The developer owns the listing
The app was published under the agency’s Apple or Google account, so moving supplier means a store transfer — or a new listing without your reviews and users.
Mobile app development company · UK
Mobile App Development Company in the UK
We build iOS and Android apps for UK businesses and startups, and quote for everything an app needs — not just the screens: the backend and admin panel, analytics, accessibility, store submission and the OS updates that arrive every year. Cross-platform or native, the choice is explained in writing.
- Platform choice explained in writing
- Backend and admin panel in the same quote
- Apple and Google accounts in your name
Choosing an app partner
Why businesses end up changing app developers.
Apps rarely fail because a screen was built badly. They fail because the quote, the ownership or the plan for next year was wrong from the start.
What to agree before you sign
- Store accounts in your organisation’s name
- Backend, admin panel and hosting in the quote
- A test build on your phone every sprint
- A maintenance budget for OS updates
The quote stopped at the screens
The backend, admin panel and hosting were left for “phase two”, so the app launched unable to support the business behind it.
Nobody budgeted for next year
A new iOS or Android version and a store SDK deadline arrive, and the app that was “finished” needs paid work to stay on sale.
Code nobody else can work on
An unusual framework, no tests and no documentation mean every new developer starts by reverse-engineering the app.
Months with nothing to install
Screenshots and status reports, but no test build on your own phone until the end — when changes are most expensive.
Store rules checked too late
Payment, login and privacy rules looked at the week before launch, when fixing them means redesigning a whole flow.
Who it is for
Who we build iOS and Android apps for.
The buyer changes what matters most — speed to launch, integration with existing systems, or evidence for a compliance team.
Launching the first version
A focused first release on both platforms, with analytics in place so the next round of funding or features rests on real usage.
Adding an app to what you run
An app connected to the booking system, shop, CRM or database you already have — not a separate island of data.
Taking a web product mobile
A mobile companion to your web app that shares its API and, with React Native, some of your team’s TypeScript skills.
Apps for staff, not customers
Field, warehouse or care apps on company phones, where offline use, device management and security policies matter.
Apps that face scrutiny
Fintech and health apps where strong authentication, audit trails and data protection evidence are part of the brief.
Changing supplier mid-flight
An app that is late, unstable or stuck in review — audited, recovered and stabilised before anything new is added.
Platform decision
Cross-platform or native, decided on your facts.
The right answer depends on your users, your features, your budget and who will maintain the app in three years’ time. We put the recommendation and the reasons in writing during discovery.
React Native
One TypeScript codebase for iOS and Android with native components. Often the natural choice when your web product is built in React, because skills and some code carry across.
Shared skills with webNative modules when needed
React Native developers
Flutter
One Dart codebase that draws its own interface, so a strongly branded, animated design looks the same on every phone. A good fit when design consistency matters most.
Consistent custom interfaceOne codebase to maintain
Flutter developers
Swift and Kotlin
Separate native apps for iOS and Android. Worth the extra build and upkeep when the app leans on device hardware, background processing, demanding graphics, widgets or watch apps.
Full platform accessTwo codebases to maintain
Swift developers
What you get
What every app quote from us includes.
Cheap app quotes are often cheap because half the product is missing. Ours list the whole system, so you can compare like with like.
The API and database
Authentication, business logic and data storage behind a documented API, hosted in your own cloud account.
API development
An admin panel for your team
A web back office to manage users, content, orders and support queries without asking a developer.
Notifications people keep on
Permission requested at the moment it makes sense, messages users opted into, and preferences they can change themselves.
Analytics and crash reports
Onboarding funnels, feature use and crashes by device and OS version — so you know what to fix and what to build next.
Accessibility checks
VoiceOver and TalkBack support, larger text sizes, contrast and touch-target sizes checked on physical phones.
Store submission and review
Listings, privacy details, reviewer notes and any resubmissions, with review time built into the launch plan.
App development services
Typical timeline
An example app project timeline.
An example for a focused first release of a cross-platform app with a backend and admin panel. Your own plan is dated after discovery.
An illustration, not a promise. Scope, integrations, store review and how quickly decisions are made all move the dates — you get a dated plan with milestones before the build starts.
