Mobile apps
Cross-platform apps for iPhone and Android: secure accounts, subscriptions and in-app billing, and notifications where they help.
Thunder Bay, Ontario · App developer
App development in Thunder Bay, from first sketch to launch.
DOODLESAVE INC is an app developer based in Thunder Bay, Ontario. We build mobile apps for iOS and Android, web apps, client portals and AI tools for businesses in Thunder Bay and across Canada, and we build and run apps of our own, so we know what an app needs after launch day.
Who we build for
Businesses that need customers or staff to do something on a phone: book, order, check in, report, track or pay. From new Thunder Bay ventures to established firms across Northwestern Ontario.
How app projects are paid
Apps take a 70% advance. Larger apps are split into phases, each invoiced the same way: 70% before it starts, the balance when it is delivered.
What we build
Apps for customers, staff and the work in between.
Every app is scoped in writing first, so you know what the first version does before any code is written.
Web apps
Apps that run in the browser on phones and computers, with no store review. Often the quicker, lower-cost first version.
Client portals
Secure logins, roles and permissions, private documents and an admin area for your team.
AI apps and automations
An assistant that answers customer questions from your own content, enquiry sorting and replies, quote drafting, or data moved between your inbox, forms and spreadsheets.
Stores and ordering
Products, checkout and order records, with card details handled by an established payment gateway and never by your app.
Integrations
Connections to payment gateways, email, forms and spreadsheets, so nobody re-types the same information twice.
Choosing
Web app or mobile app: which should come first?
The honest answer depends on who uses it and how often.
Start with a web app when
staff or clients use it at a desk or now and then, you want it live quickly, you expect to change it often, or you are still proving the idea. One version runs on every device and updates the moment you publish.
Go mobile when
customers will open it every week, it needs notifications or deep use of the phone, it has to cope with a weak signal, or being in the App Store and Google Play is part of the product.
Many projects start as a web app and add a mobile app once the idea has proved itself. We will tell you which applies on the first call.
Apps we run ourselves
We build our own apps, too.
Doodle Save
A consumer subscription tracker, launching soon on iOS and Android. Building it meant cross-platform billing, secure accounts, a multi-currency scanning engine and privacy documentation written for two jurisdictions.
Doodle Inventory
Our second product: a stock and parcel tracking web app for small teams, in early access, with invite-only accounts, two-factor sign-in and each customer’s data walled off from every other’s.
Why it matters to you
Our apps run on the same hosting, database and payment services we recommend, so we pay the same bills and deal with the same app store rules as the clients we advise.
How an app project runs
Phased, written down and reviewed by you at every stage.
01
Scope
A short call, then a written scope: what the first version does, who uses it and what it will cost to run each month. Larger apps begin with a paid discovery phase.
02
Design
Screens for every step your users take, reviewed with you before the build starts, with three rounds of changes included.
03
Build in phases
Each phase is invoiced 70% before it starts and the balance on delivery, and you test it on your own phone through a private preview.
04
Launch under your accounts
Apps are published under your own Apple and Google developer accounts, and the hosting and database sit in your company’s name.
05
After launch
Thirty days of free fixes, then an optional care plan for updates, monitoring and new features.
Questions
App development in Thunder Bay, answered.
Not sure an app is the right answer? Say so on the call; sometimes a website does the job.
How much does it cost to build an app in Thunder Bay?
Every app is quoted in writing with a fixed figure and a timeline once we know what it has to do. AI tools and automations are quoted after a short call; larger custom apps are quoted after a paid discovery phase and built in phases, so you never commit to more than the next step.
How long does app development take?
An AI app or automation usually takes two to six weeks, a client portal or online store eight to sixteen weeks, and a custom application four months and up. Larger apps are released in phases, so something useful is live well before the whole build is finished.
Do you build apps for both iPhone and Android?
Yes. We build cross-platform apps that run on both iOS and Android from one codebase, and web apps that run in any browser. Our own Doodle Save app, launching soon on iOS and Android, is built this way.
Who owns the app and its code?
You do. The app is published under your own Apple and Google developer accounts, the hosting and database are registered to your company, and copyright in the design and code passes to you on final payment.
Should I build a web app or a mobile app first?
If people use it occasionally or at a desk, or you want it live quickly, start with a web app. If customers will open it every week, need notifications or expect to find it in the app stores, go mobile. Many projects start on the web and add a mobile app later.
How are app projects paid?
Apps and software take a 70% advance before work begins. Larger builds are split into phases, each invoiced 70% before it starts and the balance when it is delivered. Nothing is charged on this website; every stage is invoiced by email.
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Have an app idea in Thunder Bay?
Tell us who will use it and what it has to do. We reply within one business day, and the first conversation is free.