Software and App Development in Northern Ireland
Custom business software and iPhone, Android and web apps for small and medium businesses in Northern Ireland, planned with you and built around the way you already work.
Software and app development for Northern Ireland businesses
GBA Solutions builds custom business software and iPhone, Android and web apps for small and medium businesses in Northern Ireland and across the rest of Ireland. A first version or MVP typically costs between €3,000 and €8,000 and takes 4 to 8 weeks to build.
We're a technology company based in County Kildare, and we take on projects across the whole island of Ireland, including Northern Ireland. You deal directly with the person who designs and builds your system, from the first conversation through to launch and support afterwards.
Who this is for
Custom software or an app is worth talking about if some of these sound familiar:
- Your staff fill in paper forms on site and someone types them up again in the office.
- You copy the same information into a spreadsheet, a quote and an invoice.
- Finding an old record takes a search through folders or email threads.
- You have an idea for an app your customers or your industry would pay for.
How we work with businesses in Northern Ireland
Most of our projects run well remotely. Everything we build runs in the cloud, so you can see and test it from wherever you are in Northern Ireland.
- Video calls and phone calls for the first conversation, planning and regular check-ins, at times that suit you.
- Test versions on your own phone from early in the project, so you can try the app properly and tell us what to change.
- Regular updates as the work goes on, rather than a big reveal at the end.
- Meeting in person when it's practical, for example to see how your team works on site or to help with launch day.
Working across the border
We've already built software for a UK business. For The Motorhome Man, a motorhome and caravan service business in Buckinghamshire, we replaced paper service checklists with digital forms that save as you type and email a finished PDF report to the customer with one click. Read more in our case study on digitising paper forms.
Pricing in euro
Our prices are in euro. If you're a business in Northern Ireland or elsewhere in the UK, we're happy to talk about how invoicing would work for you before you commit to anything.
What we build
Most projects mix more than one of these, such as an app for staff in the field alongside a web dashboard for the office.
Custom business software
Job management, billing, digital forms and dashboards, built around your own process.
iPhone and Android apps
Native apps for your staff or customers, published on the App Store and Google Play.
Cross-platform and web apps
Apps that run in a browser on any phone, tablet or computer, with nothing to install and updates that reach everyone straight away.
MVPs and first versions
A focused first version that solves one problem well, so you can start using it quickly and grow it once it has proven itself.
Business automation
Software that does the repetitive work for you, from reading data out of emails to sending reminders before a certificate expires.
Indoor location systems (RTLS)
Real-time location systems using UWB anchors and tags, where we plan and install the hardware and build the software that makes sense of the data.
Custom software development
Custom software is a system built for your business alone, around your own forms, rules and customers. It makes sense when you're losing hours every week bending generic tools to fit your process. If a product you can buy today will do the job, we'll tell you so.
- Cork Office Machines and Supplies Ltd has a web app that reads printer usage data from emails and calculates monthly billing. Over 90% of billing is now automated. Read the case study.
- Big H The Plumber swapped paper surveys for a tablet web app with red flagging, sketches, photos and a job dashboard for the office, saving 12 hours out of 80 every week. Read the case study.
Our custom software development page goes into more detail.
iOS and Android app development
We build native mobile apps in Swift for iPhone and Kotlin for Android, the official languages Apple and Google use, usually with a web dashboard for your office and everything running on Google Cloud and Firebase. Most clients choose both platforms so everyone can use the app, but you can start with one if that keeps the first version smaller.
What our apps do
- GPS location tracking for staff and jobs in the field.
- Barcode and QR code scanning with the phone's camera. For AM Site Solutions, anyone on site can scan the QR code on a machine and get its latest safety certificate on their phone straight away.
- Offline working, so the app keeps going without signal and syncs when it's back in coverage.
- Subscriptions and payments through Stripe, for apps you sell to other businesses.
