Custom software development
Custom app development built around how your business actually works
Internal tools, client portals, marketplaces and integrations designed for your workflow, not a template. You work directly with the engineer who builds it, and you own every line of code.
- Built around your real workflow
- You own the code and IP
- Fixed-scope estimates, weekly demos
When the tools you rent stop fitting the way you work
Most businesses run on a patchwork: a SaaS subscription for one job, a spreadsheet for another, a no-code automation holding the two together, and someone on the team copying data between them every Friday. That works until it does not. Per-seat pricing climbs, the one feature you need is on a roadmap you do not control, and the workaround becomes the process.
Custom app development replaces the patchwork with software shaped around your workflow. That might be an internal tool your operations team uses all day, a portal where your clients see their projects and invoices, a two-sided marketplace, or a service that connects the systems you already pay for so they finally talk to each other.
We are a small software company in Albuquerque, New Mexico, working with clients across the US and internationally. We are honest about when custom is the wrong call: if an off-the-shelf product covers 90% of what you need, we will tell you. When it does not, we build something you own outright, with no license fees and no vendor deciding your roadmap.
Why build custom instead of stitching together more SaaS
Software that matches your process
Your screens, fields, statuses and approval steps reflect how your team works today. No renaming your process to fit someone else's data model.
You own the code and the IP
On full payment the source code and intellectual property are yours, in your own repository. Sell the company, bring in an in-house team, or switch vendors without asking permission.
No per-seat tax as you grow
Adding ten more staff or a thousand more clients does not multiply a license bill. You pay for hosting and the improvements you choose to make.
One source of truth
We connect the tools you keep (accounting, CRM, payments, email) through their APIs so data is entered once and stays in sync, instead of living in five places.
Room for features nobody sells
The rule that is unique to your industry, the AI step that reads incoming documents, the report your best customer keeps asking for: custom software can do the thing that makes you different.
What we build
Custom work covers a wide range. These are the kinds of projects that most often outgrow off-the-shelf software and no-code builders.
Internal tools and admin dashboards
Order management, scheduling, inventory, dispatch, case tracking: the screens your team lives in, with roles, permissions and audit history.
Client and customer portals
A branded place for clients to log in, upload files, approve work, track status, pay invoices and message your team, instead of long email threads.
Marketplaces and booking platforms
Two-sided products that match buyers with sellers or clients with providers, including listings, search, scheduling, payments and payouts.
Integrations and data sync
Connectors between the systems you already use, webhooks, scheduled imports and a clean API so your tools share data reliably.
Workflow automation
Replacing fragile spreadsheet macros and chained no-code zaps with tested code that handles errors, retries and edge cases.
Field and team mobile apps
iOS and Android apps for staff on the move, built cross-platform with React Native and connected to the same backend as your web tools.
AI features inside your workflow
Document extraction, smart search over your own records, drafting replies or summarizing cases, built on OpenAI or Anthropic models with structured output you can trust.
Handover and documentation
Source in your repository, deployment notes and a walkthrough, so your team or any future developer can pick it up.
How a custom project runs
Custom software fails when requirements are vague and feedback comes too late. Our process is built to prevent both.
Step 1: Free app plan
Timeline: 2–3 days
Answer a short questionnaire about your workflow. We send back a plan with scope, recommended stack and a cost estimate, free and with no obligation.
Step 2: Workflow mapping
Timeline: 1 week
We walk through how work moves today: who does what, which tools hold which data, where things break. This becomes the spec and the fixed-scope estimate.
Step 3: Design and data model
Timeline: 1–2 weeks
Clickable screens for the key flows and a data model that fits your business, reviewed with the people who will use it every day.
Step 4: Build with weekly demos
Timeline: 4–12 weeks
Working software every week on a live preview link. You see real progress, give feedback early and adjust priorities before they become expensive.
Step 5: Migration and launch
Timeline: 1–2 weeks
We import data from spreadsheets or the old tool, run in parallel if needed, train your team and switch over.
Step 6: Support and iteration
Timeline: Ongoing
Optional monthly support for fixes, updates and new features as your workflow evolves.
Who custom app development is for
Operations-heavy small and mid-size businesses
Teams running on spreadsheets and five subscriptions that need one system matching how they actually work.
Service firms that want a client portal
Agencies, consultancies, contractors and professional practices that want clients to self-serve instead of emailing for updates.
Founders building a platform
Marketplaces and vertical SaaS ideas where the software itself is the product and the IP has to belong to the company.
Teams that outgrew no-code
You proved the idea in Airtable, Bubble or Zapier. Now you are hitting performance, permission or pricing limits.
A modern stack chosen for maintainability
We use widely adopted, well-documented tools so the software you own is easy to hire for and extend later. The exact stack is picked per project in your free app plan.
- TypeScript and React
- One typed language across web front end and back end, with the largest hiring pool in web development.
- React Native and Expo
- Native iOS and Android apps from one codebase when your team or clients need mobile access.
- Convex
- A realtime backend where changes appear instantly on every screen, ideal for dashboards and shared team views.
