Custom Software Development for Small Business
Our custom software development for small business covers website design and development, web apps, and mobile apps for iPhone and Android built from one codebase. We connect what we build to the software you already run, so there's no double entry, and we ship a first version fast, then improve it with you in the loop.
- Free 20-minute consult
- Based in Tulsa, OK ยท working nationwide
- Plain English, no jargon
Who is custom software development for?
Custom software development is for small and mid-sized businesses whose off-the-shelf tools don't fit the way they work, or whose website and software don't talk to each other. It's also for founders who want a first version of an app in front of real users fast.
- Owners and staff who type the same customer or job details into two systems
- Service businesses that want customers to book online, with each booking landing in the software they already use
- Founders who want an MVP (minimum viable product), a first version of their app, built fast and improved with real feedback
- Teams that need a web or mobile app built around the way they actually work
If an off-the-shelf tool already does the job well, you probably don't need custom software, and we'll tell you so on the free call.
What's included in custom software development for small business?
You get software built around your business: website design and development, a web or mobile app, or the connections that let your tools share data. Every project comes with a written proposal, progress updates every week or two and an optional maintenance plan after launch.
- Custom web app development with Next.js and React
- Mobile apps for iPhone and Android built from one codebase, so there's one set of code to maintain instead of two
- Website design and development: a brand kit and a mobile-friendly, SEO-ready website that can take bookings and payments
- Supabase database design: a secure database and user management for your app
- API development that connects your app to the software you already run, with no double entry (an API is a set way for one program to talk to another)
- AI features built on the Claude API, like the tutor in Cram ACT that explains why an answer was wrong
- A written proposal with a fixed price or a range before the build starts
- An optional monthly maintenance plan after launch: security fixes, updates and monitoring
How does a custom software project work?
Every project follows four steps: Discover, Design, Build and Deploy. We ship a first version fast, then improve it with your feedback, and you stay in the loop from the first call to launch.
Discover
A free 20-minute consult, then a scoping conversation about what the software needs to do and which tools it has to work with.
Design
We map out the build and send a written proposal with a fixed price or a range. Payments follow milestones, starting with a deposit.
Build
We build a first version fast, then improve it. You get progress updates every week or two, and any scope change goes through a written change order.
Deploy
We launch it. Hosting and domain costs pass through to you, and an optional monthly maintenance plan covers security fixes, updates and monitoring.
Which tools do we use for custom web app development?
Our default stack is Next.js, React, Supabase, Vercel and the Claude API. Here's what each one does, in plain English.
- Next.js, a widely used framework for building websites and web apps
- React, a toolkit for building the screens people see, click and tap
- Supabase, for a secure database and user management (accounts and sign-ins)
- Vercel, a hosting service that puts your website or app online
- The Claude API, which lets your app hand tasks to Claude, Anthropic's AI model
- Connections to software you already use, like the Jobber API in our booking project
Custom software vs. off-the-shelf SaaS: which should you choose?
Choose off-the-shelf software when a ready-made tool already does the job, because it's quicker to start and the vendor keeps it up to date. Choose custom software when your tools don't fit the way you work, don't share data with each other, or leave someone typing the same details twice.
Off-the-shelf software is often sold as SaaS (software as a service), which means you pay a subscription to use it online. For common jobs like accounting, email or scheduling, it's usually the right call.
Often the best answer is a mix: keep the tools that work, and build a small piece that connects them. Our online booking project did just that. The business kept its field-service software, Jobber, and its new website books jobs straight into it.
And if all you need is for two apps to share data, a workflow automation may be enough, with no new app at all.
| What matters | Off-the-shelf SaaS | Custom software |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Common jobs most businesses share, like accounting or email | Work that's specific to how your business runs |
| Getting started | Sign up and start using it right away | Scope, build and test it first, starting with a first version |
| How you pay | An ongoing subscription, often priced per user | A project price from a written proposal, plus hosting and optional support |
| Fit with your process | You change your process to fit the tool | The software is built around your process |
| Connecting your other tools | Limited to the connections the vendor offers | Built to connect to the software you already run |
| Updates and upkeep | The vendor handles them | Covered by an optional monthly maintenance plan |
| What changes next | The vendor decides | You decide |
Can a small business website take bookings and payments?
Yes. We build mobile-friendly, SEO-ready websites for small businesses that can take bookings and payments, and we connect them to the software you already run so nobody enters the same details twice. SEO-ready means the site is built so search engines can find and understand it.
