How to Write an App Requirements Document (Free Template)

Updated November 2026 by the Cliffex team. Prices are in USD.

Short answer: an app requirements document is a short, plain-language description of what your app must do, who uses it and how you will know each feature is finished. Write it in this order: the problem and goal, the user roles, the platforms, the version 1 features as user stories with a “done when” test, the features you are leaving for later, integrations, data, non-functional requirements and open questions. A free template you can copy is below.

This guide is for founders and business owners who have an app idea and want developers to quote it accurately. You do not need technical knowledge to write a useful requirements document. To help developers estimate the work, describe what users must be able to do, what is outside the first release, and what counts as done.

FURTHER READING

> MVP Development for Mobile Apps: A Practical Guide (2026)

> Fixed Price vs Time and Materials: How to Pay for an App Project

> App Cost Calculator: Get an Estimate in Minutes

What is an app requirements document?

It is the document that tells a designer, developer and tester what to build and how to check it. Product teams usually call it a PRD (product requirements document). Agencies may call it a project brief or scope document. The names overlap, and what matters is the content. These are the documents you are most likely to hear about:

Document	Who writes it	What it answers	Do you need it?
Business requirements document (BRD)	The business owner or sponsor	Why the project exists and what the business needs from it	Useful for larger companies that need internal approval
Product or app requirements document (PRD)	Founder, product owner or product manager	What the app does, for whom, and which features are in version 1	Yes. This is the one this guide covers
Software requirements specification (SRS)	The development team, often with a business analyst	How the system behaves in technical detail: data, interfaces, error handling	Usually written by your developer after the PRD
Statement of work (SOW)	The developer, signed by both sides	What will be delivered, by when, for how much, and how changes are handled	Yes, as part of your contract

If you are hiring a team to build the app, you write the PRD. The team turns it into technical specifications and a statement of work. Our guide to app development contracts covers what the SOW should say.

What goes in an app requirements document?

Twelve sections cover almost every first version. The example column uses a salon booking app so you can see the level of detail that helps a developer quote.

Section	What to write	Example: salon booking app
Summary	Two or three sentences: what, for whom, why	Clients book a stylist and pay a deposit from their phone, so the salon stops losing slots to no-shows
Goals	What version 1 must achieve and how you will measure it	Most bookings come through the app within three months; fewer no-shows
Users and roles	Every type of user and what each one does	Client, stylist, salon admin
Platforms	iOS, Android, web, and the oldest devices you support	iOS and Android phones; admin on a desktop browser
Version 1 features	User stories with a “done when” test for each	Pick stylist, service and time; card deposit; reminder emails; staff daily calendar
Later	Features you have agreed to leave out	Group bookings, loyalty points, a second location
Screens and flows	The main screens and how a user moves between them	Home, choose service, choose stylist, choose time, pay, confirmation
Integrations	Outside services and who owns each account	Card payments, email delivery, calendar sync
Data	What is stored, what is sensitive, what is imported	Client names, phone numbers, booking history; no card numbers stored by the app
Non-functional	Security, accessibility, speed, offline use, languages, scale	English only; about 500 clients in year one
Rules	App store policies, privacy and industry laws	In-app account deletion; privacy policy link
Open questions	Decisions that are not made yet	Refund rules when a stylist cancels

Free app requirements document template

Copy this into a Google Doc, Word or Notion page and fill it in. Leave a section blank rather than guess; an honest “not decided yet” helps a developer more than a wrong answer.

APP REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT
App name (working title):
Version and date:          v0.1, <month year>
Owner (who decides scope):

1. SUMMARY
   In two or three sentences: what the app does, who it is for, and why they need it.

2. GOALS FOR THE FIRST VERSION
   - Business goal:
   - What a user can do on day one that they cannot do today:
   - How we will know it works (one or two measures):

3. USERS AND ROLES
   Role | What they need to do | Device (phone, tablet, desktop)
   e.g. Client | book and pay a deposit | phone
   e.g. Staff  | see today's bookings   | phone or tablet
   e.g. Admin  | manage services, prices, refunds | desktop

4. PLATFORMS
   iOS / Android / web (circle). Oldest OS versions to support:

5. FEATURES FOR VERSION 1 (MUST HAVE)
   For each feature: a user story and how we test it.
   As a <role>, I want to <action> so that <reason>.
   Done when: <what the tester checks>.

