<div class="bbWrapper">I've hired companies to do apps before, as well as doing them myself in a freelance capacity.<br />
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There are two things to consider with what you want: -<br />
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1) What <u>data</u> are you working with<br />
2) How is that data going to be <u>accessed/managed/inputted</u><br />
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To explain, all software works with 3 "layers": -<br />
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How each is implemented determines the solution you end up building.<br />
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The main determinant is how much control you want over the underlying architecture. If you don't mind using third party services, you could cobble together something like what JB has (JotForm = Presentation, Make.com = Logic, GoHighLevel = Data).<br />
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Whilst this will work fine, you won't own it and you will end up with technical debt that will be a nightmare to manage if you ever wanted to move to another system or make meaningful changes. I'll explain more on that at the end of the post.<br />
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If you wanted a more robust (and costly) solution, you would require the following: -<br />
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1. Central CRUD web application to store data (built with Laravel, Rails or the equivalent with an SQL database)<br />
2. UI to manage data stored in #1, as well as managing logic/functionality on events<br />
3. Means to have customers input data into #1 via either a website or mobile app<br />
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The way you'd go about getting something custom built is to get a clear picture of exactly what you are trying to build.<br />
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You then need to narrow down how you're going to get it built (IE which systems/services you're going to use).<br />
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Finally, you then look for development teams who are able to deliver on those specific requirements. You'll find a lot of developers who'll happily take your money, but few will be able to provide an actual result, particularly if things start getting complicated. Furthermore, you also need to be sure about the quality of their code. Cheap coders tend to produce inefficient, unoptimized and buggy code (which will cost more to fix).<br />
<br />
-<br />
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If I were to do this sort of work, I'd be looking at around $5k ~ $7k for the backend CRUD system and logic (1+2). If you wanted a full mobile app (3), I'd probably try and charge $2k, but it would depend on what type of functionality you need.<br />
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You could probably get a specialist mobile app developer to do #3 cheaper - the most important part is having the correct setup for the CRUD web backend. If you get that right, the mobile app should just be able to connect to it to pull in the data required to display to the user.<br />
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--<br />
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<blockquote data-attributes="member: 7501" data-quote="The-J" data-source="post: 1171801"
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My thinking right now is that paying a dev to do a custom app solution will be a waste of time & money and won't solve your problem any better than simple no-code solutions made up of a combination of existing apps. But I might be wrong there
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</blockquote><br />
The issue with "no-code" is that you own neither the process or the implementation.<br />
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Whilst I'm sure that what JohnnyBoy has works fine for his business, I can't shake the feeling that without owning the underlying solution, you leave yourself open to problems.<br />
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An example of having sloppy backend technical stuff is one of the UK's leading brands - M&S - who got hit by a huge ransomware attack that's meant they can't take online orders for 6+ weeks (they've lost like £300m from it): -<br />
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M&S cyber attack: What we know about it and its impact
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<div class="contentRow-snippet js-unfurl-desc">Online orders paused, some customer data stolen - here's what we know about the chaos at M&S.</div>
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If you are looking to scale - or even to compete on efficiency - you need your own software running in the background. That software can then grow & adapt with the business, allowing you to optimize around your processes. By not having this, you are always going to be at the mercy of the third party provider's capabilities.<br />
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<blockquote data-attributes="member: 135951" data-quote="Bounce Back" data-source="post: 1171812"
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Would you download an app for a pest control company for your house or call them?
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</blockquote><br />
This is a loaded question - there are many instances where having an "app" <i><u>can</u></i> make sense (although I've advised companies against it previously). I think the key factor is ongoing service.<br />
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If you're buying something one-off, nobody gives a shit about an app. However, if you're planning on a longer term relationship with the business, I think there's a lot of value in having one. The most important element would be to have their "account information" accessible inside it - for example, a list of invoices, any active subscriptions they have and offers that the company may have presently.<br />
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As I've mentioned above, this is only really feasible if you have the correct backend setup regarding your data. Something like JB's setup would inhibit this and make an app look cheap & detrimental.</div>
