Custom web application development for US companies
Software that runs in a browser and does real work. Portals your customers log into, tools your staff use daily, products you sell by subscription.
Web Design Alchemy builds web applications in React and Laravel for companies across the USA. We scope it properly, build in two week increments you can use, and hand over documented code with the servers in your name. Most projects start as an MVP covering the one workflow that matters, then grow from what real usage shows.
- A working demo at the end of every sprint
- Hosting and repository in your accounts
- Written handover another team could work from
- No proprietary framework you cannot leave
If an off the shelf tool already does it, buy the tool
Custom software is worth building when your process is genuinely unusual, when licence fees at your headcount exceed the build cost, or when the workflow is the thing you compete on. It is rarely worth building because an existing tool is missing one feature or looks dated. We have talked several enquiries into a $60 a month subscription instead of a project, and we will do the same for you if that is the honest answer.
What every build includes
Six workstreams. The first one decides whether the other five go well.
Specification
Architecture
Interface build
Backend and data
Security and permissions
Testing and handover
What we build with and why
Boring, well documented technology with a large hiring pool. That matters more than it sounds.
React and Next.js
The front end on most projects. Fast interfaces, a huge ecosystem, and no shortage of developers if you ever bring the work in house.
Laravel
Laravel web application development for the back end. Mature, secure by default, and quick to build the unglamorous parts every application needs.
Node and APIs
For real time features and service layers, plus building the API other systems and your own mobile app will consume.
SaaS products
Saas application development services including multi tenant saas development services with per account isolation, billing and plan limits.
Integrations
Connecting the accounting, CRM and logistics systems you already pay for, so data stops being retyped between them.
Hosting and deployment
Set up in your cloud account with automated deployment, backups and monitoring, then handed over with the runbook.
Start with a paid discovery sprint
Two weeks, and you leave with a written specification, a data model, a screen inventory and a fixed price for the build. It is yours to take to another firm for a competing quote. Continue with us and the fee is credited against the build.
Our build process, sprint by sprint
You see working software every two weeks and can stop at the end of any phase.
Discovery
Architecture
Build
Test and pilot
Launch and handover
Turn Search Traffic Into Measurable Business Growth
0weeks
Between working demos, every time
Under0ms
Server response on core screens
Automated0
Tests covering payments, auth and permissions
Under0
Setup, deploy and architecture written down
Questions founders ask before commissioning an app
How much does a web application cost?
An MVP covering one workflow starts at $18,000 and a full platform at $50,000. Discovery is $3,500 and comes off the build. What moves the number is user roles, integrations and how much of the logic is genuinely unusual, rather than how many screens there are.
Should we build this or buy something existing?
Buy, if a tool covers eighty percent of what you need. Build when your process is a competitive advantage, when licence fees across your headcount exceed the build cost, or when no tool handles your workflow without three integrations holding it together. We will give you the honest answer even when it costs us the project.
How long does it take?
Ten to twelve weeks for an MVP, twenty or more for a full platform. Integrations with systems you do not control are the usual cause of delay, which is why we identify them in discovery and price the risk rather than absorbing it quietly.
What happens if requirements change mid build?
They will, and the sprint structure exists for that. Priorities can be reordered between sprints at no cost. Genuinely new scope gets quoted before it is built, so the budget never moves without you agreeing to it first.
5Who owns the code and the servers?
You do, from the start. The repository is yours, hosting sits in your cloud account, and the documentation covers setup and deployment. We do not build on a proprietary framework that only we can maintain.
Can you work with our existing systems?
Yes, and most projects involve it. If a system has an API we integrate with it. If it does not, we will tell you what is possible and what will be fragile, before you plan around it.
Can you take over an application someone else built?
After a code audit, usually yes. We tell you honestly whether it is maintainable, whether a rebuild is cheaper over three years, or whether the original team did solid work and it just needs attention.
Do you build the mobile app too?
If the product needs one, yes, though a well built web application on a phone browser covers more cases than people assume. We would rather have that conversation before you commit to two builds.
What does support cost after launch?
Thirty days included on an MVP and ninety on a full platform. After that we quote a monthly retainer based on how much the application changes. Some clients need nothing beyond hosting oversight, others want a steady stream of improvements.
