Web app and agency partner FAQs

A web app is software that runs in a browser and lets people do things, such as log in, enter data, book, quote or manage work, while a website mainly gives people information. The clearest dividing line is logins and stored data: if users create accounts, save records or see content tailored to them, you’re building a web app. Many web apps can also be installed on a phone as a progressive web app (PWA), from a single codebase. Gmail and online banking are web apps; most business websites are not.

A client portal is a secure, login-protected area where each client sees only their own information: files, invoices, project updates, bookings or requests. It replaces email threads and shared folders with one place that’s always up to date. Off-the-shelf portal tools work for simple needs, while a custom portal makes sense when it has to match how your business actually works or connect to your other systems. Because portals store personal information, they need proper security; under the Privacy Act, covered organisations must report data breaches likely to cause serious harm.

An MVP (minimum viable product) is the simplest version of a product that solves the core problem well enough for real people to use it, so you can learn what works before investing more. It isn’t the smallest thing you can build; it’s the smallest thing that tells you whether the idea is worth continuing. For a business web app, that usually means one workflow done properly, such as quoting or bookings, rather than every feature on the wish list. Our MVP projects start from $9,500.

Build custom software when the workflow is what sets your business apart, or when off-the-shelf tools force heavy workarounds, double handling or stacked subscriptions. Buy when the job is standard, such as accounting, payroll or email marketing, because good products already exist and someone else maintains them. A useful rule: buy for parity, build for competitive advantage. If existing software solves the problem well, we’ll tell you and not build it.

Yes, in most cases. Web apps connect to tools like HubSpot, Xero and MYOB through their APIs, as long as the system supports the data you need to move. Each platform sets limits on how many requests an integration can make (Xero, for example, allows 60 calls a minute for each connected organisation), so integrations need to be designed around them. We scope those connections at the start so the app fits the way your team already works.

Our web app and portal projects start from $9,500 (ex GST) for a single-purpose tool such as a calculator or quoting tool, and run to $60,000 or more for a full portal with logins, user data and integrations. The price depends on the number of user roles, screens, integrations and how much data the app handles. Every project is scoped and quoted at a fixed price before the build starts. Budget for ongoing hosting and maintenance after launch too.

A simple, single-purpose web app typically takes one to two months, a basic app two to four months, and larger platforms longer. The biggest factors are the number of features, user roles and integrations, and how quickly decisions and feedback come back. Starting with an MVP is the fastest way to get something useful live. We confirm the scope and price before the build starts.

Most businesses need a web app, not a native mobile app, unless they need features only a phone app can offer, such as heavy offline use, background location or deep device integration. A web app works on every device from one codebase, updates instantly and doesn’t need app store approval; it can also be installed on a phone as a progressive web app. Native apps need separate builds and app store updates, carry Apple and Google developer fees, and Apple rejects apps that are just a repackaged website. Start with a web app and add a native app only if your users clearly need one.

No-code tools like Bubble, Softr or Glide are a good fit for internal tools, prototypes and simple workflows you need quickly. Custom development is better when the app is core to your business, needs to scale, or must integrate deeply with other systems. The trade-off is lock-in: Bubble apps can only run on Bubble and can’t be exported as code, though your data can be exported. If you might outgrow the tool, plan for that before you build on it.

In Australia, the developer owns the code by default unless the contract says otherwise, so paying for it doesn’t automatically make it yours. Get a written assignment of the intellectual property in the contract, and make sure the code repository, hosting and accounts are in your business’s name. With us, custom builds come with a full codebase handover, so you or another developer can maintain the app. Third-party libraries and services stay under their own licences.

Yes, and we recommend it. We scope the smallest useful version that solves the problem properly, launch it, and add features based on how people actually use it. That keeps the first build affordable and stops you paying for features nobody needs. The key is building the first version on foundations that can grow, so new features don’t mean starting again.

Ongoing support for a web app sits under one of our care plans, so the app has someone responsible for hosting, updates, security and monitoring after launch. Every plan includes a monthly support and change allowance for small improvements and fixes, and bigger features are scoped and quoted separately. Software needs regular updates to stay secure and compatible, so budget for support from day one rather than treating launch as the finish line. See our care plans.

Yes, both. We can work fully white label under your brand, as a named web partner, or client-facing when you need us, and the partnership doesn’t have to look the same for every job. If you only need development, we can build from your approved designs; if you need the whole project, we can handle strategy, copy, design, build and SEO. See our agency partner service.

Yes. Send us the Figma file or prototype, the sitemap, and for an existing site, what’s changing and by how much. From that we give you a fixed price for the build. We can also help you scope and estimate a project before you’ve won it, so you understand the requirements and costs before you commit.

Usually within a day. A ballpark can often come back the same day, and a fixed price follows once we have the sitemap and designs. If the brief is vague, we’ll ask for a short list of the outcomes your client wants or a 15-minute call, because a quote without context isn’t useful to anyone.

Our public landing page price starts from $3,500 (ex GST), which includes the copy, design and build, tracking setup (GA4, Tag Manager and ad pixels), testing versions of the page, and hosting outside your client’s current website. Partner pricing depends on the commercial model we agree with your agency, such as a partner rate card, referral arrangement or margin structure. Standalone landing pages usually go live in 1 to 2 weeks. See our landing pages for paid ads.

Yes. We can build into your client’s existing WordPress or Webflow site so the hosting stays with them, host the new pages ourselves on a subdomain, or hand over the files. The right option depends on how the client’s site is built and who will maintain it. We’ll recommend one when we scope the job.

Whichever you prefer, agreed before the project starts. We can stay fully behind the scenes, join client calls as your web specialists under your agency’s name, or take a more active, client-facing delivery role. Our white label terms include a non-solicitation commitment: we never approach your clients directly.

We work on Webflow, Shopify, WordPress and custom code, including Astro and Next.js. Recommend the platform based on how your client wants to edit their site: Shopify for ecommerce, Webflow for easy content editing without WordPress maintenance, custom builds when speed, low platform fees or custom features matter, and WordPress if the client’s team already knows it. Tell us how the client works and we’ll recommend one and explain why.

You choose. We can look after hosting, maintenance, security and changes for your clients under our care plans, and you can resell those services as part of your own offering after launch. Or we hand the site over to your team or the client with training and a walkthrough. Agree it before launch so the client always knows who to call.