- Weeks 1–2
Discovery and platform choice
Users, devices, core journeys, integrations and the store rules for your payments and logins — ending in a written platform recommendation and a fixed quote.
Scope, platform choice and quote
- Weeks 2–4
Prototype on real phones
A clickable prototype of the core journeys, tried on iOS and Android devices, with permission prompts, empty states and errors designed properly.
Tested prototype
- Weeks 4–10
Build in sprints
Two-week sprints, each ending in a build you install through TestFlight or Google Play testing, with the backend and admin panel growing alongside.
An installable app every sprint
- Launch
Store submission and rollout
Listings, screenshots, privacy details and reviewer notes prepared, both stores submitted, feedback answered, and a staged rollout watched through crash reports.
Live on both stores
- Every year
OS updates and upkeep
New iOS and Android versions tested in beta, store SDK deadlines met, and libraries and security patches kept current.
An app that stays on sale
Running costs
What an app costs after launch day.
An app is never finished in the way a brochure is. Apple and Google release major OS versions every year, and both stores periodically raise the SDK versions apps must be built against. Miss the deadline and you cannot ship updates — and on Google Play, apps that fall too far behind stop being offered to new users on newer phones.
Around that sit the running costs: Apple’s annual developer membership, Google Play’s one-off registration fee, hosting for the backend, and services such as push notifications, maps, analytics or identity checks, some of which charge by usage. None is large on its own; together they belong in the business case.
Then there is upkeep. React Native, Flutter and native libraries move on, security patches arrive and new phones change screen shapes. We set out a maintenance budget with you before launch — a retainer, or hours drawn down when needed — so an OS update is a scheduled task rather than an emergency.
- OS betas tested before they reach your users
- Store SDK deadlines tracked for both platforms
- Libraries and security patches kept current
- Running costs listed in the proposal, not discovered later
How we work
How an app project moves through our process.
Our seven stages, with the mobile work — devices, store rules, release tracks — inside each one rather than bolted on at the end.
- 01
Discovery
Who the users are, which phones they carry, what must work offline, and which store rules apply to your logins, payments and data — settled before anything is designed.
Written platform recommendation
- 02
Strategy
Version one cut to the journeys that matter, the backend and admin panel scoped with it, and a fixed price that includes store submission and a maintenance estimate.
Scope and fixed quote
- 03
UX & architecture
User journeys, wireframes and a clickable prototype, alongside the architecture, data model and integration plan that will carry it.
Prototype and architecture decisions
- 04
Development
Sprints in which the app, backend and admin panel grow together, with code review on every change and a test build on your phone at the end of each.
A test build every sprint
- 05
Testing
Real iOS and Android devices, older OS versions and poor connections, VoiceOver and TalkBack checks, and automated tests on the journeys that earn you money.
Device test report
- 06
Launch
Production deployment with monitoring, backups and a rollback plan, followed by a handover of code, credentials and documentation.
A live, documented product
- 07
Optimisation & support
OS betas tested every year, libraries upgraded, crashes fixed and features added — on a retainer, by the hour, or handed over to your own developers.
Maintenance plan or handover
Engagement models
Three ways to work with us on an app.
A discovery sprint settles platform, scope and price. The build is then a fixed-price project — or, for a longer roadmap, dedicated mobile developers working in your sprints.
Discovery sprint
From £2,000 fixed fee
You have an idea or a problem, but not yet a scope you would trust a quote against.
- Workshops with your team
- Prototype or technical spike
- Written scope, plan and estimate
Fixed-scope project
Quoted after discovery
A defined build — an MVP, a rebuild or a feature set — with milestones and a fixed budget.
- Agreed milestones and deliverables
- Milestone-based billing
- A demo at the end of every sprint
Dedicated developers
From £2,900 per developer / month
Ongoing roadmap work where you want named engineers inside your own sprints.
- Named, senior engineers
- Work inside your tools and sprints
- Scale up or down as the roadmap changes
Prices are in GBP. Every estimate is confirmed in writing after a discovery call — the figures above are where engagements start, not a quote.
Relevant work
Apps from our case studies.
A money transfer app, a fitness tracker and an online pharmacy. Each case study covers the brief, the approach and the stack.
All case studiesFintech · Mobile
Sendora
Mobile-first money transfer and card app for a cross-border fintech.
