What does a first version usually cost to build?

Design and build of a first version starts at £5,000, and a full build from £15,000, with the figure fixed before you commit. Quotes in this market vary enormously for the same brief, so it is worth comparing what each one includes. Running costs afterwards are typically a fifth to a third of the build cost each year, and we will tell you plainly which parts of a brief drive the number.

Who owns the code and the intellectual property?

You do, from the first commit. The work happens in your repositories and your cloud accounts, and all intellectual property transfers to you on payment, with the assignment paperwork to match. This is the part technical due diligence looks at hardest when you raise, and it is much easier to have in place than to reconstruct afterwards. It costs nothing extra to do it properly from the beginning.

How long before we have something people can use?

A first version usually takes weeks rather than quarters, and the phases are agreed before anything starts. We scope the first release so it does one thing properly, because a narrow product that works beats a broad one that almost does. Where a date cannot be met, that is established at scoping rather than discovered halfway through, and you will see working software long before the final release.

People post to each other in our app. What does that mean?

It means duties under the Online Safety Act, and there is no exemption for being small. In practice that is a risk assessment, a way for people to report content, somewhere for your team to act on those reports, and age checks where children are likely to use it. We build these in rather than adding them later, because getting it right early is far cheaper than retrofitting it.

What happens after launch if we cannot hire a developer yet?

We keep going with you. Many clients stay with us through the months after launch, when the work is measuring what people do and releasing changes in response. We also offer managed hosting and a fractional CTO arrangement for senior technical judgement without a permanent hire, and you can stop or move whenever it suits. Your accounts and code stay in your name throughout, so nothing is locked to us.

Should we hire someone technical in-house instead of this?

Eventually, probably, and it is not either or. A first version built by us gets you something real to show users and investors without a long search, and because the code and accounts are yours, your first engineer inherits a working product rather than starting again. Plenty of clients bring the work in-house later, which is a good outcome, and we are glad to work alongside whoever arrives.

Bespoke Software and AI for Consumer Apps

What we build for consumer apps

A consumer product is judged in the first minute, and then again every week afterwards by whether people come back. Both are questions of design and engineering rather than planning. We design and build for the launch and for what comes after it.

Design and interactive prototypes

Before anything is built it helps to have something people can hold and react to, and something you can put in front of investors. We design the product in full and build a clickable prototype, so the expensive decisions are made before development starts rather than during it.
First versions built to launch

A first version has to do one thing properly and reach the stores without falling over. We design and build to that standard, including the parts nobody enjoys: crash-free builds, working test accounts and everything app review checks before it will approve a release.
Analytics, retention and iteration

Most of what decides whether a consumer product survives happens after launch, when you can watch what people do rather than guess. We build the measurement into the product, then keep releasing, so each version answers a question you now have real evidence about rather than an opinion.
Moderation, safety and age assurance

Anything where people post to each other carries duties under the Online Safety Act, whatever the size of the audience. We build the reporting flows, moderation queues and age checks into the product itself, so it is handled as part of the work rather than after a warning.
AI features people trust

AI can make a consumer product feel personal, and it can also make people distrust it, depending on how it is used and whether it is declared. We build the version people are happy with: useful, labelled where it should be, and simple to turn off.
Code and accounts in your name

What you hand to your next developer, or to an investor, matters as much as what launches. We build in your repositories and your cloud accounts, with documentation, tests and the intellectual property assigned to you, so a technical review goes smoothly when the time comes.

Our services

Products we have built

A few projects we're proud to share, each one advancing our mission to raise the bar and build a better digital future with our clients.

Bearable

Bearable helps people understand their own health by tracking the factors that shape it, including sleep, diet, exercise, symptoms, mood and medication, and showing how those factors relate to one another over time. CodeLeap designed and built the iOS and Android app, which has since grown to a community of more than 900,000 people, over half a million downloads on Google Play and a 4.8 rating from more than 6,400 ratings on the US App Store.
Read more
One Place

Planning a group trip scatters across chat threads, booking emails and the organiser's head, and existing tools are either too lightweight to beat a group chat or too demanding to keep using. One Place partnered with CodeLeap to build a single home for organising events, and the app holds a 4.8 App Store rating with thousands of downloads.
Read more
Cherry

Fake profiles and unverified identities make dating platforms hard to trust, and Cherry Dating wanted credibility that rested on something verifiable. CodeLeap designed and built the platform across iOS, Android and web, with verification as a core product feature rather than a safeguard added afterwards.
Read more

See more case studies

What our clients are saying

Real reviews from clients we have delivered for, on Clutch and elsewhere.