6. LATER (NOT IN VERSION 1)
   Features we have agreed to leave out for now:

7. SCREENS AND FLOWS
   List the main screens. Attach sketches or links to designs if you have them.

8. INTEGRATIONS AND ACCOUNTS
   Payments, maps, email/SMS, calendars, CRM, existing systems.
   Who owns each account and API key:

9. DATA
   What the app stores (users, bookings, orders, files), what is sensitive,
   and any data you are importing from an existing system.

10. NON-FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS
   Security and privacy, accessibility, speed, offline use, languages,
   expected number of users in the first year.

11. RULES WE MUST FOLLOW
   App Store and Google Play rules, privacy laws, industry rules (health, finance).

12. ASSUMPTIONS, CONSTRAINTS AND OPEN QUESTIONS
   Budget range, launch date driver, anything still undecided.

13. SIGN-OFF
   Who approves this version, and how changes are requested after sign-off.

How to write an app requirements document in six steps

1. Start with the problem. Write down who has the problem today and what they do instead of using your app. If you cannot describe the problem in two sentences, the feature list will keep growing.
2. List every role. Most apps have at least two: the customer and an admin. Marketplaces have buyers, sellers and an admin. Each role adds screens and permissions, so missing one is a common reason quotes change.
3. Write features as user stories. Use the form “As a client, I want to cancel a booking so that I get my deposit back.” Under each story, add a “done when” line: “Done when the deposit is refunded to the original card and the client gets an email.” That line is your acceptance test.
4. Split version 1 from later. Put each feature in one of two lists. Version 1 is the smallest set a real user would pay for or use every week. Our MVP guide covers how to make that cut.
5. Name the integrations and accounts. Payments, maps, SMS, email, calendars and any existing system the app must read from or write to. Note who will own each account, because the business should hold its own payment and app store accounts.
6. Add constraints and open questions. A budget range, a launch date driver (a trade show, a season), and anything you have not decided. Developers price risk, and a named open question is cheaper than a hidden one.

How detailed does it need to be?

Match the detail to what you need from the document right now. Writing a full specification before you have a rough budget usually wastes time.

Your goal	Detail needed	Typical length
A rough budget	Summary, roles, platforms and a feature list	One page
Comparable written quotes from several developers	All twelve sections, user stories for version 1 features, integrations named	Three to eight pages
Starting the build	Everything above, plus screen designs, acceptance tests and the data each screen shows	Grows with the project; your development team usually writes the technical part

For a fixed-price project, the requirements document becomes the baseline for the scope. At Cliffex, your written quote is your price unless the scope changes, so a clear document protects your budget as much as ours. Our guide to fixed price vs time and materials explains when each pricing model fits.

Platform rules to write down before you start

Some requirements come from Apple and Google rather than from you. Putting them in the document avoids late rework and rejected submissions:

• Account deletion. If your iOS app lets people create an account, it must also let them delete it from inside the app (Apple App Review Guidelines, 5.1.1(v), 2026).
• Privacy policy. Every iOS app needs a privacy policy link in its App Store listing and inside the app, explaining what data is collected and how users can request deletion (Apple, 5.1.1(i)).
• Social login. If the main login uses a third-party service such as Google or Facebook, Apple generally requires an equivalent option that limits data collection to name and email and lets users keep their email private (Apple, 4.8).
• Digital purchases. Subscriptions or premium content unlocked inside an iOS app generally fall under Apple’s in-app purchase rules. Check the exceptions and storefront rules in sections 3.1.1 and 3.1.3 before choosing a payment flow. Physical goods and in-person services, such as a salon appointment, are handled differently, so say which kind you sell.
• Android target version. From August 31, 2026, standard new phone apps and updates on Google Play must target Android 16 (API level 36) or higher (Android Developers, 2026). Ask your developer to record the minimum supported Android version separately.
• Accessibility. If you sell to public bodies or large companies, they may ask for conformance with WCAG 2.2 (W3C, 2023). Write the level you need into the non-functional section so it is priced from the start.