React NativeNode.jsMapboxStripe
Read the case studyHealth & Fitness · Mobile
Workout Book
Fitness app for workouts, nutrition logging and progress tracking.
React NativeNode.jsFirebasePostgreSQL
Read the case studyHealthcare · eCommerce
Cyber Medic
Online pharmacy and lab-test booking app with prescriptions and delivery.
React NativeNode.jsStripeFirebase
Read the case studyEvaluating app developers
Questions to ask any app developer.
Put these to every company on your shortlist. Here is how we answer them.
Whose accounts will the app be published under?
Yours. We publish under Apple and Google developer accounts registered to your organisation, and help you set them up if you do not have them yet.
Why that platform?
We write down why we recommend cross-platform or native for your app, and what the other option would cost.
When can we install it?
From the early sprints, through TestFlight and Google Play testing — and again at the end of every sprint.
What is left out of the quote?
The backend, admin panel, hosting set-up and store submission are all listed; third-party running costs are estimated separately.
What happens when iOS and Android update?
New versions are tested in beta, against a maintenance budget agreed before launch.
Could another team take over?
Yes. Mainstream frameworks, tests, documentation and code in your repository make handover straightforward.
Who will we actually be talking to?
The engineers building your app, on UK business hours. Our team is based in the UK and India, and your contract is with a UK company.
FAQs
Questions about hiring an app developer.
Straight answers on scope, cost, timelines and how we work. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
Why do app quotes vary so much between companies?
Mostly because they include different things. One covers the app, backend, admin panel, testing on real devices and store submission; another covers the screens and assumes the rest exists. Ask each supplier to list what is excluded, and whose accounts the app will be published under.
What does an app cost to build with you?
A discovery sprint starts from £2,000 and ends with a written scope, a platform recommendation and a fixed quote for the build, billed by milestone. For a continuing roadmap after launch, dedicated mobile developers start from £2,900 a month each.
Can we get a fixed price for our app?
Yes, once the scope is written down — which is what the discovery sprint is for. If you want to change scope during the build, we price the change before doing it, so the total never moves without your agreement.
How do we set up Apple and Google developer accounts?
Register both as your organisation rather than as an individual. Apple and Google both ask organisations for a D-U-N-S number, which can take a while to arrive, so it is worth starting early; personal Google Play accounts also face extra testing requirements before an app can go live. We walk you through it, then work as users on your accounts.
Should we hire in-house app developers instead?
If the app is your core product and you will need mobile engineers for years, building an in-house team makes sense — and we can hand over to them when you do. Until then, a partner gives you iOS, Android, backend and QA skills without recruiting for each one.
Do we need an app developer near our office?
No. We work remotely on UK business hours, with video calls, shared boards and test builds on your own phone every sprint.
Can you take over an app another developer built?
Often, yes. We start with an audit of the code, backend, crash reports and store status, then tell you honestly what is worth keeping. If the store accounts or signing credentials sit with the previous developer, we help you recover them before anything else.
What will you need from us during the build?
A product owner who can make decisions quickly, access to any systems the app connects to, brand assets and content, and people willing to try each sprint’s test build. Quick feedback on those builds is what keeps an app project moving.
What does it cost to keep an app running each year?
Store fees, backend hosting and any usage-based services, plus maintenance for new OS versions, SDK deadlines and security patches. The amount depends on the app, so we estimate it in the proposal and agree whether it runs as a retainer or as hours drawn down when needed.
Will our app work for disabled users?
It should, and we plan for it from the first prototype: VoiceOver and TalkBack labels, support for larger text sizes, sufficient contrast and generous touch targets. WCAG 2.2 AA is a useful benchmark for apps too, and we test key journeys on physical devices with assistive technology switched on.
Start a project
Choosing an app development partner?
Tell us who the app is for, what it must do and what exists already. We will reply with questions, a first view on cross-platform versus native, and what a sensible first release would include.
What happens next
- 1A senior engineer reads your brief within one working day, and replies with questions or a first view.
- 2A 30-minute call to understand the goal, constraints and what good looks like — no sales script.
- 3A written proposal with scope, milestones, team and a GBP estimate you can take to your board.
Techsleight Labs is a trading name of Krapton IT Consultancy.
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