4.9 via Clutch

The enthusiasm, understanding of our mission, and passion from the first few minutes of the call were the deciding factors in choosing CodeLeap. Within 3 months of our app launching, we had over 1,500 downloads, appeared in leading publications from Forbes, The Metro, Marie Claire, Women's Fitness and many more, and started raising further investment.

Charlie CEO, Becon
They are incredibly diligent in the quality of work they produce, and go above and beyond when it comes to solving issues faced within the project, and to ensure we meet strict project deadlines. You never feel like you are one of many clients, and they ensure they are always there to help with any need you have, no matter how big or small.

Amelia Parmiter Marketing Manager, AWS - Marble
CodeLeap made me feel like my options were limitless in terms of what could be achieved, which was critical to me as we were creating something very unique. I'm glad I chose Codeleap over a large corporation as the personable approach resulted in a smooth and pleasant experience.

James CEO, Bearable
Working with CodeLeap was a very good experience from both a professional and personal point of view. These people know what they are doing and are both efficient and clever and made a good partner. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend CodeLeap.

John CEO, Neurometrics-Diab
CodeLeap adds so much value and goes above and beyond what I expected. CodeLeap's team is very flexible with all the different requests we've put in front of them. They've also been great with the whole business side of things, and being able to forecast for this industry is really helpful. Overall, I'm completely satisfied with their work — they've been incredibly helpful.

Johanne CEO, Cherry
Their flexibility and focus on quality were outstanding.

Mike Fenna CTO, Kite Insights
Marcelo has been wonderful throughout the process and we are very happy.

Amrit Director, Energy Company
Absolutely FANTASTIC. This is very much what I had in mind. We're very pleased with your team, thank you all very much.

Rich Director, Legal Company

See all reviews on Clutch

Recognised by the industry

Independent rankings from Clutch, The Manifest, SME News and the National Digital Awards.

Flexible, transparent pricing

AI readiness assessment

1 week programme
- 3 calls with our most experienced leaders
- Your data, workflows and team skills mapped
- Research and proposal package with estimated ROIs
- Honest verdict where AI isn't worth it
- Fixed price, no obligation to build
£3,000
Book a free consultation
MVP design & build

Validate, design, then build
- Validate the idea with real users before the big spend
- Core flows designed and de-risked, not just generated
- Built production-grade and shipped — full build from £15,000
- Fixed scope, fixed price, milestone payments
- All code and IP yours on payment
From £5,000
Book a free consultation
Other services

AI training · Data · and more
Let's talk
Contact us

Any questions? We're here to answer

Everything you might want to know before starting a project with us.

Design and build of a first version starts at £5,000, and a full build from £15,000, with the figure fixed before you commit. Quotes in this market vary enormously for the same brief, so it is worth comparing what each one includes. Running costs afterwards are typically a fifth to a third of the build cost each year, and we will tell you plainly which parts of a brief drive the number.
You do, from the first commit. The work happens in your repositories and your cloud accounts, and all intellectual property transfers to you on payment, with the assignment paperwork to match. This is the part technical due diligence looks at hardest when you raise, and it is much easier to have in place than to reconstruct afterwards. It costs nothing extra to do it properly from the beginning.
A first version usually takes weeks rather than quarters, and the phases are agreed before anything starts. We scope the first release so it does one thing properly, because a narrow product that works beats a broad one that almost does. Where a date cannot be met, that is established at scoping rather than discovered halfway through, and you will see working software long before the final release.
It means duties under the Online Safety Act, and there is no exemption for being small. In practice that is a risk assessment, a way for people to report content, somewhere for your team to act on those reports, and age checks where children are likely to use it. We build these in rather than adding them later, because getting it right early is far cheaper than retrofitting it.
We keep going with you. Many clients stay with us through the months after launch, when the work is measuring what people do and releasing changes in response. We also offer managed hosting and a fractional CTO arrangement for senior technical judgement without a permanent hire, and you can stop or move whenever it suits. Your accounts and code stay in your name throughout, so nothing is locked to us.
Eventually, probably, and it is not either or. A first version built by us gets you something real to show users and investors without a long search, and because the code and accounts are yours, your first engineer inherits a working product rather than starting again. Plenty of clients bring the work in-house later, which is a good outcome, and we are glad to work alongside whoever arrives.