Straight answers before you build
What apps and business software really cost, how to scope a first version, and how to choose between the options. Written by Sannan Malik from the questions clients ask before they hire.
Launch6 min read
Arabic App Store and Google Play listings: localising the name, subtitle and keywords for UAE storefronts
How the UAE App Store and Google Play pick a listing language, which fields you localise into Arabic, their limits, and when a UAE custom listing makes sense.
Read the articleLaunch7 min read
Deep links, Universal Links and App Links: making campaign links open the right screen
How Universal Links and Android App Links open a campaign link on the right app screen, the two files your website must serve, and the links to test first.
Read the articleProcess6 min read
App analytics from day one: the events to track and how to set them up with Firebase
Which events a new app should track in Google Analytics for Firebase: automatic events, a booking app event plan, naming limits, Flutter setup and DebugView.
Read the articleDecisions5 min read
Flutter vs React Native: how to choose for a business app
Flutter draws its own UI with Impeller; React Native turns React code into native views. A decision table, when React Native wins, and what to check first.
Read the articleLaunch6 min read
Forced updates and minimum versions: why the check must ship in version one
Why a minimum version check must ship in your first release: Google Play immediate and flexible updates, what Apple allows, and a worked Remote Config example.
Read the articleLaunch6 min read
In-app account deletion: what Apple and Google require, and how to build it
What Apple's guideline 5.1.1(v) and Google Play require for account deletion, the web link Play asks for in Data safety, and the build checklist I would follow.
Read the articleDecisions5 min read
Moving off a no-code app (Bubble, FlutterFlow): stay, export or rebuild?
Bubble has no code export, so leaving means a rebuild; FlutterFlow paid plans can download Flutter source. A checklist and a migration order for your app.
Read the articleDecisions5 min read
Social login on iOS: when Apple requires an equivalent login option (guideline 4.8)
Apple's guideline 4.8 explained: when Google or Facebook login means adding an equivalent option, the five exceptions, and how to add Sign in with Apple well.
Read the articleDecisions6 min read
Hosting your app's data in the UAE: AWS UAE region, Azure UAE North and what in-country really means
Where AWS and Azure host data inside the UAE, which parts of a Flutter, Node.js and PostgreSQL app can stay in-country, and what still routes abroad.
Read the articleProcess6 min read
UAE PASS login in your app: the onboarding phases and what to plan before you apply
UAE PASS onboarding for a service provider: the four phases, what you submit, the OAuth 2.0 login flow, the mobile app-to-app flow and account linking rules.
Read the articleCost4 min read
How to structure app development payments: deposits, milestones and when the code changes hands
How to split an app build into a deposit and milestones you can test, with worked schedules at $999, $1,699 and $2,500, and when the code should be yours.
Read the articleCost6 min read
App maintenance contracts: what a retainer should cover and how to read the SLA
What an app maintenance retainer should cover, how response time differs from resolution time, severity levels, store update work, fees and exit terms.
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App Store privacy labels and the Google Play Data safety form, filled in for a typical Flutter app
A worked example of Apple's App Privacy answers and Google Play's Data safety form for a Flutter app with email login, Firebase Analytics, Crashlytics and push.
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App store listing basics: screenshots, keywords and description
Every App Store and Google Play listing field with its limit, how I would write the name, keywords and screenshots, and a fill-in checklist to finish first.
Read the articleProcess4 min read
Courier software essentials: tracking, proof of delivery, cash on delivery
How I would scope courier software: custody scans and tracking statuses, proof of delivery that settles disputes, and a worked cash on delivery reconciliation.
Read the articleProcess4 min read
Google Play target API level deadlines: why an app nobody touched can stop reaching new users
Google Play's target API rules explained: what new apps, updates and existing apps must target, what happens to apps that fall behind, and a yearly checklist.
Read the articleCost5 min read
Gym and club membership apps: plans, freezes, QR check-in and which package fits
Plans, renewals, freezes, QR check-in, guest passes, class capacity and family accounts in a gym or club app, and which fixed package from $999 to $2,500 fits.
Read the articleProcess4 min read
Push notifications users keep switched on
When to ask for notification permission on Android and iPhone, what is worth sending, my frequency rules and the per-category settings screen I would build.
Read the articleDecisions4 min read
Restaurant ordering app vs delivery aggregators: when your own app makes sense
A decision rule and a worked break-even example for a restaurant's own ordering app, using real package prices and sample order numbers you swap for your own.
Read the articleDecisions6 min read
SCORM explained: what it means for your LMS
SCORM 1.2, SCORM 2004, xAPI and cmi5 for LMS buyers: what each records, completion versus pass or fail, what breaks, and the tests to run before signing.
Read the articleDecisions5 min read
AI voice agents for customer calls: what they can and cannot do
Which customer calls an AI voice agent handles well, where it fails, how handover to a person should work, what to log and how to test before going live.
Read the articleProcess5 min read
App handover checklist: the code, accounts and data you should own when the build ends
What you should hold when an app build ends: the repository, store accounts, signing keys, hosting, database, domain, service logins and the docs to run it.
Read the articleProcess5 min read
Rolling out an ERP module by module: which order works and why
The order I roll out ERP modules in: master data first, then accounting, stock, payroll and CRM, with a parallel-run rule and what to leave out of phase one.
