected to grow at a 6.03% CAGR from 2025 to 2029.
- User Adoption: By 2029, the number of marketplace app users is expected to reach 5.7 million.
These stats and figures show that the demand for the mobile app development marketplace is increasing day by day. Therefore, businesses are looking for a good mobile app development company that can build a jaw-dropping marketplace app for them. In addition to that, these data and graphs also show that if you’re looking for online marketplace app development in GCC, now is the perfect time.
As consumers embrace digital shopping, businesses must adapt to meet the rising demand for convenience, faster deliveries, and seamless transactions. This all can help you in maximizing your business growth. But before stepping into a new business, one must have a good idea of the budget, which means you must have a decent idea of marketplace app development cost, depending on the place where you want to serve.
In the next section, we will discuss the overall cost of basic mobile app development in Dubai, and then we will move forward with the cost of marketplace app development in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE.
Online Marketplace App Development Cost in UAE vs. Saudi Arabia vs. Kuwait
Before you hire Android app developers for your marketplace mobile app development, just look at this given table where we have mentioned the estimated online marketplace app development cost in UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Knowing the estimated cost not only helps your pocket to pinch in the future but also helps you in understanding the intricacies of the marketplace app development process.
| Development | UAE | Saudi Arabia | Kuwait |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | AED 50,000 - 100,000 | SAR 50,000 - 100,000 | KWD 50,000 - 100,000 |
| Middle | AED 100,000 - 200,000 | SAR 100,000 - 200,000 | KWD 100,000 - 200,000 |
| Complex | AED 200,000 - 350,000 | SAR 200,000 - 350,000 | KWD 200,000 - 350,000 |
So, this is the basic and overall estimated cost of marketplace app development. There are some hidden costs as well that marketplace app development companies don’t tell you but we will.
Hidden Marketplace App Development Cost
It goes without saying that creating a marketplace app involves more than just the initial development expenses. There are numerous recurring costs that can accumulate gradually. From upkeep to safety, these concealed expenses differ by location and organizational requirements.
Let’s look into it…
| Development | UAE | Saudi Arabia | Kuwait |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | 10% - 20% annually | 10% - 20% annually | 10% - 20% annually |
| Server Costs | Varies (based on usage) | Varies (based on usage) | Varies (based on usage) |
| Security | Additional Cost | Additional Cost | Additional Cost |
| Third-Party Integration | Depending on the Services | Depending on the Services | Depending on the Services |
These are some of the major things that you must keep in mind while stepping into the field of marketplace app development in the UAE and other regions. When you know the hidden costs and you have researched the project, then you can save more pennies and you will not exceed your budget. But now you are just thinking, is there something else that can affect the mobile app development cost, well yes? There are multiple factors that affect the marketplace app development cost.
Let’s discuss the factors affecting the cost of marketplace app development.
Factors affecting the cost of marketplace app development
When considering going digital, the expense of developing an online marketplace app in the GCC is a major concern for businesses that can influence their choices. However, what specifically influences the expenses? When you consider elements such as type, design, and platform choice, they can subtly accumulate and impact your budget in ways you may not foresee. Neglecting them may result in setbacks, additional costs, or possibly less efficient mobile apps in Kuwait and other regions.
Business model and app type
First, you have to decide which model you are going to have for your marketplace application. If you want to develop a marketplace app like Amazon, then you must choose eCommerce Market revenue in Saudi Arabia and other regions. The next thing you need to do is choose the category. There are multiple categories of business. When we say category, we mean to whom you are going to serve. Let’s look at the categories below:
- B2C (Business-to-consumer)
- B2B (Business-to-business)
- B2B2C (Business-to-business-to-consumer)
- B2G (Business-to-government)
- C2B (Consumer-to-business)
- D2C (Direct-to-consumer)
- C2C (Consumer-to-consumer)
These are the overall categories most of the businesses who have existing marketplace apps or are into this business use multiple categories at once and generate 10X revenue. You can also use the same strategy by integrating new and advanced technologies like AI, chatbots, ML, etc. Integrating these technologies with the help of mobile app developers in UAE to your application will help you in making your application different and more advanced than others. By doing this you will allow the high chances of being on the top of the market.
App Features & Complexity
The next factor that increases the cost of mobile app development is app features and complexity, as we have discussed in the above section that integrating latest features and technologies can help in growing your business. But doing this can pinch your pocket so you must make your budget accordingly. You can think of it as investing in some big and new project that is going to generate 10X of what you have invested.
You must add AI-oriented features to your marketplace application with the help of good and reputed AI Developers so that you can make your application more advanced and cut down the manual human work. To better understand this, we have made a chart for you that will help you understand which type of features will cost you high and which will cost you low, and according to the need and budget, you can choose your marketplace application’s features.
