Key takeaways
- Custom apps can have a unique design and features to meet your company’s needs.
- Custom apps can help manage interactions with clients, site maintenance , automate business processes, and much more.
- Apps simplify communication with your team and customers and help attract new clients. They can also quickly scale without compromising on security.
What are custom web applications?
The term “custom” refers to a product built or altered according to individual specifications. A custom app therefore is created according to the requirements and business goals of a client. Custom options add uniqueness and convenience but do require more investment. However, the cost of developing a specific app for your business is well worth it.
Custom web application development is the process where a team of professionals will use advanced technologies to create a unique design and features that meet your needs. All in-app features, design and UX are tailored to the needs and preferences of the customer.
There are custom mobile, desktop and web apps. In this article we focus on the web products that are accessed online through a browser. If you want to learn more about mobile app development, you should check out Purrweb’s mobile page.
As well as custom, you can find ready-made standard solutions that are difficult to modify, or ‘off-the-shelf’ apps. They can be branded and integrated into business processes, but they are less flexible and may not have the necessary functionality.
The types of custom web applications
A custom web app can simplify your work and drive user adoption. Below we’ll run through the main types of apps that businesses most commonly use to complete important tasks.
Customer relationship management apps
CRM apps are used to help organizations manage interactions with their customers, these applications are centralized databases used for storing customer data and within the app you can find data such as contact information, purchase history and customer preferences.
CRM apps offer tools for company-client communication via different channels — emails, phone numbers, social media and chats. They also implement features for tracking leads, spotting sales opportunities, conducting marketing campaigns and making reports.
Content management systems
CMSs help maintain a company website, blog, or online store. They allow users to publish digital content like text, images, videos and other files. Various enterprises use CMSs to update website content and conduct digital marketing campaigns.
With the help of a visual user interface, promoters and marketers can create and edit content even without needing much technical knowledge. In addition, some CMSs include tools to manage site navigation and user accounts. Businesses benefit from content management system apps thanks to their useful content organization and categorization.
What is a CMS?
Business process automation apps
Custom web apps for business process automation give much more freedom and flexibility than ‘off-the-shelf’ solutions, being designed to automate and streamline business tasks such as human resources management, accounting, taxes, etc.
With business process automation software eliminating routine manual tasks, companies can significantly reduce costs and increase productivity. To find a solution that’s perfect for your firm, opt for customization rather than using basic pre-built programs.
E-commerce apps
Custom software solutions for e-commerce are on the rise, including B2B and B2C apps used to interact with different stakeholders. Many marketplaces offer goods and services that you can purchase online and since the pandemic, delivery services are gaining in popularity. In order to make shopping convenient, companies develop their unique apps.
An online marketplace app typically offers a product list with descriptions, images and prices. With a search function and filters, so that customers can quickly find what they need. One of the must-have features is a secure payment gateway to pay for purchases, here is a video content marketplace that we built a while ago.
Paperless offices
A paperless office, as its name implies, means a workplace where employees don’t need paper documents. Thanks to global digitalization as well as more environmentally conscious businesses, paperless offices are increasingly popular.
Software solutions for organizing a paperless workplace can help minimize storage costs, improve coordination of the work processes as well as making them more secure. You can deal with documents more safely and efficiently, thanks to online document management and electronic signatures.
The benefits of custom apps
Custom apps make it easier to communicate with your team and customers, reach a larger audience and attract new clients. Standardized template apps offer these benefits too, so why make a unique custom product for your business? Let’s look at the advantages of custom apps over off-the-shelf solutions.
Uniqueness
Custom web application development gives way to unique solutions that meet the specific needs and requirements of each business. Compared to off-the-shelf software, custom apps are developed from the ground up, providing companies with a solution optimized for their inner processes and customer needs.
Ease of customization
As they are easily modifiable, custom apps can be changed and updated as needed. With customization, the product meets the relevant needs and companies can easily adapt to changing market conditions, without being dependent on third-party software vendors.
Scalability
Custom apps easily scale, either growing or scaling down over time to meet changing business needs. Sometimes the market demand for specific products and services can fluctuate, so a company should be mindful and able to prevent the server from going down due to overload. It’s important that the app be able to scale up fast when demand is high to serve more clients.
Compatibility
Custom apps can easily integrate with other systems and software, making them much more compatible than their off-the-shelf alternatives. With simple integration, businesses can create a consistent workflow and avoid manual data entry or duplicated processes. Compatibility is achieved through the use of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that allow different systems to communicate with each other.
Safety
Data security is always important and custom apps are, by definition, more secure than off-the-shelf ones. As they are developed specifically for a particular business, they can exactly meet the company’s security requirements. You can utilize data encryption or user authentication to implement extra layers of protection.
Custom web application development process
The perfect option for startups is to launch an MVP (minimum viable product). A minimal viable product is an app that includes only the key features needed to test your product on the market. It’s a finished working app, which can be then scaled as required.
The application development process consists of several stages. Before we get into the costs, let’s go over exactly what a company needs to do to turn an idea into a real product. Here are the steps you’ll go through if you choose to develop an app with Purrweb.
Market analysis & planning
In the first stage, you need to decide on the idea and the general concept of the project. You also need to understand who your target audience is. This can be done by a look at your competitors, their audience and current trends in your industry. Sometimes our clients carry out market analysis by themselves, but we can also help with that. When planning, choose the main features of the app that you want to include in the first version.
Design
The next step is to turn the idea into a design, starting by evaluating the references that the customer likes or dislikes and find the perfect fit for the company. We then show the functions of the product on the mind map, create wireframes and develop UI/UX. The result is that the client gets live, clickable prototypes.
Development & testing
Next, it’s time to translate the design into code, using React.js and Node.js for web app development. These JavaScript libraries are ideal for web apps and the React open-source library is used for the front end, while Node.js is a tool for back-end development. The combination of the two, allow for high performance and flexibility in the application.
Here you should set some time aside for testing your custom app, as a test run allows you to check all the features of the app and avoid bugs in its future operation. It’s better to test your app in parallel with development to fix errors as early as possible.
Release and maintenance
Launching a web application is not quite the last step. After our team delivers the finished product to the customer, there is a period for customization and post-release maintenance. Here you should also gather feedback from your users to get ideas on which features to add, remove or change.
How much does custom web application development cost
Application development pricing varies depending on:
- the complexity of the app,
- the technologies used,
- the features that the client wants to add to the app.
Each company has its methodology, level of expertise and rating. Therefore, it is difficult to put an exact price on app development. Being a development company ourselves, we can say how much it will cost to build an app with Purrweb and the stages involved. Custom software development with minimal necessary features (an MVP) will be as follows:
| Stage | Estimation in hours | Estimation in weeks | Approximate costs |
| Project review | 8 hours | 1 day | Free at Purrweb 😌 |
| UI/UX design | 110 hours | 4 weeks | $5 500 |
| Development | 800 hours | 15 weeks | $45 000 |
| Quality assurance | 520 hours | In parallel with the development | $10 400 |
| Project management | during the whole project | during the whole project | $10 500 |
Overall, custom web application development will last 15-20 weeks and cost you approximately $65 000-$75 000.
Summing up
Custom apps deliver many benefits for businesses, such as uniqueness, scalability, compatibility and increased security. With customization, you’ll get a tailored design and features that meet your specific needs.
By working with experienced developers, companies can create highly specialized and more efficient apps. For example, it’s best to build a custom health app than to choose a ready-made template. Explore our portfolio and fill in the form to get an individual offer. Launch your app with Purrweb!
