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Mobile app development for iOS and Android

We build and ship mobile apps that reach the store and stay there — five of ours are live right now, across fintech, legal education, tax and school safety.

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Most app projects do not fail at the coding stage. They fail at submission, at the first OS upgrade, or three months in when nobody can safely change the code. We build for the whole lifecycle, which is why the apps we have shipped are still on the stores.

What we actually do

We take an app from a defined scope to a live store listing, then keep it working as iOS and Android change underneath it. That includes the parts teams usually discover late: store review responses, privacy disclosures, and the OS-version upgrade that arrives every September whether or not the roadmap allowed for it.

Native or cross-platform

This is the first real decision and it is worth getting right, because reversing it is expensive.

Cross-platform — React Native or Flutter — is the right default when the product is content-, form- or data-led and the audience is split across both platforms. One codebase, one release schedule, both stores. Four of our five shipped apps took this route.

Native — Swift or Kotlin — earns its extra cost when the product depends on the platform itself: sustained camera or video pipelines, background location, tight OS integration, or performance work where the framework layer is the bottleneck.

We will tell you which one your project needs, including when that answer is the cheaper one. Our React Native vs Flutter comparison sets out how we choose.

What it costs

App development in Canada spans a very wide range, and any agency quoting a single number before understanding scope is guessing. Independent surveys put most professional builds between roughly CAD 25,000 and 90,000, with agency rates around CAD 90-160 per hour — and complexity, not platform count, is the dominant factor.

We scope before we quote. For a breakdown of what actually drives the number, see what an app really costs to build in Ontario.

Apps we have shipped

We also build and publish our own apps, including Arrow Ark on the App Store — so the store submission and live-ops process is one we run for ourselves, not only for clients.

Common questions

How much does it cost to build a mobile app in Canada?

Independent surveys put most professional Canadian app builds between roughly CAD 25,000 and 90,000, with agency rates around CAD 90-160 per hour. Complexity drives the number, not platform count. Simple content apps sit at the low end; payments or heavy integration sit well above it.

Full answer →
How long does it take to build a mobile app?

A first release usually takes between 6 and 16 weeks. Straightforward content-led apps reach the store in around 6 to 8 weeks; anything with payments, real-time features or significant third-party integration runs to 12 to 16 or beyond. Store review adds days, not weeks, but rejection and resubmission can add more.

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Should we build native or cross-platform?

Use cross-platform (React Native or Flutter) when your app is content, form or data-led and your audience spans both platforms. Choose native (Swift or Kotlin) when the product depends on the platform: sustained camera pipelines, background location, or a profiled framework performance ceiling.

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What privacy law applies to apps in Canada?

PIPEDA is the federal law covering how private-sector organisations collect, use and disclose personal information in Canada, and it applies if your app handles personal data commercially. Bill C-27 has been proposed to replace it. Some provinces have similar laws. General information, not legal advice.

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Do you maintain apps after launch?

Yes, and for mobile it is not optional. iOS and Android ship major versions annually with deprecations and new store requirements, so an app left untouched degrades and eventually stops being accepted for update. Budget roughly 15 to 20 percent of the original build cost per year for maintenance.

Full answer →

Related work

  • Education & Legal Tech

    Lexvid

    How Ingenious Techlab built a bar-exam preparation platform with interactive courses and study materials, shipped on both iOS and Android.

  • FinTech & Savings

    Guac

    How Ingenious Techlab built a savings app that helps people put money aside automatically through round-ups and spending insights, on iOS and Android.

  • Finance & Tax

    Multitax

    How Ingenious Techlab built a tax preparation app that makes filing straightforward for individuals and small businesses, on iOS and Android.

Reading on this

Tell us what you are building

Send us the scope and we will come back with an honest assessment: what it takes, roughly what it costs, and whether we are the right people for it.

Start the conversationSee what we have shipped