Here's a real example. For a local home-services business, we built a new website whose booking page checks real availability, then creates the job, the visit and the invoice directly in the owner's Jobber account, the field-service software the business already runs on. It's been tested end to end and is in final launch prep.
We can also put together a brand kit, so your new website and everything else you hand customers look like they belong together.
How long does it take to build an app with AI tools?
It depends on the scope. A small, focused app can come together fast: we built Cram ACT, an adaptive ACT prep web app with an AI tutor, in about 36 hours. Apps that connect to other systems, like a booking site that creates jobs and invoices in field-service software, need more time for testing.
Cram ACT tracks mastery by topic, brings missed questions back on a spaced-review schedule, flags careless errors and runs timed practice tests. When you miss a question, Claude explains why the answer was wrong.
AI coding tools, such as Anthropic's Claude Code, help a developer write and check code faster. They don't replace scoping, testing or your feedback. So on every project, we ship a first version fast, then improve it, with progress updates every week or two. Your timeline depends on your scope, and 36 hours is one example, not a promise.
What is Supabase used for?
Supabase gives an app a secure database and user management. In plain terms, it stores your app's information and handles accounts and sign-ins, so those basics don't have to be built from scratch. It's part of our default stack, alongside Next.js, React, Vercel and the Claude API.
Two examples from our own work: Cram ACT uses Supabase for magic-link sign-in, where you log in by clicking a link sent to your email instead of typing a password. The booking website uses Supabase edge functions, small pieces of server code, to pass each booking to Jobber.
Supabase database design is one of the services we offer. If you're looking for a Supabase developer, we can design the database, build the app on top of it and connect it to the tools you already use.
Custom web and app development questions
Do you do website design and development?
Yes. Website design and development is part of our custom software service. For a small business that means a brand kit and a mobile-friendly, SEO-ready website that can take bookings and payments, connected to the software you already run so nothing gets typed twice. The booking website we built for a local home-services business is an example: its booking page creates the job, visit and invoice in the owner's Jobber account.
How much does a custom web app cost?
We don't publish prices, because the cost depends on scope: how many screens and features the app needs, which systems it connects to and whether you need a mobile app too. After a free 20-minute call and a scoping conversation, you get a written proposal with a fixed price or a range. Payments follow milestones, starting with a deposit, and any scope change needs a written change order, so there's never a surprise invoice.
Get a written proposal for your appCan one app run on both iPhone and Android?
Yes. Our mobile app development for small business uses one codebase for iPhone and Android, meaning a single set of code runs on both. That gives you one app to plan, build and update instead of two separate projects. If a web app that opens in any phone's browser covers what you need, we can build that instead with Next.js and React.
What is MVP development, and should I start with one?
MVP development means building a minimum viable product: the smallest version of your app that does its main job well enough for real people to use. For most new apps, it's a sensible place to start, because you learn what users need before you spend more. It's also how we work: we ship a first version fast, then improve it with updates every week or two.
What is Next.js development?
Next.js development means building a website or web app with Next.js, a widely used framework built on React. It can prepare pages on the server, so they load quickly and search engines can read them, and it keeps the pages and the behind-the-scenes code in one project. Next.js is the base of our default stack, with Supabase for data and Vercel for hosting.
Can you connect a new app to the software we already use?
Yes. We build APIs and connections so your new app or website passes information to the software you already run, with no double entry. An API is a set way for one program to talk to another. Our booking website, for example, creates the job, the visit and the invoice directly in the owner's Jobber account, so nobody types the same details twice.
See how we connect apps with workflow automationWhat happens after launch?
After launch, you can add an optional monthly maintenance plan that covers security fixes, updates and monitoring, so someone keeps an eye on your app. Hosting and domain costs are passed through to you. We'll lay out every ongoing cost before you commit, so nothing catches you off guard once the app is live.
Read how pricing and ongoing costs workDo I need to be technical to build custom software with you?
No. You bring the knowledge of how your business runs, and we handle the technical side and explain it in plain English. You stay in the loop with progress updates every week or two, so you can see the software take shape and steer it before it's finished.
Have another question? Our AI consulting FAQ covers cost, timelines, data privacy and ongoing support, or you can ask us directly.
Have an app idea, or a tool that doesn't fit?
Book a free 20-minute consult. Tell us what you want to build, or what you're tired of typing twice, and we'll tell you honestly whether custom software, an off-the-shelf tool or a simple automation fits best.
Prefer email? Write to admin@legacyaisolutions.ai.