Starter
$2,500
One focused job, done well.
Includes the $500 design fee
- Up to 5 screens
- iPhone and Android
- Works offline, no accounts needed
- Our clean, modern design
- App Store and Google Play launch
- 30 days of unlimited tweaks after launch
Custom apps for businesses, creators and solo founders
Your app. Designed, built and launched.
We build iPhone and Android apps for small businesses, creators, coaches and solopreneurs, and launch them in your name. Private and ad-free like ours, or with ads, analytics and in-app purchases if your business needs them. Fixed prices, every screen approved by you before we write a line of code, and the finished app belongs to you.
What you get
- Fixed priceA set price for the build. No hourly surprises.
- You own itPublished under your name, in your store account.
- No platform feeYour app keeps working whether or not you pay us monthly.
- In writingEvery request, mockup and approval, written down.
- Not monthsMost apps launch within weeks of your approval.
How it works
You see every screen before we build.
No guessing and no "that's not what I said on the phone." Every step is written down and approved by you.
Tell us in writing
Fill out the request form below: what the app should do, who will use it, and the features you must have. We reply by email, usually within two business days.
See every screen first
For a $500 design fee we design every screen of your app as realistic mockups you can tap through on your phone, plus two rounds of changes. The fee counts toward your build.
Approve and get your start date
When the screens look right, you approve them in writing and we give you a build start date. You pay the build price in full when your slot opens, before we write any code. The approved screens become the plan we build to.
We build and launch
Within 7 business days of your start date you can try a working test build on your own phone. We finish the app, test it on real phones, and submit it to the App Store and Google Play under your developer account. After launch you get 30 days of unlimited tweaks, because the best ideas come once real people use it.
Keep it running
Add an optional care plan for updates and fixes, or take the code and maintain it yourself. Your choice, and you can change it later.
Build prices
One fixed price for your build. Yours to keep.
Every build starts with a $500 design fee for your screen mockups, and that fee counts toward the build. The build is paid in full when your build slot opens, before any code is written.
Standard
$4,500
Our pick for most businesses and creators.
Includes the $500 design fee
- Up to 15 screens
- iPhone and Android
- Your logo, colors and brand
- Reports, exports or reminders
- App Store and Google Play launch
- 30 days of unlimited tweaks after launch
Custom
From $7,500
For apps that need the cloud.
Includes the $500 design fee
- Up to 25 screens, or quoted
- Shared data across phones
- Logins, payments or an admin page
- Hosted in your own cloud account
- Quoted after your mockups
- 30 days of unlimited tweaks after launch
Staff tool
$1,500
An internal web app for you or your team.
Includes the $500 design fee
- Installs from a link, no app store
- Works on any phone or computer
- Works offline
- Hosted by us with a care plan or Site Care, or by you
- Great for checklists and logs
- 30 days of unlimited tweaks after launch
Typical agency
$15,000+
for a simple app, often with a monthly retainer on top.The News Bakery
From $2,500
fixed price, no platform fee, and you own the app.Store fees are paid by you directly: Apple charges $99 a year and Google Play charges $25 once. Apps with a cloud backend also pay their hosting directly, usually a few dollars a month for a small business.
Care plans
A team on call for your app.
Fast replies, a monthly report and every update handled. Growth adds unlimited small changes. Partner is full service: change anything, add anything. Care plans are optional: skip them if you plan to maintain and update the app yourself.
Care
$99a month, or $990 a year (two months free)
Keep your app safe, current and working.
- Replies within 24 hours for emergencies, 48 hours for everything else
- Unlimited bug fixes
- Every iPhone, Android and app store policy update
- Monthly report: downloads, ratings, crashes and new reviews
- We track renewals, certificates and store deadlines so nothing lapses
- Changes billed separately
Growth
$199a month, or $1,990 a year (two months free)
For apps that keep getting better.
- Everything in Care
- Replies within 24 hours on everything
- Unlimited small changes, one at a time
- A new release every month, emergencies right away
- We watch your reviews and fix the bugs they point out
- Quarterly app store listing refresh for more downloads
Partner
$299a month, or $2,990 a year (two months free)
Full service. Change anything, add anything.
- Everything in Growth
- Unlimited changes and new features
- Two requests worked at a time
- A new release every two weeks
- Your app website included and hosted
- Cloud monitoring and backups for apps with a backend
On Growth, small changes are anything we can do in about a day: wording, colors, a new field or option, a rearranged screen, and bigger features are quoted in writing. On Partner, ask for anything, including new features. Requests are worked in order, and big ones simply take their turn. Website requests go in the same queue under the same rules. A brand new app, a complete redesign or moving an app to the cloud is a new project, quoted separately. Plans renew monthly by card, or pay yearly and get two months free. Cancel with 30 days' notice and we hand over everything: code, accounts and notes. Without a plan, fixes and changes are $95 an hour. Apps with a cloud backend need Partner, which includes monitoring and backups, unless you have your own tech team.
