Can you build an iOS app on Windows, or is the agency just trying to bill extra?

The technical constraint is real, but it's weird that a professional agency building mobile apps doesn't already have at least one Mac around for builds and testing. A proper mobile team should already have that hardware as standard office equipment; passing that cost directly onto the client isn't very professional.

Don't just accept the extra charge right away. Put an "App Store approval guarantee" clause in the contract. Apple's review process is far stricter than Google Play's when it comes to UI guidelines and privacy rules. Make sure they commit to handling any rejection fixes at no extra cost.

When they quoted 180.000 TL, wasn't iOS store deployment clearly stated in the scope? If the initial agreement was for "a mobile app for iOS and Android," hiking the price later using hardware as an excuse isn't an ethical way to do business.

We dealt with something similar on an internal company app. We set up a cloud-based macOS build pipeline for our Windows developer for around $60 a month. Over a four-month project, server costs shouldn't run more than $250-$300. 25.000 TL feels pretty steep for that.

your IT guy knows how to write code but he completely overlooked the deployment side. tbh you can't push an app to the store directly from windows apple strictly requires a mac.

The agency is probably planning to buy a new Mac for their office on the back of this project and trying to take it out of your budget. If they're going to use cloud builds, tell them to bill you strictly for the actual invoiced expenses, and watch how fast that number drops.

Ive been in this industry for years Apple has built a completely closed ecosystem... Theres no escaping Windows, unfortunately—you have to hook into a Mac environment at some point. btw technically the agency is right, but they should have brought this expense up back when they gave the initial quote.

To sum it up, the technical requirement is completely real; you can't generate an iOS store build solely on Windows. However, the requested 25.000 TL service fee is way above the going rates for cloud build services; negotiate with the agency and ask for a clear breakdown of the costs.

I think differently. Ask who prepared the quote and who will actually do the work.

Hope this helps.

Noted, thanks. When making a decision, first look at what data you have on hand.

Of course, it varies if your situation is different.

I don't think this advice fits everyone. Most time waste accumulates in tasks waiting for approval.

Everything goes well for the first three months; problems arise in the fourth. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I went through the same thing two years ago. The answer varies greatly by industry; there is no one-size-fits-all rule.

This is my opinion, I'm not claiming it's absolute truth.

I don't think this advice fits everyone. Just because everyone does it doesn't mean it's right.

If you post the result here, it will help others too.

Good call starting this thread. tbh the cheapest quote is usually the least thought-out one.

This is my opinion I'm not claiming it's absolute truth.

Absolutely. If I were to add anything: Solutions that work at a small scale collapse when you grow; I learned this late.

Just leaving this note, it might be useful.

I've been dealing with this for a long time. like if you don't write this down from the start, it leads to arguments later.

The real issue isn't the number but what it's based on.

There are three things to check when doing this. If code ownership isn't in the contract, you have no bargaining power when leaving.

I'm also curious if anyone does it differently.

Let me summarize the topic, since several different answers were given. Everything goes well for the first three months; problems arise in the fourth.

This is my opinion I'm not claiming it's absolute truth.