Mobile App Development in Calgary
iOS and Android apps for small business, without the enterprise price tag.
Cairn Studio builds cross-platform mobile apps in React Native for Calgary small businesses — one codebase shipped to both the App Store and Google Play, quoted to scope after a prototype.
Small businesses run on phones, and the right app replaces paper, spreadsheets, and phone tag. We build in React Native and Expo — the same stack behind ShiftPro Safety, our own construction safety app live on Google Play — and we've shipped apps for mobile mechanics, rental companies, and field crews, so we know what survives a job site.
Cross-platform means one codebase that ships to both the App Store and Google Play: roughly half the cost of building twice, with no difference your customers will notice.
- →Scoping workshop and clickable prototype
- →React Native + Expo: one codebase, iOS and Android
- →Backend, accounts, and secure auth
- →Works offline where the job demands it
- →App Store and Google Play submission
- →Post-launch support and updates
What does a mobile app cost to build?
Honestly: it depends on scope, which is why we never quote apps over the phone. The process protects you from the two classic app disasters — paying enterprise prices for a simple tool, or paying a low quote that triples mid-project. First comes a scoping workshop where we map exactly what version one needs to do, then a clickable prototype you can put in front of real users before any expensive engineering happens. From the approved prototype you get a fixed written quote. And if your problem would be solved better by a website than an app — which is true more often than app agencies admit — we will say so before you spend app money.
How long does it take to launch an app?
A focused small-business app typically ships in eight to twelve weeks from approved prototype. The sequence: scoping workshop and prototype in the first two weeks, core build over the next six to eight, then testing with your actual staff or customers, store submission, and Apple and Google review, which together usually take one to two weeks. The biggest schedule risk on app projects is scope growth mid-build, which the prototype phase exists to prevent: by the time engineering starts, you have already clicked through every screen and agreed on what version one is. Features that come up later go on a version-two list instead of derailing the launch.
Who handles the App Store and Google Play submissions?
We do, end to end. That covers creating or configuring your Apple and Google developer accounts, preparing store listings with screenshots and descriptions written to convert, completing the content rating questionnaires, handling Apple's review process including the rejections and resubmissions that are routine for first launches, and setting up the signing and release pipeline so future updates ship cleanly. We have taken our own product through both stores — ShiftPro Safety is live on Google Play — so the process is familiar territory rather than a first attempt. After launch, publishing an update is a routine task, not a project.
Sound like what you need?
30-minute call, no pitch. Tell us where your business is and we'll quote mobile apps to your scope.