| App Features & Complexity | UAE | Saudi Arabia | Kuwait |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Marketplace App | $15,000 - $30,000 | $12,000 - $25,000 | $10,000 - $22,000 |
| User Registration & Login (Email, Social Media) | $2,000 - $3,500 | $1,500 - $3,000 | $1,500 - $2,800 |
| Product Listings (Basic Categories & Search) | $2,500 - $4,000 | $2,000 - $3,800 | $1,800 - $3,500 |
| Shopping Cart & Checkout (Basic Payment Gateway) | $3,500 - $5,500 | $3,000 - $5,000 | $2,500 - $4,800 |
| Basic Seller Dashboard (Product Management) | $3,000 - $5,000 | $2,500 - $4,500 | $2,000 - $4,000 |
| Push Notifications (Order Updates, Promotions) | $1,500 - $3,500 | $1,200 - $3,200 | $1,000 - $3,000 |
| Medium Complexity Marketplace App | $30,000 - $60,000 | $25,000 - $55,000 | $22,000 - $50,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced User Profiles (Wishlist, Order History) | $4,000 - $7,000 | $3,500 - $6,500 | $3,000 - $6,000 |
| Multiple Payment Methods (Credit Card, Wallets, COD) | $5,000 - $9,000 | $4,500 - $8,500 | $4,000 - $8,000 |
| Reviews & Ratings (Product & Seller Feedback) | $3,500 - $6,500 | $3,000 - $6,000 | $2,800 - $5,500 |
| AI-based Product Recommendations | $7,000 - $12,000 | $6,500 - $11,000 | $6,000 - $10,500 |
| Multi-Currency & Multi-Language Support | $5,000 - $9,500 | $4,500 - $9,000 | $4,000 - $8,500 |
| Admin Panel for Order & User Management | $5,500 - $10,000 | $5,000 - $9,500 | $4,500 - $9,000 |
| Advanced Marketplace App | $60,000 - $120,000+ | $55,000 - $110,000+ | $50,000 - $100,000+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real-Time Chat & Customer Support | $8,000 - $15,000 | $7,500 - $14,000 | $7,000 - $13,500 |
| Augmented Reality (AR) Product Previews | $12,000 - $20,000 | $10,500 - $18,500 | $10,000 - $17,000 |
| AI Chatbots for Customer Support | $10,000 - $18,000 | $9,000 - $16,500 | $8,500 - $15,500 |
| Blockchain-Based Secure Payments | $15,000 - $25,000 | $13,000 - $22,000 | $12,000 - $20,000 |
| Advanced Analytics & Business Intelligence | $10,000 - $18,000 | $9,000 - $16,500 | $8,500 - $15,500 |
| Custom Logistics & Delivery Tracking | $7,000 - $12,000 | $6,500 - $11,500 | $6,000 - $10,500 |
Technology Stack & Development Approach
The next step is to decide which kind of tech stack you want to use in your mobile application with the help of a marketplace app development company. Another thing that one should take care of is the development approach, which is the most important and mandatory thing to discuss with the development team. When we are talking about the Technology Stack & Development Approach, that simply means we are discussing Custom Development and White-Label Solutions.
- Custom Development: This offers complete control over features and scalability but involves higher costs and longer development timelines.
- White-Label Solutions: Provide a faster and more cost-effective alternative but may lack flexibility for future modifications.
Depending on your vision and market research, you need to decide which one is going to be the best fit for your business and its growth.
Platform Selection
The next step is choosing the platform of your mobile application, like your users and target audiences are more Android users or iOS fans. If you want to build your marketplace mobile application on iOS, then you must hire iOS app developers to build it. Most enterprises choose to build both types of mobile apps so that they don’t miss a single chance to impress the target audience.
But if you are new in the market and have a budget for both kinds of application, then you should go with what your audience prefers. Depending on the demographic research and information available, you can choose the initial platform of your marketplace mobile application, and when you start growing, you can have both platforms of application. This is how your mobile platform can increase the cost of mobile app development in Dubai.
UI/UX Design Marketplace App Development Cost
The next step is the UI/UX design of the marketplace application. Well, people are going to make a direct purchase from your application; therefore, you should not take any risks while designing your mobile interface. The design and navigation in the application have to be to notch so that a new user can use the application without any hustle.
We’re asking you to spend a decent amount of money on this part because a poor UI/UX often leads to endless revisions, which is not good for you or your customers. The continuous revisions of the app’s ensign will not only decrease the customer’s experience but will also irritate your design and development partner so it’s better that you do your research well and sit with the designing and development team to discuss the ultimate design of the marketplace app.
Development Team
A strong app development team, especially a well-experienced eCommerce mobile app development team, can be a big game changer for your business. Their expertise and experience can help you in developing the best and most competitive mobile application, and their years of experience can help you in managing all the tasks on time.
In addition to that, it is true that giving all your data to the development team is not good and can be harmful to your business because we all know that data is important in this data-driven digital world. So, what will you do in this kind of situation? well, you can rely on some reputed and well-trusted mobile app development company in Saudi Arabia to build your marketplace mobile app.
So, these were the major factors affecting the cost of marketplace app development in Dubai in 2025. In the last point, where we have discussed how development teams can also play a huge role in increasing the cost of marketplace app development, we have talked about a trusted and most reliable mobile app development company.
Well, we all know that Dubai is a hub of new technologies and new trends; they adopt new things in the market like walking in the park. Now the question is how you will choose your reliable mobile app development partner in Dubai and in other regions like Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Kuwait. Well, we, being your technology partner, are always here to help you. We not only provide the latest information to our audience, but we also provide digital solutions.
TechGropse has 10+ years of experience in the domain of developing tremendous mobile applications, and till date, we have provided 1000+ mobile applications that are doing really well in the market. We always take pride in building the best relationships with our clients, and they return the favor by giving us new projects. In addition to that, we have a team of 150+ developers who are dedicated enough to provide you with the best mobile app development services in Dubai in 2025.
What are you waiting for? Don’t waste your time finding different mobile app development companies in Saudi Arabia and other regions just contact us or just click the like fill out the form, tell us your requirement and team of expert will reach your soon.
Hello All,
Aman Mishra has years of experience in the IT industry. His passion for helping people in all aspects of mobile app development. Therefore, He write several blogs that help the readers to get the appropriate information about mobile app development trends, technology, and many other aspects.In addition to providing mobile app development services in USA, he also provides maintenance & support services for businesses of all sizes. He tried to solve all their readers’ queries and ensure that the given information would be helpful for them.