Apps we've built
Tom O'Grady Heating and Plumbing uses an iPhone app we built for quotes, invoices and supplier orders, and has won back about 10 to 15 hours a week. AM Site Solutions has mobile apps and a web dashboard for certificates and digital forms, and saves 492 hours a year on GA1 certificate processing, roughly three months of one person's time.
For more on the mobile side, see our mobile app development, iOS app development and Android app development pages.
Cross-platform and mobile web apps
A web app runs in a browser such as Chrome, Safari or Edge, so one app works on iPhones, Android phones, tablets and computers, with nothing to download. For many business systems, it's the quickest and most affordable way to reach every device.
Web app or mobile app?
Choose a web app when you mainly need forms, dashboards or a customer portal, or want to test an idea before spending more. Choose a mobile app when you need deeper use of the phone, such as GPS, the camera or push notifications. Sometimes the answer is both, which is what we built for AM Site Solutions and Instaspace Modular. Our article Web apps, the agile solution explains more.
MVPs, automation and location systems
MVP development
An MVP, or minimum viable product, is a first version that does one job well. It gets working software into your hands in 4 to 8 weeks, keeps the risk low and shows you which features are really worth paying for. TillageTrack started as an MVP for one Wexford farmer's own records and inspections, and it's now a subscription app other tillage farmers sign up to on the App Store and Google Play. See our MVP development service and the TillageTrack case study.
Business automation
Automation takes repetitive admin off your team, such as reading data from incoming emails, emailing PDF reports to customers and sending reminders before documents expire. Our business automation page has more examples.
RTLS and UWB indoor positioning
We're a technology company, not only a software one. We also plan and install real-time location systems that track people or equipment indoors using UWB anchors and tags, and build the software that makes sense of the data. Read more on our RTLS and UWB indoor positioning page.
Software and apps we've built
Real systems for real businesses, with the results they reported.
Digital service forms for a UK business
Paper service checklists for The Motorhome Man replaced with digital forms and PDF reports emailed to customers.
Read the case studyGA1 audit software for AM Site Solutions
GA1 certificates produced on site, with a QR code on each machine, saving 492 hours a year.
Read the case study90% less manual work for a Cork family business
A web app that reads printer usage data from emails and calculates monthly billing, with over 90% of billing now automated.
Read the case studyA SaaS app for Irish tillage farmers
TillageTrack began as an MVP for one farm and became a subscription app for iPhone and Android, now on the App Store and Google Play.
Read the case studySafety compliance app for Instaspace Modular
An iPhone and Android app for subcontractors to acknowledge safety documents and sign in to sites.
Read the case studyAn iPhone app for a plumbing business
Quotes, invoices and supplier orders on the phone, winning back about 10 to 15 hours a week.
Read the case studyHow a project runs
A first version or MVP usually takes 4 to 8 weeks. Bigger systems start the same way and then grow in stages over months and years. MVPs are getting quicker because the tools keep improving and we use AI to help with parts of the development work.
A conversation about your business
We start on a video call, learning how your business works and what a good result looks like for you.
A clear plan and price
We agree the first version together, and you know the price before development starts.
Working screens early
You get test versions on your own phone or computer early, and give feedback while things are easy to change.
Regular updates
You see progress as we go, and parts of the system can often go into use early.
Launch with your team
We help your staff get started and handle the App Store and Google Play submissions.
Support and new features
We stay with you for support and add new features as your business changes.
What software and app development costs
Most first versions cost between €3,000 and €8,000. The final price depends on how many types of user the system has, how many screens and reports it needs, and whether it has to connect to tools you already use. Our prices are in euro, and we're happy to talk about how invoicing works for UK businesses.
| Type of project | Typical cost | What it usually covers |
|---|---|---|
| First version or MVP | €3,000 to €8,000 | One clear problem solved well, such as a digital form, a job tracker or a simple app, with logins for your team. |
| Mid-sized app or system | €8,000 to €12,000, depending on complexity | Several user roles, more screens and reports, automation and connections to other systems. |
| Larger build | €15,000 and up | Usually done once the first version has proven itself and you know exactly what to add next. |
If you're publishing a mobile app, Apple charges €99 a year for a developer account and Google Play charges €25 once. Our article on how much it costs to develop a mobile app breaks this down further.
