Software

Custom Web Applications

A custom web application is software built specifically for how your business operates, rather than a subscription tool you bend your process around. Cibbster Designs builds client portals, booking and scheduling systems, quoting calculators, inventory trackers, and internal dashboards. Projects start at $12,000 and run eight to sixteen weeks, with cost driven by the number of distinct user roles and workflows rather than page count.

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Starting from $12,000

The problem this solves

You are paying monthly for three different subscription tools that almost fit, exporting spreadsheets between them, and re-keying the same data twice. The costs keep climbing and none of the vendors will build the one feature you actually need.

Scope

What's included

Everything below is part of the engagement. Where something is genuinely optional, we say so in the quote rather than discovering it later.

  • Requirements & workflow mapping

    We document how work moves through your business today, then design software around that reality instead of a generic template.

  • Database design

    A properly normalised schema so your data stays clean and reportable as the business grows.

  • Secure authentication

    Role-based access, hashed credentials, session hardening and CSRF protection on every state-changing action.

  • Application development

    Built in PHP and modern JavaScript on a stack any competent developer can pick up — no exotic framework lock-in.

  • Third-party integrations

    Payment processors, email platforms, accounting software, CRMs and any system with a documented API.

  • Reporting & dashboards

    The numbers you actually run the business on, on one screen, current as of right now.

  • Documentation & training

    Written documentation plus recorded walkthroughs so onboarding a new employee does not require a call to us.

How It Works

The process

  1. Scoping workshop

    Half a day mapping the workflow, the users and the must-have versus nice-to-have features. You leave with a prioritised build plan.

  2. Prototype

    A clickable prototype of the core screens so you can feel the workflow before we build it.

  3. Iterative build

    Two-week development cycles. You see working software at the end of each one and can re-prioritise what comes next.

  4. User acceptance testing

    Your team uses the application against real scenarios on a staging environment and we fix what surfaces.

  5. Deployment & support

    Production launch with monitoring, backups and an agreed support window.

Questions

Custom Web Applications FAQs

What counts as a custom web application?

Anything beyond a brochure website where users log in, submit structured data, or the software makes decisions. Common examples are customer portals, job scheduling systems, instant quote calculators, inspection checklists and internal reporting dashboards.

How much does a custom web application cost?

Projects start at $12,000. Cost is driven almost entirely by the number of distinct user roles and workflows, not by page count, so there is no honest ceiling to publish — a multi-role platform can run several times the starting figure. We scope in phases so you can launch a useful version one and expand from revenue rather than paying for everything up front, and each phase is quoted before it begins.

Is custom software cheaper than paying monthly for software?

Often, over a three-to-five year horizon. If you are paying $600 a month across several tools that only partly fit, a $15,000 custom build pays for itself in roughly two years and then costs only hosting. If you pay $50 a month for one tool that fits well, keep it — we will tell you that.

Who owns the code?

You do, where the application was commissioned and paid for as its own project — which is how these engagements are normally structured. On final payment we deliver the full source repository and deployment documentation, and you are free to hire any developer to continue the work. Our reusable framework and components come with it under a perpetual licence rather than as a transfer, so you can keep using and modifying them in your application but not resell them on their own. Anything built under an ongoing plan rather than commissioned outright stays ours and is licensed for the term.

Can you take over an existing application?

Yes. We regularly inherit half-finished or abandoned codebases. The first step is a paid technical audit so you get an honest assessment of whether the existing code is worth continuing or cheaper to replace.

Works Well With

CMS Development

A content management system lets your team update the website without touching code or paying a developer for every text change. Cibbster Designs builds lightweight custom content management systems, and also develops on WordPress when that is genuinely the right fit. The difference from an off-the-shelf install is scope: we make editable only the parts that actually change, which removes the plugin bloat and security exposure that comes with a general-purpose CMS.

Custom CMS • WordPress • Editor Training

Analytics & Conversion Tracking

Analytics setup is the work of making your marketing measurable: knowing which pages, channels and campaigns produce actual phone calls and form submissions rather than raw traffic. Cibbster Designs configures Google Analytics 4, Google Search Console, conversion goals, call tracking and privacy-compliant consent, then builds a dashboard that answers one question — where do my leads come from.

GA4 • Search Console • Call Tracking

Hosting & Maintenance

Managed hosting means somebody other than you is responsible for keeping the website online, patched, backed up and fast. Cibbster Designs hosts client sites on hardened cloud infrastructure with daily off-site backups, uptime monitoring, automatic SSL renewal and monthly security patching. Plans start at $149 per month, and unlike commodity shared hosting, when something breaks you reach the person who built your site.

Cloud Hosting • Daily Backups • 24/7 Monitoring
Ready to scale?

Ready to talk about custom web applications?

Tell us where you are now and what you need to happen. We will come back with scope, timeline and a fixed price — usually within two business days.

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