Most apps do not fail on code. They fail because nobody decided what the first version was allowed to leave out.
App Development
Web apps, progressive web apps and cross-platform mobile builds, from MVP through to a product you can staff.
- Timeline
- 6 – 20 weeks depending on scope
- Investment
- From R55 000
- Timeline
- 6 – 20 weeks depending on scope
- Investment
- From R55 000
- Good fit for
- Founders validating a product without burning the whole budget on v1
- Businesses running operations on spreadsheets that have outgrown them
- Teams that need an internal tool nobody else sells
Most apps do not fail on code. They fail because nobody decided what the first version was allowed to leave out.
An app is a commitment, not a deliverable. Before writing anything I want to know what has to be true in twelve months for the build to have been worth it, and which single job the first release does better than the spreadsheet or WhatsApp group it replaces.
I build with React Native and Expo for mobile, Next.js for web apps and PWAs, and Supabase or a Node API behind them. That stack is deliberately boring: it is well documented, cheap to host, and any competent South African developer can pick it up if you later hire in-house.
Everything ships with a CI pipeline, error tracking, environment separation and a written runbook. You get the repository, the infrastructure in your own accounts, and no dependency on me for a text change.
Exactly what lands in your hands
Everything below is included as standard. Anything outside it gets quoted separately before we start, never after.
- 01Product definition: jobs, users and the cut list for v1
- 02User flows, wireframes and a clickable prototype
- 03Complete UI design and component library
- 04Cross-platform build (iOS, Android, web) or PWA
- 05API, database schema and authentication
- 06Admin dashboard for the people who run it
- 07CI/CD, error tracking and staging environment
- 08App Store and Play Store submission, plus a written runbook
Five phases, in this order, every time
You will always know which phase we are in and what is needed from you to close it.
- 01
Definition
What the app is for, who it is for, and what version one is explicitly not doing. Written down and signed.
- 02
Prototype
Flows and a clickable prototype tested with real users before any production code exists.
- 03
Foundations
Data model, auth, environments and pipeline. Unglamorous week that saves the following three months.
- 04
Build sprints
Two-week sprints with a working build at the end of each one, installable on your own phone.
- 05
Release
Store submission, monitoring, handover of infrastructure, and a support window while real usage starts.
App Development in practice
About this service specifically
General questions about fees, ownership and revisions are answered on the FAQ page.
Do I own the code?
Entirely, on final payment. The repository lives in your GitHub organisation from day one, and infrastructure is provisioned in accounts you own.
What does it cost to run after launch?
Hosting and services for a typical early-stage app run R900 to R3 500 a month, plus a maintenance plan from R3 900 if you want me looking after it.
Other ways to work together
- Web Design & DevelopmentMarketing sites, portfolios and online stores: designed, built and handed over ready to run.
- UI/UX DesignResearch, flows, interface design and design systems for teams who need the product to make sense before it gets built.
- Brand & Graphic DesignLogos, identity systems, decks, social templates and print: the visual layer that keeps everything looking like one company.
- Hosting, Care & SupportManaged hosting, backups, updates, monitoring and a monthly block of change hours, on four plans you can compare side by side.
- Digital Consulting & WorkshopsTechnical and design reviews, roadmap support and team workshops for organisations building digital capability in-house.
Thinking about app development? Let's work out whether it's the right spend.
Typical engagements run 6 – 20 weeks depending on scope and start at R55 000. Send a brief and you'll have an honest answer within two working days.
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Bonolo Mathabela · Designer & Developer · bonolomathabela.com