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App Development

Ship a real product, not a prototype

We build production-grade mobile and web applications — scoped ruthlessly around what users actually need, shipped in weeks, architected to survive success.

  • MVP live in 8–12 weeks
  • React Native + Next.js, one codebase mindset
  • You own the code from day one

Typical outcomes

Typical MVP timeline
8–12 wkTypical MVP timeline
Avg. production uptime
99.95%Avg. production uptime
Avg. App Store rating
4.7★Avg. App Store rating
Code ownership, yours
100%Code ownership, yours

Averages across Digital Squad client accounts. Individual results vary — we show you a realistic range for your situation on the audit call.

Companies we've done app development for

NorthwindLumen LabsHarborlineVerdantAtlas FoodsPoka HealthBrightsideCobalt BankMeridianArdentFoundryKestrel
The problem

Why app projects fail

Most failed app projects don't fail technically. They fail in scoping, sequencing, and feedback loops.

The scope was never cut

Building every feature before launch means eighteen months of building something nobody validated. The features you cut matter more than the ones you keep.

It was built by the cheapest bidder

Offshore-at-any-cost builds routinely produce unmaintainable code that costs three times more to fix than it did to build. We rescue these projects regularly.

There was no product strategy

A feature list isn't a product. Without clear jobs-to-be-done and a defined activation moment, you'll build a lot of things nobody uses.

Nobody planned for after launch

Launch is the start. Without analytics, crash reporting, and an iteration budget, you can't tell whether it's working or why it isn't.

Our approach

Product thinking, then engineering

We start by cutting scope to the smallest thing that proves value, build it properly, instrument it heavily, then iterate on real usage data.

8–12 wk

Typical MVP timeline

99.95%

Avg. production uptime

4.7★

Avg. App Store rating

100%

Code ownership, yours

What's included

Everything in the engagement.

No line items appearing on month-three invoices. This is the full scope, written down.

01

Product discovery & scoping

Jobs-to-be-done research, user flows, and a ruthlessly prioritized MVP scope with everything else parked in a v2 backlog.

02

UX & UI design

Full interface design across every state — loading, empty, error, success — plus a component library in Figma.

03

Cross-platform mobile build

React Native for iOS and Android from one codebase, with native modules where performance genuinely requires them.

04

Web application build

Next.js with server components, type-safe APIs, and a database layer designed for your actual access patterns.

05

Backend & infrastructure

Auth, database, storage, background jobs, and CI/CD — deployed on infrastructure that scales without a rewrite.

06

Analytics & observability

Product analytics, crash reporting, performance monitoring, and error tracking wired in before launch, not after.

07

App Store submission

Store listings, screenshots, review guideline compliance, and submission managed end to end.

08

Post-launch iteration

An included sprint of improvements based on the first month of real user behavior.

The process

How this actually runs.

You always know what's happening this week, what's next, and who's doing it.

  1. Discovery

    Weeks 1–2

    User research, competitive review, technical feasibility, and MVP scope definition with explicit cut lines.

  2. Design

    Weeks 2–4

    User flows, wireframes, and full UI design for every screen and state, prototyped and tested with real users.

  3. Build

    Weeks 4–10

    Two-week sprints with a working build in your hands at the end of each one. No black-box development.

  4. QA & launch

    Weeks 10–12

    Device testing, performance profiling, beta distribution via TestFlight, then store submission.

  5. Iterate

    Month 4+

    Analytics review, user feedback synthesis, and a prioritized roadmap for the next release.

Investment

Real prices, on the page.

Making you book a call to learn the number wastes your time and ours. Here's what it costs.

MVP

Validate a product idea with real users, fast.

Scoped to your brief

  • Product discovery & scoping
  • Full UX/UI design
  • iOS + Android or web app
  • Auth, database & core backend
  • Analytics & crash reporting
  • App Store submission
  • 30 days post-launch support
Request a quote
Most popular

Product

A full product with real complexity and integrations.

Scoped to your brief

  • Everything in MVP
  • Mobile + web + admin dashboard
  • Third-party integrations
  • Payments & subscriptions
  • Push notifications & messaging
  • Advanced analytics & experimentation
  • Load testing & security review
  • 90 days support + iteration sprint
Request a quote

Squad

An embedded product team for ongoing development.

Scoped to your brief

  • Dedicated cross-functional squad
  • Product manager + designer + 3 engineers
  • Continuous delivery
  • Your roadmap, your priorities
  • Direct Slack access
  • Month-to-month after quarter one
Request a quote

All engagements start with a free audit. Prices exclude media spend, which you pay directly to the platforms on accounts you own.

Questions

App Development questions, answered straight.

Including the ones where the honest answer is “you probably don't need us for that.”

Completely, from the first commit. We develop in your GitHub organization with your team having full access throughout. There's no code escrow arrangement and no proprietary framework lock-in.

App Development

Ready to fix this properly?

We build production-grade mobile and web applications — scoped ruthlessly around what users actually need, shipped in weeks, architected to survive success.

Our commitment: Fixed scope, fixed price. If we underestimate the build, we absorb the difference — not you.