Do you need an app, or a mobile website?
An app is worth building when customers will use it often, when you need push notifications, or when it relies on the phone itself: camera, location, offline use or payments stored on the device.
If customers will visit a few times a year, a fast mobile website is usually cheaper and reaches more people, because nobody has to download anything. We tell you which one fits in the first conversation.
Flutter, React Native or native code
Flutter and React Native produce apps for both iOS and Android from one codebase. For most business apps (ordering, booking, loyalty, field service, customer accounts) that is the most cost-effective choice, and users cannot tell the difference.
Native Swift and Kotlin make sense for apps that push the hardware, need the newest platform features on day one, or where one platform matters far more than the other.
What users in the UAE expect from an app
Small details decide whether people keep an app. In the UAE these come up in almost every project:
- Arabic and English, with a proper right-to-left layout rather than mirrored screenshots.
- Apple Pay and Google Pay at checkout, and cash on delivery where it is common.
- Phone number login with a one-time code, since most users prefer it to email and password.
- Live order or driver tracking for delivery and service apps.
- A WhatsApp or chat option for support.
Apps we have built
Coop Cart is a grocery delivery app for customers in the UAE and Kuwait, with real-time driver tracking, a complex cart and local payment integrations. HawkOps is a Flutter app for field technicians at a facilities management company in Dubai, handling work orders and syncing data when the connection comes back.
Both are on our portfolio page with screenshots.
The running costs after launch
Plan for more than the build. Apple charges USD 99 a year for its developer program and Google charges a one-time USD 25 to publish on Google Play. The backend needs hosting, and notification, map and SMS services often charge by usage.
Apple and Google release new operating system versions every year, so apps need regular updates to keep working and stay in the stores. We offer a maintenance plan for this, or hand over to your team.