Mobile App Development Scoped Honestly, Shipped to Both Stores
React Native and Flutter for most products, Swift and Kotlin when the platform demands it — with the scope split into what genuinely needs an app and what a fast mobile web experience already covers, before you pay for either.
Most app projects fail on scope, not code
The expensive mistake in mobile is building an app for something a website already does. Push notifications, offline use, camera and sensor access, background location, a presence in the app stores — these justify a native or cross-platform build. A catalogue, a booking form or a dashboard usually do not, and a well-built progressive web app covers them at a fraction of the cost and without two app-store review queues.
So we start by separating the two. What survives that conversation is built cross-platform where it makes sense — React Native or Flutter sharing one codebase across iOS and Android — and natively where it does not, with cold-start time, bundle size and battery use treated as launch requirements rather than post-release fixes.
Then we take it all the way: backend and APIs, authentication, payments, analytics, crash reporting, store listings, review submissions and the inevitable rejection round. You get both store links, the source code, the accounts in your name, and a team that has done the review dance enough times to plan for it. If the honest answer is a fast mobile website, we will say so first.
What we build
React Native Apps
One TypeScript codebase for iOS and Android with native modules where they matter — the right default for most product and service apps.
Flutter Apps
Dart and Flutter for apps with heavy custom UI, animation or a design that must be pixel-identical on both platforms.
Native iOS (Swift) & Android (Kotlin)
Fully native builds when the app leans on platform-specific hardware, background services or performance the cross-platform layers cannot reach.
Backend, APIs & Integrations
Node or Laravel backends, authentication, payments, push notifications, real-time features and the integrations your product depends on.
App Store & Google Play Launch
Listings, screenshots, privacy declarations, review submission and the resubmission when Apple asks for changes — handled.
Post-Launch Iteration
Crash and performance monitoring, analytics review, and a prioritised backlog for the second release based on how people actually use version one.
What you receive
- A scoping document separating app-only features from mobile-web features
- A clickable prototype in Figma, tested with real users where in scope
- iOS and Android builds from one codebase — or native where required
- Backend, authentication, payments and push notifications configured
- Analytics, crash reporting and performance monitoring wired in
- App Store and Google Play listings, screenshots and submissions handled
- Source code, signing keys and developer accounts in your name
- 30 days of post-launch support and a first-month usage report
From idea to app store
Ten to sixteen weeks for a typical first release, with a working build on your phone from week three.
Discovery & scoping
What the product must do, what needs an app to do it, and what does not — written down and priced.
Prototype & validate
Clickable Figma prototype, tested with a handful of real users before engineering starts.
Build in sprints
Two-week sprints with builds on real devices via TestFlight and internal testing every week.
Harden & submit
Performance, accessibility and store-compliance passes, then submission — and the resubmission.
Launch & iterate
Both stores live, monitoring on, and a second-release backlog built from real usage.
Is this the right service for you?
We would rather tell you now than three weeks in.
A good fit if…
- Your product genuinely needs push, offline, camera, sensors or store presence
- You have validated demand and want to ship to both platforms without two teams
- You need the backend built alongside the app, not bolted on afterwards
- You want honest advice even if it means a smaller project
Probably not, if…
- A website already does the job — we will build you a faster one instead
- You want to be live on both stores next week
- You need a native game or heavy AR/graphics work — that is a specialist studio
Fixed price, quoted after a free audit
Apps are quoted per project after the free scoping call, and the scoping document is yours whether or not you build with us. The Brand Dominator package bundles web, iOS and Android apps, brand and marketing at a single fixed price.
Questions we are asked most
React Native or Flutter — which is better?
Neither, universally. React Native suits teams with JavaScript or web experience and products that lean on native modules and the wider JS ecosystem. Flutter suits apps with heavy custom UI and animation that must look identical on both platforms. We choose based on your product and who will maintain it; our article Do you need an app, or a PWA? covers the decision that comes before this one.
How much does a mobile app cost?
A focused first release of a cross-platform app with a backend typically lands between $10,000 and $30,000; larger products with real-time features, payments and complex roles run higher. Because the scoping phase removes features that do not need an app, the number is usually smaller than the first guess. You get one fixed price after scoping.
Do we need an app, or would a progressive web app work?
If you need push notifications on iOS, offline use, camera or sensor access, background processing or store discovery, you need an app. If you need a fast, installable experience for browsing, booking or a dashboard, a PWA does it for a fraction of the cost and without app-store review. The scoping call answers this honestly before you spend.
How long does it take to build an app?
A typical first release takes ten to sixteen weeks from kickoff to both stores, including prototyping, sprints, hardening and store review. You will have a working build on your own phone from around week three.
Will you handle App Store and Google Play submission?
Yes — developer account setup in your name, listings, screenshots, privacy and data declarations, review submission and any resubmission after feedback. First-time Apple rejections are common and planned for.
Who owns the code and the developer accounts?
You do. Source code, signing keys, App Store Connect and Google Play Console accounts are all in your name from day one, and everything is handed over with documentation on final payment.
Related services
Find out whether you need an app at all
Describe what the product has to do. We come back within 48 hours with an honest scope — app, web, or both — and a fixed price.