Mobile apps people keep on their home screen
Most businesses that want an app would be better served by a good mobile website. We'll tell you which one you are before you spend anything.
- iPhone & Android
- Works offline
- Push reminders
The problem
“Our competitors have an app, so the board wants one. Nobody can say what it's for.”
An app is a serious commitment: two stores, review processes, updates forever, and the hard fact that most downloaded apps are opened twice and deleted. It's worth it when customers come back often, when you need to reach them without paying for the privilege, or when it has to work without signal. It isn't worth it because a competitor has one.
What you get
Everything that's included.
Not a list of intentions. These are the things that exist at the end, and they're all in the price.
- An honest conversation about whether you need an app at all
- One build that runs on both iPhone and Android
- Designed to feel right on each, not obviously ported
- Works when the signal doesn't, where that matters
- Notifications that are useful rather than irritating
- Submitted to both stores under your own developer accounts
- Analytics so you can see what people actually use
- 30 days of support after launch, included
How it runs
What happens, and when.
Week 1
Decide if it should exist
What it's for, who opens it, and how often. This is where we sometimes talk people out of an app — cheaper now than in month four.
Weeks 2–3
Design the screens
Every screen agreed before building, because changing an app after the fact is far more expensive than changing a website.
Weeks 4–9
Build
Installable on your own phone from early on, updated weekly. You use it on a real device throughout, not in a browser mock-up.
Weeks 10–11
Store submission
Listings, screenshots, review requirements, and the back-and-forth with Apple and Google. We handle it; it takes as long as it takes.
Is this you?
We'd rather tell you now than in month two.
This is for you if
- Customers use you often — weekly rather than once a year
- You need to reach people directly without paying per message
- It has to work with patchy signal or none at all
- You need the camera, location or other phone features
It's probably not if
- People would use it once a year — that's a website
- You want it because a competitor has one
- You're not prepared to keep updating it after launch
- You need it in both stores within a month
How we price it
You'll know the number before you commit.
Priced as one fixed amount after we've agreed exactly what the app does, so the number doesn't move mid-project. We'll also be straight about the ongoing cost, because an app isn't a one-off purchase — the stores require updates and that continues after launch.
We don't publish prices because the honest answer depends on what you need, and a number on a page would either be meaningless or wrong. What we will do is give you a real one quickly — usually within a day or two of understanding the job.
Common questions
The things people ask before they commit.
Do we actually need an app, or would a website do?
Usually a good mobile website does the job for less. An app earns its cost when people come back often, when you need to reach them directly, or when it has to work offline. We'd rather tell you that in week one than take the money.
Do you build separately for iPhone and Android?
No — one build serves both, which keeps the cost and the ongoing maintenance far lower than building twice. Where the two platforms genuinely expect different behaviour, we follow each one's conventions.
How long does it take to get into the app stores?
Around two to three months to build, then review time on top. Apple's review is usually a few days but can be longer, and occasionally they come back with requests. We handle that back-and-forth.
Who owns the app store listings?
You do. It's published under your own developer accounts, so if we part ways you keep the app, the listing and the reviews. Publishing under an agency's account is a trap worth avoiding.
What does it cost to keep running?
Both stores charge annual developer fees, and both release updates that occasionally require changes to keep your app working. Budget for some ongoing maintenance — an app you never update eventually stops working.
Can you update our existing app?
Often, yes. We'd look at how it was built first and tell you honestly whether it's better to continue with it or start again. Both answers happen.
How do we get people to actually download it?
That's the hard part, and it's worth planning before you build. Apps mostly get installed by people who are already your customers, so the realistic route is your existing channels rather than hoping strangers find you in the store.
Often needed alongside
Software that kills the manual work
The spreadsheet everyone's terrified of, replaced by something built for how your business actually runs.
ExploreWebsites that bring in work
A site that loads fast, says the right thing, and turns visitors into enquiries. Yours to update without calling anyone.
ExploreKeeping it all running
For something that already exists and has to keep working. Fixes, updates, rescues, and someone who answers.
Explore
Next step
Tell the chooms what needs building
Send the problem, not a spec. You'll hear back within 24 hours with a straight answer on what it takes, what it costs, and whether we're even the right chooms for it.