Build your own app — from idea to launch in 3–6 months

When a Custom App Is the Right Call

Not every digital project needs a platform. There are products where an app with a lean backend is exactly the right size — functional, fast to market, no unnecessary complexity. Most successful apps fall into one of four categories.

Companion app for a physical product. A device communicates via BLE, Wi-Fi, or cellular with an app that shows status, diagnostics, and settings. Examples: smart lighting, tools with telemetry, small industrial sensors. The app is a surface to the product — no business system required behind it.

Internal tool for field service or workshops. Maintenance logs, inventory, job documentation, time tracking on site. Clearly bounded user group, clearly bounded features, no external tenants. A backend with auth, a database, and simple sync logic is enough.

Customer-facing utility app with a defined scope. Booking, delivery tracking, loyalty, self-service requests. The app solves exactly one problem — and is used for that. If you do not yet know which problem you are solving, an app is the wrong first tool.

MVP for validating an idea. You have a hypothesis — but want to test it with real users, real data, and real feedback before thinking bigger. An 8–12-week MVP is cheaper than six months of market research and produces sturdier answers.

When an app on its own is not enough: the moment several tenants work with different data and roles, regulatory audit-trail duties apply (ISO 9001, NIS2, EU Data Act), an ERP integration becomes necessary, or you have to model structured business processes — orders, approvals, billing. Then the app is just a surface and the actual project is a B2B platform.

What "An App" Actually Includes

First-time app buyers usually picture the surface on the phone. In reality several components belong to it — most of them surface only when going live. We make that visible early so budget and timeline hold.

Mobile frontend. The actual app on iOS and Android. We build with Flutter because one codebase for both platforms roughly halves maintenance and keeps the UI consistent across both stores. Optionally, a web build from the same codebase is possible (e.g. for an admin surface or a demo variant).

Backend. Even an apparently simple app usually needs authentication, a database, push notifications, and a way to update content. For MVPs a BaaS (e.g. Supabase, Firebase) is often enough — login, database, and real-time sync come out of the box. Once you add your own business logic, custom integrations, or strict requirements on data location and audit trail, a custom backend becomes the right call: a typed API layer (e.g. NestJS, Fastify, Go, Rust) on a relational database (typically PostgreSQL) — language follows load and team, not the other way around.

App Store and Play Store setup. Apple and Google Developer accounts (annual fees stay with you), code signing, the store listing with copy, screenshots, privacy declaration, and a test build via TestFlight or Play Store closed beta. The store review takes 1–7 days and can produce correction loops — we plan for it.

Crash reporting, analytics, update path. Sentry for crash reports, a lean analytics stack such as PostHog or Plausible (GDPR-friendly), and a deliberately planned release rhythm for v1.1, v1.2, and beyond. An app is not finished once launched — platform updates, SDK changes, and user feedback create a steady stream of small adjustments.

Stack and Approach

We build pragmatically — without chasing every buzzword stack. Selection follows three criteria: has the tool been robust in production for years, is there a living ecosystem of libraries and developers, and does it match the size of your project. Concretely:

Flutter for the frontend. Flutter is maintained by Google, has a large ecosystem, its own rendering engine (60 fps on both platforms), and a mature build and deploy path for iOS, Android, and optionally web. One codebase instead of two visibly lowers time-to-market and ongoing cost.

Backend on demand. For MVPs and lean apps we usually start with a BaaS (e.g. Supabase, Firebase) — fast, cheap to run, with auth and real-time sync from day one. Once your own business logic, ERP integration, or requirements on data location and sovereignty come into play, we build a typed backend (e.g. NestJS, Fastify, Go, Rust) on a relational database (typically PostgreSQL) with a versioned REST API and OpenAPI spec. Switching later is possible, but it costs time — we recommend making the backend cut early.

Hosting in the EU or Switzerland, where compliance suggests it. Hetzner, Scaleway, OVH, or a Swiss provider — GDPR-aligned, with a proper data processing agreement and control over backups. We only prefer native development (Swift, Kotlin) where very specific platform features (complex ARKit/CoreML scenarios, deep hardware integration) or peak graphics and sensor performance are required.

Investment Range

Three magnitudes that app projects tend to land in. The ranges cover discovery, design, development, testing, and the store launch — ongoing maintenance is on top. Senior-led hourly rates sit at €110–130/h, depending on contract model and volume. For a more accurate estimate based on your specific requirements, use our app project cost calculator.

At the threshold of the third tier we recommend structuring the project as a platform build — with a dedicated architecture phase, clean separation of app and backend, and a roadmap for extensions. More on that in the bridge sections below and on Supplier Portal as well as Backend Development.

How We Build Your App

Our approach is optimised for fast clarity in the early phase — because expensive corrections come from vague requirements and stack decisions made too late.

1. Discovery (1 week). We clarify scope, budget, and timeline. Which platforms, which user groups, which feature set in v1 — and what is consciously deferred. Output: a documented feature scope and an honest risk assessment.
2. Design and architecture (1–2 weeks). Screen flows, wireframes or a lightweight UI concept, the tech-stack decision (backend, hosting, third parties), and three milestones with concrete demo content. Output: an architecture decision record and a sprint plan.
3. Development sprints (6–16 weeks, depending on tier). Two-week sprints with a demo at the end of each, feature branches with preview builds, continuous code review. You see progress regularly — no black-box phases.
4. Testing and store launch (1–2 weeks). Internal testing first, then TestFlight (iOS) and Play Store closed beta (Android) with selected pilot users. Crash reports are actively reviewed during the beta phase, the store listings (copy, screenshots, privacy notice) are prepared, and the public release is then triggered.
5. Maintenance and continued development (optional, ongoing). After launch we offer maintenance with a defined SLA — platform updates, SDK changes, security patches, and smaller improvements. Larger features land in planned quarterly releases. More under Maintenance & Support.

When You Actually Need More Than "Just an App"

There are clear signals that an app project is in fact a platform project — and recognising them early saves an expensive rebuild later. If several of the following points apply to you, we would rather talk about a platform architecture than about "just an app":

• Multiple tenants or customer groups see different data and roles (e.g. end customer, service technician, admin, supplier).
• Audit trail duties from ISO 9001, IATF 16949, MDR, or industry-specific standards demand seamless traceability of every data change.
• ERP integration — SAP, DATEV, Microsoft Dynamics, Odoo, Sage — is a day-1 requirement, not phase 2.
• Compliance-driven workflows — GDPR data subject rights, EU Data Act, NIS2 reporting duties — must be cleanly anchored in the application.
• Several hundred concurrent users with complex business logic and real-time requirements.

In that case the app becomes a surface, and the actual project is a backend with a clear architecture. More on that under Supplier Portal, Self-Service Portal, Backend Development, and IT Consulting.

Ready for Your App?

We typically start with a 30-minute, free initial call. You describe your project, we openly share what is technically and budget-wise realistic — even if that means an app is not the right step for you. No sales pitch, no scheduling pressure.

Further Reading

• App development & mobile apps — the service page on our app offering, tech stack, and pricing details.
• Backend development — when the app needs its own backend: NestJS, PostgreSQL, REST.
• Maintenance & support — what comes after launch: updates, patches, SDK changes.
• Construction trades app — typical industry for custom apps with field-service tools.
• Flutter for cross-platform apps — the technical depth behind our default stack.
• GDPR in mobile-app compliance — what you need to know about data model, DPA, and EU hosting.
• Supplier Portal — when "just an app" turns into a B2B platform.
• Self-Service Portal — sister solution for customer-facing self-service workflows.
• LITE BLOX case study — example of an app that grew into a platform.