Mobile app development
Cross-platform by default, because it is usually the right economic answer. Native when the product genuinely needs it — and we will tell you honestly which one you are.
The cross-platform question, answered honestly
Most agencies have a fixed answer to this because it suits how they are staffed. Cross-platform shops say cross-platform; native shops say native. Neither is a judgement about your product.
The real trade-off is narrow. React Native and Flutter now handle the overwhelming majority of business applications at roughly half the build and maintenance cost of two native codebases. The exceptions are genuine but specific: heavy real-time graphics, sustained background processing, deep platform integration, or an interface where the last five percent of native polish is the product.
If you are one of those exceptions, we will say so, even though it is a bigger project for you and a harder one to staff.
What we build
Customer-facing apps
Booking, ordering, account management and loyalty — with offline handling for the moments your users are on a train rather than a desk.
Field and operations apps
Tools for staff working away from a desk: inspections, deliveries, stock counts, sign-offs. Usually where mobile pays back fastest.
Offline-first sync
Local storage with conflict resolution, so the app works without a connection and reconciles cleanly when it returns. The hardest part of most field apps.
Device capabilities
Camera, GPS, push notifications, biometrics, Bluetooth and background location, each with the permission handling both stores now expect.
Store submission
App Store and Play Store setup, review guideline compliance, staged rollouts and the rejections that come with a first submission. We handle it rather than handing you a binary.
Release infrastructure
Automated builds, TestFlight and internal test tracks, crash reporting and over-the-air updates where the platform allows.
Typical stack
Chosen per project, not by habit. If your team already runs something that works, we use it.
- Cross-platform
- React Native
- Expo
- Flutter
- Native
- Swift and SwiftUI
- Kotlin and Jetpack Compose
- Backend
- Node.js
- Python
- PostgreSQL
- push notification services
- Release
- Fastlane
- EAS Build
- Sentry crash reporting
- staged rollouts
How a mobile build runs
Store review adds a step that web projects do not have, so we get a build into your hands on a real device early and start the store paperwork long before launch day.
- 01
Scoping
Platform decision made on evidence, journeys mapped, store requirements identified, fixed price for the first phase.
- 02
Increments
Two-week cycles with installable builds on your own device, not screenshots in a slide.
- 03
Store submission
Listings, privacy declarations, screenshots and review responses. First submissions are often rejected; we expect it and budget for it.
- 04
Run
Crash monitoring, OS version updates and store policy changes handled on retainer. Mobile needs more ongoing maintenance than web, and we are straight about that upfront.
Common questions
Should we build cross-platform or native?
Cross-platform for most business applications — roughly half the cost to build and maintain, with a user-visible difference that is now marginal. Native if you need heavy graphics, sustained background processing, deep platform integration, or the last five percent of polish is genuinely the product.
How much does a mobile app cost?
A focused app with a handful of core journeys and a backend behind it is usually a two-to-four month build. Two native codebases roughly doubles it. Scoping gives you a fixed price rather than a range.
Do we need an app at all?
Often not. If your users would visit occasionally and you have no need for offline access, push notifications or device hardware, a good mobile web experience serves them better and costs far less. We will say so before quoting.
Who owns the App Store accounts?
You do. Developer accounts are registered in your company name with you as the owner. Publishing under an agency account is a common practice we will not follow — it makes leaving the agency needlessly painful.
What happens when iOS or Android updates?
Every year both platforms ship changes that break something, and store policy changes force updates on their timetable rather than yours. That maintenance is what the retainer is for, and it is a real ongoing cost you should plan for.
Start with a scoping call.
Thirty minutes, no obligation. If we are not the right fit we will tell you on the call rather than after a proposal.
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