Can I get an app made if I'm not technical?

Yes. Your job is to know your customer and the one thing the app must do well. A good developer turns that into something you can test on your phone and explains every decision in plain English.

Should my app be on iPhone, Android or both?

It depends on what your own customers use. Look at your booking data or simply ask them, then decide with your developer whether to start on one platform or both.

Who should own the app's code?

Your business should. Agree in writing that the code, designs and app store accounts belong to you, so you can move to another developer if you ever need to.

Could a website do the job instead of an app?

Often, yes, especially if customers won't use it every week. A website can be found through search, while an app suits things people return to again and again, like bookings or memberships.

How to get an app made for your business

To get an app made, decide the one job it must do and who it's for, then choose a route: an agency, a freelancer, a no-code tool or one builder who does every layer. Whoever you pick, insist on seeing it working on your own phone early and often, with the code and app store accounts in your business's name.

You’ve had the idea for a while. Customers keep asking for it, or you can see how an app would save your team hours every week. But you don’t have a developer, and every conversation so far has felt like a different language. This guide sets out the routes, what to have ready before you speak to anyone, and the questions that stop you paying for something that never reaches a phone.

Do you need an app, or a website first?

Many businesses get more from a good website first, and add an app once people are already coming back. An app has to be found, downloaded and kept on someone’s phone. A website can be found through search by people who have never heard of you.

An app earns its place when people use it again and again: bookings, memberships, loyalty, or tracking something over time. Ask yourself honestly whether your customers would open it every week. If not, a well-built website may do the job.

I built FreshPlate as both: an iPhone app and website with recipes written around a person’s medicines, conditions and allergies, a free food and medication checker, and guides cited to NHS and NICE. 2,057 people visited the website in the 30 days to 4 October 2026, most from search engines.

What are the ways to get an app made?

There are four main routes: an agency, a freelancer, a no-code tool, or one builder who does every layer. Each suits a different business.

Route	Good for	Watch out for
Agency	Larger projects needing a team	You may speak to an account manager, not the person building it
Freelancer	A specific skill, such as design	They may cover only part, leaving you to join the pieces
No-code tool	Testing an idea or a simple internal tool	Limits as it grows; check you can take your data with you
One builder	One person responsible for design, app, server and database	Ask what happens if they’re unavailable

None of these is right for everyone. The question that matters most is simple: when something doesn’t work, who is responsible for fixing it?

What should you prepare before you speak to anyone?

A clear page on who the app is for and the one job it must do well is worth more than a long feature list. You don’t need technical knowledge. You need to know your customer.

The person. Who opens the app, and at what moment in their day?
The one job. What must version one do well? Everything else goes on a later list.
The connections. Does it need to talk to your booking system, till, payments or customer records?
The data. What will it store? If it holds personal or health information, check your obligations with the ICO and any regulator for your sector.
Success in plain words. For example, fewer phone calls or more repeat bookings.
Examples. Screenshots of apps you like, and a note on why.

This one page will make every quote you get easier to compare.

What should you ask a developer before you sign?

Ask questions that show how they work, not just what they’ve built. A good answer is specific. A vague one is a warning.

How soon after we start will I see something working, and how often after that?
Who writes the code, and will I speak to that person directly?
Will the code, designs and app store accounts be in my business’s name?
How will I test it on my own phone before it goes public?
What happens after launch, when phones update or something breaks?
Can you show me an app you’ve built, live or in testing, and talk me through it?

I’m based in Wirral and work with businesses across Liverpool and the UK.

How do you avoid paying for an app that never ships?

Insist on seeing it working early and often, on your own phone, and make sure everything is in your name from day one. Apps stall when months pass with only designs, updates and promises to show for it.

Break the project into stages, each ending with something you can tap and use. Apple’s TestFlight lets you install test versions of an iPhone app before anyone else sees it. FreshPlate has been through over fifty TestFlight builds. It’s now about to launch on the App Store.

A few habits protect you whoever you hire:

Keep version one small enough to finish.
Never sign off a stage you haven’t used yourself.
Get the developer accounts set up in your business’s name, not theirs.
Ask for the code to be handed over at every stage, not just the end.

When I start a build, you see it working within two working days. That isn’t a finished app. It’s proof the work is real, and you can steer it from there.

If you want it done for you

Tell me what you want the app to do and who it’s for. If you’d like to see how I work first, ask for a free preview of your new homepage, designed for your business, with a short video of me walking you through it, within two working days.