The first question: app store, or mobile web?
Most mobile app projects we are asked about start with "we need an app". Sometimes that is right. Often it is not, and the honest answer saves months and a lot of money.
A mobile web app is usually right when people find you through Google, Instagram or a shared link, use you occasionally, and need to act quickly: book, apply, buy, check something. Nobody installs an app for a one-off task. When the team behind RescueME asked about a mobile app, we talked them out of it: adopters arrive from a search once, and a responsive site that loads in under two seconds on 4G serves them better than an install they will never make. The site has since helped rescue 50+ animals.
An app store app is usually right when people use you daily or weekly, you need push notifications, the camera, location in the background, offline use or payments inside the app, or your competitors' apps are where your customers already are.
Often the answer is both, in order. Launch the mobile web app, learn what people actually do, then build the store app around the flows that earned it.
What we build
- iOS and Android apps from one cross-platform TypeScript codebase, sharing business logic and types with your web app and back end.
- Mobile-first web apps and PWAs that install to the home screen, work on flaky connections and rank in search.
- Desktop apps when your users live on a PC. Duskmere ships as a browser game and a Windows desktop app from the same code.
- The back end behind the app: accounts, APIs, admin dashboards, notifications and the database, so the app is not a thin shell over something fragile.
- Integrations where the data is created. OSRS Flip Finder pairs a web app with a native plugin that logs trades automatically, because a journal people fill in by hand stays empty.
How a build runs
1. A free 15-minute consult with an engineer. We ask who uses the app, how often and why, which is how we answer the store versus web question honestly.
2. A discovery sprint. The core flow sketched screen by screen, the data model, the platform decision and what ships first. You leave with a written plan and a price.
3. The build. Test builds on your phone early (TestFlight on iOS, internal testing on Android), with weekly progress. AI accelerates the repetitive work; an engineer reviews and signs off every change.
4. Store submission and launch. App Store and Google Play listings, screenshots, privacy disclosures and review. Listings are written for App Store Optimisation, because an app nobody finds in the store is the mobile version of a site nobody finds on Google.
5. After launch. Crash monitoring, OS updates, store policy changes and iteration on what users actually do.
Built for how the UAE uses phones
UAE users are overwhelmingly on mobile, on a mix of iOS and Android, often switching between English and Arabic. We design for right-to-left layouts from the start when Arabic is on the roadmap, test on mid-range Android devices and not just the latest iPhone, and keep sensitive documents such as Emirates ID or tenancy contracts out of email and in private, access-controlled storage, as we did for RescueME's adoption applications.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to build a mobile app in Dubai?
It depends on scope: the platforms, the number of user roles, integrations and what must exist on day one. We price after a free 15-minute consult and a short discovery sprint, with a price agreed before the build starts.
How long does it take to build an app?
It depends on scope. Discovery ends with a written timeline. Allow time for App Store and Google Play review before launch, and remember a mobile web version can often go live first while the store app is finished.
Do you build native or cross-platform apps?
Cross-platform TypeScript by default, so iOS and Android share one codebase with each other and with your web app. We go native for a specific feature only when the platform demands it.
Should my business have an app or a website?
If customers use you occasionally and arrive from search or social links, start with a fast mobile web app. If they use you often and need notifications, offline use or device features, build a store app. We will tell you which in the consult.
Who owns the app and the store listings?
You do. The code, the Apple and Google developer accounts and the store listings are in your name from day one.