Below is a practical, cost-aware guide to getting affordable enterprise mobile apps built in Sri Lanka — options, realistic price/timeline estimates, how to choose the right route, and a short checklist you can use when engaging vendors or freelancers.

Summary recommendations (quick)

• Lowest cost, reasonably fast: hire vetted Sri Lankan freelancers (hourly or fixed-price milestones). Good for focused modules or MVP features. (Upwork.com)
• Best balance of quality + affordability for enterprise needs: hire a small-to-mid Sri Lankan product/engineering shop (dedicated team or time-and-materials). They provide QA, architecture and SLAs at lower rates than Western agencies. (Twine.net)
• If you need full enterprise-grade delivery (security, integrations, on‑prem components, support): pick a reputable Sri Lankan firm with enterprise references or build a long-term dedicated team — more costly but still typically cheaper than Western onshore rates. (Twine.net)

Typical engagement models

• Freelancers (hourly or fixed-price milestones): good for UI, single‑platform apps, or modular work (API integration, bug fixes). Use Upwork, Twine, local dev communities. Expect good hourly rates from mid-to-senior developers compared with Western markets. (Upwork.com)
• Small agency / boutique product dev shop (time-and-materials or fixed-scope): better for cross-platform apps, end-to-end delivery, QA and support. They’ll assign a PM, QA and devs.
• Dedicated team / staff augmentation: hire a dedicated team (managed by you or vendor) for multi-year projects and ongoing feature development.
• Hybrid: initial architecture and core team from an agency, ongoing feature work done by freelancers.

Cost ballpark (useful starting points) (note: exact costs depend on scope, integrations, compliance needs, and UX complexity)

• Simple cross‑platform enterprise module (single domain, basic auth, APIs): ~US$10k–30k, 1–3 months.
• Medium enterprise app (multi-role auth, reporting, offline sync, integrations): ~US$30k–80k, 3–6 months.
• Large enterprise app (complex integrations, advanced security, offline-first, native performance, extensive QA & compliance): US$80k–250k+, 6+ months.
  Why these ranges: Sri Lankan developers and freelancers often bill substantially less than Western rates — many freelancers around US$20–40/hr on marketplaces; boutique agencies vary but can be more cost-effective than onshore shops. Use these ranges only as starting estimates; get quotes. (Upwork.com)

What to expect on rates

• Freelance hourly examples: many experienced Sri Lankan mobile devs on Upwork list rates roughly US$20–40/hr (specialists like senior Flutter/React Native or native iOS/Android may be higher). Agencies/teams will usually convert that into higher project or monthly rates but still remain competitive vs US onshore. (Upwork.com)

How to pick the affordable-but-safe route (practical checklist)

1. Define a tight scope (MVP) — reduces cost and time. Prioritize core enterprise features (auth, core workflows, integrations).
2. Prefer cross‑platform (Flutter or React Native) for faster, cheaper development unless native performance/OS‑specific features are required.
3. Vet technical capability:
   • Portfolio with similar enterprise apps
   • References from enterprise clients
   • Sample architecture diagram, CI/CD, security practices
4. Ask about team composition and roles (PM / architect / mobile dev(s) / backend / QA) — make sure QA is included.
5. Get 2–3 proposals with: estimated hours, milestones, deliverables, payment terms, warranty/support, and SLAs for bug fixes.
6. Use milestone payments and code-in-escrow (or source-control access) to manage risk.
7. Start with a paid pilot (4–8 weeks) to validate the team before full rollout.
8. Budget for ongoing maintenance (plan 15–25% of initial project cost per year for updates/support).

Where to find talent (channels)

• Freelance marketplaces: Upwork, Freelancer, Twine — quick access to vetted freelancers and hourly rates. (Upwork.com)
• Local Sri Lankan agencies / product shops: search for Colombo/Colombo‑based mobile app companies (many offer enterprise services and dedicated teams). Use LinkedIn, Clutch, and local tech community listings.
• Staff augmentation vendors / talent platforms that specifically place Sri Lankan developers if you want dedicated teams.

Questions to ask vendors (short list)

• Do you have enterprise references and security/compliance experience?
• Which tech stack and why (Flutter / React Native / native)?
• Can you show code samples or architecture diagrams?
• What’s included in QA, device testing, and release to App Stores?
• What are your post‑launch support/maintenance terms and rates?

Project management & delivery tips to keep costs down

• Use agile with short sprints and frequent demos to catch misunderstandings early.
• Freeze scope for each milestone; postpone “nice-to-have” features to future sprints.
• Provide a single product owner / SME on your side to speed decisions.
• Reuse existing enterprise services/APIs where possible (avoid building backend features from scratch if you can integrate).
• Automate tests and CI to reduce manual QA time over the long run.

If you want, I can:

• find and shortlist 4–6 Sri Lankan agencies/freelancers that match your exact enterprise requirements (industry, tech stack, compliance needs), with recent references and an estimated quote range; or
• create an RFP template you can send to vendors to collect comparable proposals.

Which of those would help you now?