Mobile App Development
We build Android apps, progressive web apps (PWA), and cross-platform apps in Flutter or React Native that also run on iOS, for small and mid-sized businesses that need an app connected to a real backend, not a static shell. Every build comes with its own API and the integrations it needs, a CRM, a calendar, payments, an AI assistant inside the app, plus the firmware and automation for any Android tablet or kiosk that runs it. Fixed scope, one number after a free audit, and the code is yours from the first commit.
When is a PWA better than a native app?
A PWA is better than a native app when people need to use it fast, on any phone, without a download. IG Digital Lab, a Sacramento software company, builds both and tells you honestly which one your project actually needs before quoting a price.
A native, App Store-listed app buys you two things a PWA cannot fully replace: a listing where people browse for apps, and steady background access to hardware like the camera, GPS or push notifications. Everything else, a PWA does at a fraction of the build cost and with none of the store review process. The honest way to decide is to look at what the app has to do, not at whether "app" sounds more serious than "website."
Build a PWA when
- People open it from a text message or a QR code and never think about installing anything.
- It needs to work on iPhone and Android from one build, with no store account for either side.
- Updates need to ship the moment you push them, with nobody stuck on an old version.
- It is a client portal, an internal tool, or a kiosk screen, not a consumer product people browse for in a store.
Build cross-platform (native) when
- The app needs to be found and installed from the App Store or Google Play.
- It needs reliable background location, push notifications, or steady camera access.
- Field staff need it to keep working with no signal at all, not just a cached page.
- The device is a company-owned tablet or kiosk that should run nothing else.
Most of what we build for small businesses is a PWA or a lightly wrapped cross-platform app, because the job is an internal tool or a client portal, not a product competing for App Store attention. If your case genuinely needs a store listing, we build it in Flutter or React Native so iOS and Android ship from one codebase, and we will say so plainly if a PWA is the cheaper, faster answer instead.
What we build
Four shapes of mobile project cover most of what a small or mid-sized business asks us for.
Apps for people in the field
Dispatch, jobs and routes for drivers, technicians and inspectors, built to work from a truck or a job site: today's schedule, a form to fill in, a photo to attach, and a status update that reaches the office the moment there is signal.
Usually the fastest app to pay for itself, since the manual version is a phone call or a paper form that someone re-keys later.
A client portal, as an app
The same portal your clients already use on the web, packaged so it opens from an icon on their phone: check status, upload a document, message your team, pay an invoice, without another login or another platform to remember.
A kiosk or tablet on the counter
A single-purpose screen at the front desk or on the wall: check-in, ordering, a queue display, a way to collect a signature. We handle the app and the device underneath it, locked down to run only what you put on it.
This one overlaps with devices and smart spaces, and the two are often quoted together.
An AI assistant inside the app
When the job calls for it, the app carries an assistant that answers questions from your documents, fills out a form by conversation, or routes a request to the right person, running on the same backend as the rest of your systems, not a separate chatbot bolted on the side.
How we build it
The same fixed-scope process we use for custom software, adapted for a phone in someone's hand instead of a screen at a desk.
We watch how the work happens today
Text messages, paper forms, a spreadsheet three people edit, whatever stands in for the app right now. You get a short write-up of what we would build first. It costs $0 and it is yours whether or not you hire us.
The document is the price
We write down the screens, the data, the backend and the integrations, and who does what. You approve it and that is the quote. Later additions are priced openly as change requests.
Working app early
We ship in two-week slices with a build on your own phone from the first one. If it is going to the App Store or Google Play, submission runs under your developer account, not ours.
What does a mobile app cost?
Mobile apps at IG Digital Lab start at $2,500 for a PWA or a simple single-purpose app. An app with its own backend, API and integrations runs $6,000 to $15,000. A full product with multiple roles, offline support and ongoing development starts at $15,000.
Which band you land in depends on how many systems the app has to talk to, whether it needs to work offline, and whether it is going through an App Store review at all. The free audit is where that gets decided, and you see the number before you commit to anything.
One app, one purpose, built end to end.
- A progressive web app that installs from a link
- Or a simple single-purpose mobile app
- Typically 2 to 4 weeks from kickoff
An app wired to its own backend.
- Your own API, plus CRM, calendar or payment integrations
- An AI assistant inside the app where it earns its keep
- Deployed with monitoring and app store submission
A mobile product built to keep growing.
- Multiple user roles and offline support
- Full DevOps and a security review
- Shipped in slices, with support after launch
Full price list, including hosting and support, is on our pricing page.
Where we work
IG Digital Lab is based in Sacramento and builds mobile apps for businesses across California. Our office handles in-person discovery for Sacramento clients; everywhere else, the same process runs remotely with on-site visits by arrangement.
Mobile app development in Sacramento
Mobile app development in San Francisco
Mobile app development in Oakland
Mobile app development in San Jose
Mobile app development in Los Angeles
Mobile app development in San Diego
Not sure which service fits? Mobile is one of seven things we do, alongside custom software, devices and smart spaces, and the rest on our services page.
Frequently asked questions
PWA vs. native, iOS, timelines, ownership and support, the questions people ask before commissioning an app.
Should we build a native app or a PWA?
Start with a PWA if the app does not need deep phone hardware access or a store listing to be found: it opens from a link, works offline, and updates the moment you push a change, with no app store review to wait on. Build a cross-platform app when it needs to be installed from the App Store or Google Play, needs steady background access to the camera, GPS or push notifications, or has to keep working for field staff with no signal at all. Most internal tools, client portals and kiosk apps we build run fine as a PWA at a fraction of the cost.
Do you build iOS apps?
Yes, through a cross-platform framework, Flutter or React Native, that compiles one codebase to iOS and Android. We do not maintain a separate native Swift codebase, and we do not have apps of our own published in the App Store today. For a client iOS app, we build it, test it on real devices, and submit it through your own Apple Developer account, so the listing and the ongoing App Store relationship stay yours.
How long does a mobile app project take?
A PWA or a simple single-purpose app is usually 2 to 4 weeks from kickoff. An app with its own backend, API and integrations runs 4 to 10 weeks. A full product with multiple user roles and offline support takes longer, and we ship it in two-week slices so you have a working build on your own phone early, not just at the end.
Who owns the app and the code once it is built?
You do. The code, the repository, the backend, the app store listing and the documentation are yours from the first commit. We build inside your GitHub organization and your Apple or Google developer accounts where those are required, and hand over the full history if any of it started in ours. There is no license fee and nothing that stops another developer from taking the project over.
What happens after the app is live?
Occasional changes are billed hourly at $150 to $200. If you want us on call, Care support runs $300 to $500 a month for monitoring, OS updates and small fixes, and Active support is $750 to $1,500 a month when there is continuous development. Either plan covers keeping the backend, the integrations and the app store listing current as Android and iOS change underneath you.
Tell us what the app needs to do.
Book a free 30-minute audit. We will look at the job, tell you honestly whether it should be a PWA or a native build, and give you a real number before you commit to anything.
Prefer to talk now? Call or text (916) 618-0502. Or see how we verify what we say.
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