Native or cross-platform — the honest answer
The framework debate is usually argued in the abstract and decided by whoever is loudest. The practical answer depends on two things: how much your app leans on platform-specific capability, and whether you can realistically staff two native codebases.
For most products — content, commerce, booking, dashboards, social, internal tools — React Native or Flutter ships one codebase to both stores at roughly 60% of the cost, with performance users cannot distinguish from native. We go native when the app depends on heavy graphics, sustained background processing, deep hardware access, or platform features that arrive in Swift and Kotlin first.
- Cross-platform with React Native or Flutter for most product categories
- Native Swift (iOS) and Kotlin (Android) where the platform genuinely matters
- A recommendation based on your product, not our preferred stack
- One codebase where it saves money, two where it protects the experience
AI features that work on a phone
Mobile AI has constraints a web app never faces. Connectivity drops mid-session. Battery and thermal budgets are real. Users abandon a screen that spins for four seconds far faster than they abandon a browser tab.
We design around those limits rather than ignoring them. Responses stream so output appears immediately, results cache so repeated queries are instant, and where latency or privacy demands it we run smaller models on-device with Core ML or TensorFlow Lite so the feature keeps working with no signal at all.
- Streaming responses so the interface never appears frozen
- On-device inference with Core ML and TensorFlow Lite
- Offline-first architecture with background sync on reconnect
- Token and battery budgets treated as design constraints
- Graceful degradation when the model provider is slow or unreachable
Shipping to the stores — and getting through review
Building the app is roughly two-thirds of the work. App Store and Play Store review is where inexperienced teams lose weeks, and AI features attract extra scrutiny: both stores now ask pointed questions about generated content, moderation and data handling.
We handle submission end to end — store listings, privacy nutrition labels, data-safety declarations, age ratings, screenshots and review responses. We have shipped through this process enough times to write the disclosures correctly the first time rather than discovering the requirement in a rejection notice.
- Full App Store and Play Store submission handled for you
- Privacy nutrition labels and data-safety forms completed accurately
- Content moderation and safety disclosures for AI features
- Staged rollout with crash monitoring and rollback capability
- Post-launch release management on your own developer accounts
What you receive
- Published iOS and Android applications on your developer accounts
- Full source code, signing configuration and build pipeline
- Crash reporting and product analytics instrumented on key funnels
- Store listings, assets and privacy declarations
- Handover documentation and release runbook
Technologies we use
Mobile App Development — frequently asked questions
How much does mobile app development cost?
A focused cross-platform app typically runs $30K to $70K for both platforms. Apps with complex backends, real-time features or multiple integrations range from $80K to $180K. Native iOS and Android built separately costs roughly 60 to 80% more than cross-platform for equivalent scope.
Should we build native or cross-platform?
Cross-platform for most products — it ships to both stores from one codebase at meaningfully lower cost, and users cannot tell the difference for content, commerce, booking or dashboard apps. Go native when you need heavy graphics, sustained background processing, deep hardware access, or day-one support for new platform features.
How long does it take to build a mobile app?
A focused cross-platform app ships in 10 to 16 weeks including store submission. Larger apps with complex backends run 16 to 24 weeks. Store review itself adds three to seven days per submission, which we plan into the timeline rather than treating as a surprise.
Do you handle App Store and Play Store submission?
Yes, end to end — listings, screenshots, privacy nutrition labels, data-safety declarations, age ratings and any review correspondence. Apps are published under your own developer accounts so you retain full ownership and control.
Can you add AI features to our existing mobile app?
Yes, and it is common. We integrate at the service boundary so AI features fail independently of core functionality, add streaming and caching so the experience stays fast on mobile connections, and use on-device models where latency or privacy requires it.
What happens after launch?
Apps need ongoing work that websites do not — OS releases, deprecated APIs and device compatibility all force updates. Most clients continue on a support retainer covering releases, crash triage and feature work. Others take it in-house, which we plan the handover for.
Talk through your mobile app development project
A free 30-minute call with an engineer — not a salesperson. You leave with a scope, a cost range and an honest view of the risks.
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