- Postgres
- A proven relational database when the project calls for complex reporting or existing SQL data.
- Cloudflare Workers
- Fast, low-cost hosting at the edge for APIs, integrations and scheduled jobs.
- OpenAI and Anthropic APIs
- LLM features such as retrieval over your documents, agents and structured data extraction, where they genuinely save time.
Not sure if custom is worth it?
Describe your workflow in a few minutes. We will tell you honestly whether to build, buy or combine both, with a scoped estimate.
What custom app development costs
Cost depends on how many user roles, screens and integrations your workflow needs. These typical ranges give you a starting point.
Proof of concept
- Typical cost
- $5,000–$12,000
- Timeline
- 2–4 weeks
- What's included
- A clickable prototype or a working slice of one workflow to validate the approach with your team.
Focused custom app
- Typical cost
- $15,000–$40,000
- Timeline
- 6–10 weeks
- What's included
- One internal tool or client portal with core features, user roles, backend and one or two integrations.
Full platform
- Typical cost
- $40,000–$120,000+
- Timeline
- 3–6 months
- What's included
- Web plus iOS and Android, admin, multiple integrations, payments, AI features and data migration.
These are typical ranges and estimates, not quotes. Ongoing support usually runs $1,500–$6,000 per month. Your free app plan gives a specific estimate for your project.
Custom app vs off-the-shelf SaaS or no-code
Off-the-shelf and no-code tools are great for starting fast. Custom wins when the workflow is your advantage or the costs and limits start to compound.
Swipe sideways to see the full table.
| What matters | Custom app | Off-the-shelf SaaS / no-code |
|---|---|---|
| Fit to your workflow | Built around your exact process and terminology | You adapt your process to the product |
| Ownership | You own the code and IP on full payment | You rent access; the vendor owns the platform |
| Cost over time | Upfront build, then hosting and optional support | Low to start, per-seat fees grow with your team |
| Integrations | Any system with an API, built to handle errors | Limited to available connectors and plan tiers |
| Roadmap | You decide what gets built next | The vendor decides, for all customers at once |
| Time to start | Weeks, with a working prototype early | Same day for standard use cases |
| Vendor risk | Portable code you can move anywhere | Price changes or shutdowns affect you directly |
Software we build and run ourselves
We do not show client logos we cannot back up. Instead, here are two products Loha.dev LLC built, ships and maintains.
Star
A setlist and presentation app for worship teams, musicians and speakers. Build setlists and run slides on the big screen from a tablet, with realtime sync between devices and a web app at app.starapp.io.
Visit Star (opens in a new tab)SentIt
Email for teams: a shared inbox product that lets a group work the same conversations together, the kind of workflow software we build.
Visit SentIt (opens in a new tab)
Frequently asked questions
How much does custom app development cost?
Custom app development typically costs $15,000–$40,000 for a focused internal tool or client portal and $40,000–$120,000 or more for a full platform with mobile apps and several integrations. A proof of concept can start around $5,000. The biggest cost drivers are the number of user roles, integrations and data migration. Our free app plan gives a specific estimate.
When should I build a custom app instead of using SaaS?
Build custom when your workflow is a competitive advantage, when per-seat SaaS fees keep climbing, or when you are stitching several tools together with manual work. If an existing product covers nearly everything you need, buy it. Many businesses do both: keep standard tools like accounting and build the custom layer that connects them.
Who owns the code for a custom app?
You do. On full payment you own the source code and intellectual property outright, and the code lives in your own repository from day one. There are no license fees and no lock-in, so you can hire an in-house team or another developer to maintain it later.
How long does it take to build a custom app?
Most focused custom apps take 6–10 weeks from kickoff to launch, and a full multi-platform system takes 3–6 months. A proof of concept can be ready in 2–4 weeks. You see working software in weekly demos throughout, so there are no surprises at the end.
Is custom software better than no-code tools like Bubble or Airtable?
Not always. No-code is excellent for validating an idea quickly. Custom software is better once you hit limits on performance, complex permissions, data volume, integrations or pricing. If you already have a no-code version, it makes a useful working spec, and we can migrate your data into the new app.
Can a custom app integrate with the tools we already use?
Yes. If a system has an API, we can usually connect to it, including accounting, CRM, payment, email and calendar tools. We build integrations with error handling and logging, so a failed sync is reported and retried instead of silently losing data.
Do I need separate iOS and Android apps for my business tool?
Usually not. Many internal tools and portals work best as a web app every device can open. When your team needs offline access, camera or push notifications, we build iOS and Android from one React Native codebase that shares a backend with the web app.
Do you work with clients outside New Mexico?
Yes. We are based in Albuquerque and work remotely with clients across the US and internationally. Communication happens directly with the engineer building your app through video calls, shared chat and weekly demos, and we schedule around your time zone.
Turn your workflow into software you own
Answer a few questions and get a free app plan with scope, stack and a cost estimate. No obligation.
or email matt@loha.devCall (732) 340-8396
Free, no obligation. We reply within one business day.