Health, finance and children’s apps carry extra legal requirements. List the rules you know about, and ask your developer which ones change the build. Our HIPAA app development guide covers health data.

Using an app cost calculator as a first draft

If a blank page is the hard part, start with a sentence. Our app cost calculator takes a plain description of the idea and returns a feature list split into “now” and “later”, the assumptions behind it and an estimate. That output is the skeleton of sections 5, 6 and 12 of the template.

In an October 2026 test, we entered: “A booking app for my salon where clients pick a stylist, choose a time and pay a deposit”, as a first version for web and mobile. It returned 12 first-version features (including stylist working hours, double-booking prevention, card deposits, refunds on cancellation and a staff daily calendar), 4 features for later, three written assumptions (a single location, a fixed deposit, clients booking only for themselves) and an indicative estimate of $8,300 to $10,700 over 6 to 8 weeks. This is an estimate for that description, not a quote; group bookings, more locations or flexible deposits would change it.

Copy the feature list into your document, rewrite each line as a user story, and challenge every assumption. If an assumption is wrong for your business, that is a requirement you have just discovered.

Mistakes that cause scope changes later

• The admin side is missing. Founders describe the customer app in detail and forget who adds products, approves sellers, issues refunds or exports reports.
• Features without a “done when” line. “Users can chat” can mean a basic message thread or typing indicators, file sharing, read receipts and moderation. Each is priced differently.
• Copying a famous app. “Like Uber, but for dog walkers” describes hundreds of features built over years. Describe your first version, not someone else’s current product.
• No data plan. Importing customers from a spreadsheet or an old system is work. So is deciding what happens to data when a user deletes their account.
• Design and requirements mixed up. Colors and fonts belong in a design brief. The requirements document says what each screen must let the user do.

How to get an accurate quote from your requirements document

1. Fill in the template above, leaving unknowns marked as open questions.
2. Run your idea through the app cost calculator to check the budget range before you contact anyone.
3. Send the same document to every developer you are comparing, so the quotes cover the same scope.
4. Ask each developer which requirements they would change, cut or question. Good teams push back on scope.
5. Make sure the final quote lists what is included, what is excluded and how change requests are priced.

Apps at Cliffex start from $4,000. A first version usually costs $4,000 to $10,000, and a business app with more roles and integrations $10,000 to $20,000 (see pricing). Every launch includes 30 days of support, and the code is yours. When your document is ready, send us your requirements for a written quote, or read about our mobile app development services. If you are still deciding what to build, our app cost guide explains what moves the price.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a PRD and an SRS?

A PRD describes what the product must do from the user’s and business’s point of view. An SRS (software requirements specification) describes how the system behaves in technical detail, such as data rules, interfaces and error handling. The founder usually writes the PRD; the development team writes the SRS from it.

Who should write the app requirements document?

The person who decides what goes into the product, usually the founder or a product owner. A developer or business analyst can help shape it, but the business must own the goals, roles and priorities.

How long should an app requirements document be?

Long enough to answer the twelve sections in the template. For a rough budget, start with the roles, key workflows, integrations and scope limits.

Can I use AI to write an app requirements document?

Yes, as a first draft. AI tools are good at turning notes into user stories and spotting missing sections. Check every feature against your real users, remove anything you did not ask for, and do not paste confidential business data into a tool you have not approved.

What is an example of a functional requirement?

“A client can cancel a booking up to 24 hours before the appointment and receive the deposit back on the original card.” It names the user, the action, the rule and the result, so a tester can check it.

What is a non-functional requirement?

A requirement about how well the app works rather than what it does: security, accessibility, speed, offline use, supported languages and how many users it must handle.

Do I need a requirements document for an MVP?

Yes, but a short one. An MVP document should be mostly the “version 1” and “later” lists, so everyone agrees on what is left out. That list is what keeps an MVP small.

Is a requirements document the same as a statement of work?

No. The requirements document describes the product. The statement of work is part of the contract and covers deliverables, timeline, price and the change process. A good SOW refers back to the requirements document.