"We need an app." Let's talk about that.
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.
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 enormously for a product that will evolve 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 $25k first release that's genuinely useful, followed by clearly priced enhancements.
We've built this before - and you can poke 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.
- A genuinely offline-first member directory for a national 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.
Lean version one
A deliberately-more-than-minimum first release in about a month. Installable app, sign-in, core features, admin, push.
Full platform, staged
The complete build across three stages. You see each stage working before committing to the next.
Tell us what the app needs to achieve
First consultation free. We'll give you an honest read on scope, a fixed price, and a realistic timeline - usually measured in weeks.
Get in touch