Why work with a small Irish developer
When you work with GBA Solutions, you deal with one person from start to finish, the person who plans, designs and builds your system, with no account manager in between.
- We build around your workflow, so your team keeps working the way that already works for them.
- We build on Google Cloud and Firebase, with secure logins and role-based access. Google Cloud also offers the option to keep data in the EU, and we talk through data security with you before we build.
- We run our own software products, including SmartChef and LeadLog, so we know what it takes to keep software working for real customers every day.
- We stick around, and many of our clients come back to us for further work on the same system.
Related services
Custom Software Development
Bespoke business software, web applications and databases built around how you work.
Mobile App Development
iPhone and Android apps for your staff and customers.
MVP Development
Start with a focused first version that solves one problem well, then grow it.
Business Automation
Take repetitive admin off your team so they can get on with the real work.
iOS App Development
Native iPhone apps written in Swift and published on the App Store.
RTLS and UWB Indoor Positioning
Indoor location systems, planned, installed and connected to useful software.
Frequently asked questions
Do you take on software projects in Northern Ireland?
Yes. We're based in County Kildare and take on projects across the whole island of Ireland, including Northern Ireland. Most of the work runs well remotely, and we're happy to meet in person when it's practical.
How much does custom software or an app cost?
A first version or MVP usually costs from €3,000 to €8,000. A mid-sized app or system is typically €8,000 to €12,000, depending on complexity, and larger builds start at €15,000, usually once the first version has proven itself. We agree the price before development starts.
Do you price in sterling?
Our prices are in euro. If you're a UK business, we're happy to talk through how invoicing works for you before you commit to anything.
How long does it take to build an app or MVP?
A first version or MVP usually takes 4 to 8 weeks. Bigger systems start the same way and then grow in stages over months and years. MVPs are getting quicker because the tools keep improving and we use AI to help with parts of the development work.
Do you build apps for both iPhone and Android?
Yes. We build native apps in Swift for iPhone and Kotlin for Android, and most clients choose both so everyone on the team can use the app. You can also start with one platform if your users mostly have one type of phone.
What is a cross-platform web app?
A web app runs in a browser such as Chrome, Safari or Edge, so the same app works on iPhones, Android phones, tablets and computers with nothing to install. It's often the quickest and most affordable way to get a business system working on every device. If you later need deeper use of the phone, a mobile app can be added alongside it.
Can I work with you if I'm not in the Republic of Ireland?
Yes. Most of our projects are run over video calls, phone and email, with test versions you can try on your own phone and regular updates as the work goes on. We've built a system for a motorhome and caravan service business in England, so working across a border isn't new to us.
Can your apps use GPS, scan barcodes and work offline?
Yes. We've built GPS location tracking, barcode and QR code scanning with the phone's camera, and apps that work offline and sync when they're back in coverage. We'll recommend whichever of these makes sense for how your team works.
What is an MVP and do I need one?
An MVP, or minimum viable product, is a first version that does one job well so you can start using it and learn what matters before spending more. We recommend starting this way for nearly every project, whether it's an internal tool or a product you want to sell. TillageTrack began as an MVP for one farm and is now a subscription app on the App Store and Google Play.
Do I need to be technical to work with you?
No. You explain what you need in plain English and we turn it into working software. We show you real screens on your own phone or computer rather than technical documents, so you can judge the system by using it.
Who will I be dealing with?
You deal with one person from start to finish, the person who designs and builds the software. There's no account manager in between.
What happens after my software or app is launched?
We stay with you for maintenance, support and new features as your business changes. Keeping an app up to date with new versions of iOS and Android is usually a small amount of work if nothing major changes, and you can call us in whenever you need something.
Have a software or app project in Northern Ireland?
Tell us what's taking up your time or what you'd like your app to do, and we'll tell you honestly what a sensible first version would involve and what it would cost.