Read the articleDecisions5 min read
Do you need your own backend? Firebase vs a Node.js backend
When Firebase is enough for an app and when you need your own Node.js and PostgreSQL backend: what each gives you, how Firebase billing works, a decision table.
Read the articleProcess5 min read
Scoping a forex CRM: client portal, KYC workflow and IB commissions
The decisions a broker makes before a forex CRM build: IB commission rules, KYC review states, deposit and withdrawal approvals, traders' room, roles.
Read the articleDecisions3 min read
Fractional CTO or full-time CTO: which does an early-stage company need?
When an early-stage company needs a full-time CTO, when a fractional CTO is enough, and what a fractional CTO should hand you in the first month of work.
Read the articleDecisions6 min read
Hospital management systems in the UAE: what to scope, and how NABIDH, Malaffi and Riayati fit in
How to scope a hospital management system in the UAE: which departments come first, a phased rollout, and where NABIDH, Malaffi or Riayati integration fits.
Read the articleDecisions5 min read
Multi-tenant SaaS explained for non-technical founders
What multi-tenant SaaS means: tenants, shared database vs schema vs database per tenant, custom domains, per-tenant billing and how customer data stays apart.
Read the articleCost5 min read
Booking app for a salon or clinic: the features you need and what it costs
What a salon or clinic booking app needs: staff calendars, slot rules, reminders, deposits, roles and branches, mapped to fixed packages from $999 to $2,500.
Read the articleDecisions4 min read
Five practical AI automations for a small business, and the ones I would not automate yet
Five AI automations a small business can run with a person checking the output, what each needs connected, and the decisions I would not hand to AI yet.
Read the articleLaunch6 min read
Setting up Apple and Google developer accounts for a UAE company (D-U-N-S, verification)
How a UAE company sets up Apple and Google Play organisation developer accounts: the D-U-N-S number, legal name, website, verification checks and the fees.
Read the articleProcess6 min read
Arabic and English apps: what bilingual (RTL) support involves
What an Arabic and English app needs beyond translation: RTL layout mirroring, fonts, numerals, dates, two store listings, managing content and testing.
Read the articleCost5 min read
Delivery app cost and the features that drive it
A delivery product is three apps: customer, driver and dispatch. Here is which features drive the cost, where each one lives, and what gets quoted separately.
Read the articleDecisions5 min read
Freelancer, agency or one accountable technical lead: who should build your app?
Freelancer, agency or one accountable technical lead: who answers for your app, how you communicate, what you pay for, and what to put in any contract.
Read the articleDecisions5 min read
How to choose an app developer in Dubai: questions to ask before you sign
A vetting checklist for hiring an app developer in Dubai: who builds it, live apps, written scope, code and account ownership, pricing and red flags.
Read the articleCost5 min read
How much does an MVP cost? What changes the number
The six things that move an MVP price: screens, backend, roles, admin dashboard, integrations and payments, mapped to fixed packages from $999 to $2,500.
Read the articleLaunch5 min read
Testing an app before launch: TestFlight and Google Play closed testing
How to beta test an app with TestFlight internal and external testers, Google Play testing tracks, the 12 tester rule and what testers should check.
Read the articleProcess5 min read
Taking payments in a UAE app: gateways, in-app purchase and what to scope
When Apple and Google require in-app purchase, when a card gateway is allowed, Apple Pay and Google Pay in the UAE, and what to scope before you build.
Read the articleDecisions5 min read
Web app, mobile app or PWA: which does your business need?
What a web app, a mobile app and a progressive web app (PWA) each are, how they compare on install, offline, push and app stores, and when to choose each one.
Read the articleProcess4 min read
What an admin dashboard is, and when your app needs one
What an app's admin dashboard does, signs you need one now or can wait, a checklist of features to scope, and how roles and permissions change the build.
Read the articleCost4 min read
What an app costs after launch: store fees, hosting and maintenance
Store fees, hosting, third-party services, OS updates and maintenance: what a mobile app costs to run each year after it is built, and how to plan for it.
Read the articleLaunch3 min read
Why apps get rejected by the App Store and Google Play, and how to avoid it
Why Apple and Google reject apps: crashes, missing demo accounts, thin features, privacy details and account deletion. Plus a checklist to run before you submit.
Read the articleDecisions3 min read
Custom software vs off-the-shelf: when should a business build its own?
When off-the-shelf SaaS is the right call, when custom software pays off, and the middle path of connecting the tools your business already uses.
Read the articleDecisions3 min read
Fixed price vs hourly: which way should you pay for app development?
How fixed-price and hourly (time and materials) app development contracts work, who carries the risk in each, and how to tell which one fits your project.
Read the articleDecisions3 min read
Flutter vs native: which should you choose for your first app?
Flutter builds Android and iOS apps from one codebase; native means separate Swift and Kotlin apps. When each makes sense, what you trade and what it costs.
Read the articleProcess3 min read
How to scope an MVP: what to build first and what to cut
How to decide what goes in the first version of an app: find the one job, cut by role and flow, fake what you can, and write down what waits for later.
Read the articleProcess3 min read
How to write an app brief that gets you an accurate quote
What to put in an app brief so developers can quote a fixed price: users, screens, roles, must-haves, examples and budget. Includes a copy-and-paste template.
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Let's build it
Got an idea? Let's talk.
The fastest way to reach me is WhatsApp. Tell me what you're building and I'll reply with how I'd approach it, which package fits, or what a custom scope would look like.
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