# How much does fixing an AI-built app cost?

_The AI Build Index, published by VIZIO AI. Updated 2026-11-04. USD._

Fixing an AI-built app typically costs about $2,900. Half of the 552 priced job posts we tracked fall between $500 and $8,400, and one in ten reaches $21,600 or more.

## Key facts

- Typical cost: $2,900, with the middle half of posts between $500 and $8,400.
- That is 16% above the $2,500 median across all AI builds we track.
- Work expected to take under a month has a median of $500, against $12,000 for over six months.
- Fixed-price median $500; hourly estimate median $5,200.
- Hourly rates mostly run from $14 to $32 an hour.
- Most requested skills: JavaScript, Web Development and React.

## What it includes

Fixing an AI-built app means taking software generated with tools such as Lovable, Bolt, Replit or Cursor and making it secure, stable and ready for real users.

- A code and security review
- Fixes to authentication and data access
- Refactoring the worst sections
- Tests and error monitoring
- Deployment you control

## What drives the cost

Work expected to take under a month has a median of $500, against $12,000 for over six months. Part of that gap is built in, because hourly estimates are calculated from expected length. Fixed-price posts state a median of $500, while hourly posts work out at $5,200 on our estimate: 10 times as much. One likely reason is that fixed budgets tend to cover a small first step, while hourly posts describe sustained work.

| Expected length | Median cost | Priced posts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Under 1 month | $500 | 105 |
| 1 to 3 months | $2,500 | 249 |
| 3 to 6 months | $9,000 | 57 |
| Over 6 months | $12,000 | 141 |

| Seniority requested | Median cost | Priced posts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Entry level | $700 | 25 |
| Intermediate | $2,800 | 303 |
| Expert | $4,000 | 224 |

- How far the app is from production
- Whether data access rules were ever set up
- How much must be rewritten rather than repaired

## Skills and rates

The skills named most often in these posts are JavaScript (31%), Web Development (29%), React (19%) and AI App Development (17%). Read this as the working stack for this kind of build, and as a checklist when assessing who should do it.

Hourly posts for this work typically offer $14 to $32 an hour, the middle half of posted rates. The median top of the range is $30 an hour across 349 hourly posts. These are rates in the open freelance market: agencies and in-house teams usually cost more.

## Who is buying

39% of posts ask for expert-level talent. Buyers are most often based in the United States and the United Kingdom, with 48% in the United States. Among posts that state a company size, 95% come from companies of up to 10 people. A typical post draws about 13 applicants.

## What to check before you commit

- Ask for a security review before adding features
- Confirm you can export the code and database
- Get a written view on repair versus rebuild

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does fixing an AI-built app cost?

Fixing an AI-built app typically costs about $2,900. Half of the 552 priced job posts we tracked fall between $500 and $8,400, and one in ten reaches $21,600 or more. That is 16% above the $2,500 median across all AI builds we track.

### How long does fixing an AI-built app take?

27% of posts expect the work done in under a month, 42% in one to three months and 31% over a longer stretch. Work expected to take under a month has a median of $500, against $12,000 for over six months.

### Why do estimates vary so much?

Fixed-price posts state a median of $500, while hourly posts work out at $5,200 on our estimate: 10 times as much. One likely reason is that fixed budgets tend to cover a small first step, while hourly posts describe sustained work. Scope matters most: how far the app is from production and whether data access rules were ever set up move the price the most.

### What hourly rate should I expect?

Most hourly posts offer $14 to $32 an hour, with a median top rate of $30. Agencies and in-house specialists usually charge more than the open freelance market.

### What skills does this work need?

Posts most often ask for JavaScript, Web Development, React and AI App Development.

### Do I need an expert?

Posts asking for expert-level talent have a median of $4,000, 1.4 times the $2,800 for intermediate talent. 39% of posts ask for experts.

### Where do these numbers come from?

From 552 public job posts published between December 2025 and November 2026: 203 fixed budgets as stated and 349 hourly posts we costed from their rate, expected length and assumed hours. They are what buyers offered, not signed contract prices.

## Source

The AI Build Index. "Fix an AI-built app: what it costs." Published by VIZIO AI. Updated 2026-11-04. https://aibuildindex.com/cost/vibe-coded-app-rescue

Method: https://aibuildindex.com/methodology