Web app development in NZ, from $4,990
Most organisations that ask for an app have been quoted three builds (iOS, Android, web), six months, and a six-figure number. There is a better way to get the same result, and we have shipped it repeatedly.
Who builds PWAs in New Zealand?
We do. A progressive web app (PWA) is a website that installs on a phone like an app: its own icon, full screen, push notifications and offline use, from one codebase for iPhone, Android and desktop. NetPotential builds them in Auckland for New Zealand organisations, with basic apps from $4,990 fixed and bigger ones built in priced stages.
Build it once, as a Progressive Web App
One codebase serves iPhone, Android, tablets and desktop. Members install it to their home screen where it gets its own icon and opens full screen, so it looks and behaves like any other app. Updates ship instantly with no app store review, which matters a lot for a product that will keep evolving after launch. If you later want App Store or Google Play listings, we wrap the same codebase rather than rebuilding it.
| Consideration | Progressive Web App | Three native builds |
|---|---|---|
| Build cost | One codebase | iOS, Android and web maintained separately |
| Time to first release | Under a month | Typically three to six months |
| Updates | Instant, no review queue | Days to weeks per store review |
| App store presence | Optional, added later by wrapping | Required from day one |
| Offline capability | Yes | Yes |
| Push notifications | Yes | Yes |
The honest part: what quietly doubles app budgets
Feature lists sink projects. In our experience three requests in particular double a budget when they're built without staging: offline synchronisation, family or multi-user accounts, and rewards/points engines. We name these up front and stage them, so you commit to each stage only after seeing the previous one working. That's how a $100k feature list becomes a first release you can afford, useful from day one, followed by clearly priced enhancements.
We've built this before, and you can try it
- A wellbeing programme app for a New Zealand health brand: multi-week guided programmes, daily check-ins, streaks, progress charts, community feed, passwordless sign-in.
- An offline-first member directory for NZALPA, the New Zealand Air Line Pilots' Association: full functionality in aeroplane mode, with automated tests that prove it.
- A live competition platform handling points, predictions, scoring and leaderboards at scale.
- A mobile-first media platform in production that installs to the home screen and keeps working offline.
Live demonstrations are available on request, on any phone.
More than an app: a growth system
An app tells you what members did. What grows an organisation is knowing who they are, noticing who's drifting away, and reaching them at the right moment. So our builds pair the app with a CRM and marketing engine and AI-driven automation (bookings, reminders, win-back campaigns) from one team, for one price. If you only want an app built, there are cheaper places. If you want the thing the app is supposed to achieve, that's what we do.
Basic app
A focused PWA that does one job well: installable app, sign-in, the core features and an admin area. Fixed price, + GST.
Bigger apps, staged
The complete build across three stages. You see each stage working before committing to the next.
Real apps, in production, that you can try
FM.video
Sdeal
Tournamental
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to build an app in NZ?
A basic app built as a progressive web app (PWA) starts at $4,990 + GST, fixed. Bigger apps are built in stages, each priced up front; a complete platform is typically $25,000 to $60,000. Three separate native builds for iPhone, Android and web usually cost several times that.
Can a PWA go in the App Store and Google Play?
Yes. We can wrap the same codebase for the App Store and Google Play when you want store listings, without rebuilding the app.
Does a PWA work on iPhone?
Yes. On iPhone and iPad it installs from Safari to the home screen, opens full screen with its own icon, and supports push notifications on current versions of iOS.
Does it work offline?
It can. We have built a member directory that works fully in aeroplane mode, with automated tests that prove it. We decide with you which features need to work offline, because offline sync is one of the things that adds cost.
Who builds PWAs in New Zealand?
NetPotential, in Auckland. We have built progressive web apps for NZALPA (the New Zealand Air Line Pilots' Association), a New Zealand health brand and our own products, and we build them as our default approach to apps.
Tell us what the app needs to achieve
The first consultation is free. Afterwards you get a written scope, a fixed price and a timeline. If we're not the right fit, we'll tell you and suggest who is.
Get my fixed priceOr call Tim on 021 535 832. We reply within one working day.