Add-on
App website
A fast, clean website for your app with a home page, privacy policy and support page, which the app stores require. Website changes go live right away, with no app store review.
$1,200, or $750 with a build
- Care
- Hosted and kept secure. Changes are $95 an hour.
- Growth
- Hosted and secure, plus small edits (text, photos, prices, a new section) in your change queue. New pages are quoted.
- Partner
- Website included and hosted at no extra cost. Change anything, add anything, including new pages.
- Site Care, $49 a month
- For a website or Staff tool without an app, or after you leave a care plan: hosting, security and unlimited small edits, one at a time.
Our rules
Your app, your rules. Our standards.
Our own apps are private, ad-free and simple. Yours runs however you want: private like ours, or with ads, analytics, in-app purchases or subscriptions. Either way you get the same care: clean design, code tested on real phones, and the privacy policy and store labels done right.
What we do not build
- Medical or health care apps that handle patient records
- Apps for children
- Gambling
- Banking, lending, investing or crypto
- Adult content
Questions
How much does a custom app cost?
Our builds are a fixed price: Starter is $2,500 for up to 5 screens, Standard is $4,500 for up to 15 screens, and apps that need the cloud start at $7,500. An internal staff tool is $1,500. You see the exact price before you pay for anything beyond the $500 design fee, and that fee counts toward the build.
What does the design fee include?
The $500 design fee covers realistic mockups of every screen, a tap-through demo on your phone, and two rounds of changes. Extra rounds are $250 each. When you approve and go ahead, the fee counts toward your build, so a $4,500 Standard app costs $4,500 in total.
Do I own the app?
Yes. Your app is published under your own Apple and Google developer accounts, and when the build is complete you receive the app and its code. There is no platform fee, so your app keeps working whether or not you stay with us. A Staff tool we host needs a care plan or Site Care, or we hand you the files to host yourself.
Do I need my own developer account?
Yes. Apple and Google expect a business app to be published by the business itself. Apple charges $99 a year and Google charges $25 once. We send you a step-by-step written guide and set things up together while we build. Read how to set up an Apple developer account for your business.
Do you build apps for creators and solo founders?
Yes. Coaches, creators, consultants and solopreneurs are a great fit: think of a companion app for your course or community, a tool for your clients, or a simple app around your brand. You do not need a big company or a tech team.
Can my app have ads, analytics or subscriptions?
Yes. It is your app, so it runs your way. We can keep it private and ad-free like our own apps, or add ads, analytics, in-app purchases or subscriptions. We set up the privacy policy, tracking permission prompt and app store privacy labels that Apple and Google require for those features.
How long does it take?
Mockups usually take about a week. When you approve them, we give you a build start date based on our current schedule. Within 7 business days of that date you get a working test build on your phone, and most Starter and Standard apps are ready for the app stores within three to five weeks of it. Apple and Google review times are outside our control, but most reviews take a few days.
What if Apple or Google rejects the app?
A build is not finished until the app is approved and live. If a store rejects it because of our work, we fix it at no charge until it is approved. Rejections caused by content, features or accounts you provide are billed hourly, and rejections of later updates are covered by your care plan.
Do I have to buy a care plan?
No. Care plans are optional for apps that run on the phone. You can maintain the code yourself or hire anyone you like. Apps with a cloud backend need the Partner plan, which includes monitoring and backups, unless you have your own tech team.
Can I change things after launch?
Yes. Every build includes 30 days of unlimited tweaks after launch. After that, Growth includes unlimited small changes, one at a time, and Partner includes unlimited changes and new features, two at a time. Changes ship in regular releases.
How fast do you reply?
On every care plan we reply within 24 hours to emergencies, like an app that will not open. Routine requests get a reply within 48 hours on Care and within 24 hours on Growth and Partner. Everything is by email, so every request has a written record.
Do you work by phone?
No. We work entirely in writing: the request form, email, mockups and written approvals. Every decision is written down, so nothing gets lost or misremembered.
How do I pay?
By card. The design fee is paid before mockups, and the build is paid in full when your build slot opens, before we write any code. Care plans renew automatically each month or year.
What if I change my mind?
Before your build start date, we refund the build payment in full. Within 7 business days of that date you get a working test build on your phone, so you can see real progress for yourself. If we miss that deadline, you can cancel for a full refund. After the test build is delivered, the build payment is not refundable, but if you cancel we hand over everything built so far. If we cannot deliver an app that matches your approved screens, we refund the build payment. The design fee covers finished design work and is not refundable.
What do you not build?
We do not build medical apps that handle patient records, apps for children, gambling apps, banking or investing apps, or adult content.
Helpful guides
Request a quote
Tell us about your app.
Answer a few questions and send. It opens an email to us with your answers filled in, so you keep a copy. We reply by email, usually within two business days.