ProctorHounds
custom app development UAE

When off-the-shelf runs out, we build what fits.

Internal tools, client portals, SaaS platforms and mobile apps for UAE businesses that have outgrown spreadsheets and subscriptions. A working v1 in 4 to 10 weeks, and you own every line of code.

The problem

The patchwork stops scaling

Most growing businesses run on a patchwork: spreadsheets, WhatsApp threads and a stack of SaaS subscriptions that almost fit. That patchwork works until it becomes the thing slowing you down. The fix is not another subscription. It is software built around how your business actually operates.

  • One master spreadsheet runs the business, one person understands it, and everything stops when they are on leave.
  • Quotes take days because someone copies figures between three systems before a client ever sees a price.
  • You pay for five SaaS tools and still export CSVs between them every Monday morning.
  • Clients chase status updates over WhatsApp because there is no portal where they can check for themselves.
  • You have a product idea that paying customers have already validated, but no technical partner to build it.

What you get

Everything included, nothing padded.

Internal tools

Quoting engines, job trackers, approval flows and operations dashboards shaped around your exact process. Your team stops working around generic software and starts working through software that fits.

Client portals

Secure logins where your clients check project status, download documents and settle invoices themselves. Fewer WhatsApp chases for your team, faster answers for your clients.

SaaS platforms

Multi-tenant products built to sell from day one: one of our platforms serves 50+ estate agency microsites from a single codebase. Another generates a complete branded website in under 30 seconds and sells at £49 per month.

Mobile apps

Focused iOS apps with native integrations such as GPS and HealthKit. We design opinionated apps that do a few things properly, because feature bloat is why most apps get deleted.

Integrations and API layers

Abstraction layers that connect CRMs, payment providers and legacy systems so data moves without manual exports. Agent Solution syncs property data across two different CRMs with 100% automation.

AI-native features

Document parsing, retrieval and assistants built into the product rather than bolted on afterwards. One example: CyPro's content platform, which drafts in the company's own voice and cut production from 6 hours to 30 minutes per post.

Proof

A SaaS platform that replaced £5,000 builds with £49 a month

Agent Solution is a Website-as-a-Service platform we designed, built and run for UK estate agents. It generates a complete branded website in under 30 seconds, keeps property listings 100% in sync through a CRM abstraction layer covering Apex27 and Loop Software, and sells at £49 per month against traditional builds costing £5,000 or more. It is live now at agentsolution.co.uk.

Read the Agent Solution case study →

Under 30 seconds

to generate a complete branded estate agency website

Agent Solution project

How it works

A process you can see from the inside.

  1. 01Week 1

    Discovery and scoping

    We sit with the people who do the work, map the current process and cut the v1 down to what earns its place. You get a defined scope and a quote before any production code exists.

  2. 02Week 2

    Architecture and design

    Data model, screen designs and stack decisions, plus a staging environment you can log into from the start. Boring decisions made early are what keep week 8 calm.

  3. 03Weeks 2 to 8

    Build in weekly increments

    Working software every week, deployed to staging where you can click it, not screenshots in a slide deck. Feedback lands while changes are still cheap.

  4. 04Weeks 4 to 10

    Launch the v1

    Real users, real data, and handover documentation for the codebase you now own. We stay close through the first weeks of live use.

  5. 05Ongoing

    Iterate

    Most clients move to a retainer for new features and improvements. Some take the documented codebase in-house. Both are fine: there is no lock-in either way.

Built withNext.jsReactTypeScriptSupabasePostgreSQLStripeVercelSwiftUIHealthKitAzure OpenAIClaude APIResend

Built for the UAE

WhatsApp-first automation

Workflows that meet UAE customers where they already are: WhatsApp Business, connected to your CRM.

Private by design

On-prem and private-cloud AI (Azure-based RAG), built for businesses that cannot send data to public chatbots.

Fixed quotes in AED

A written fixed price after discovery. No day rates, no hourly surprises, no currency games.

.ae delivery, done before

Domains, DNS and email on UAE infrastructure. WedFest DXB runs live on wedfest.ae.

Founder-led, Dubai-based

Registered UAE free-zone company. You deal directly with the person who builds your system.

What should it cost?

Put an honest anchor on your budget before we, or anyone else, quotes you.

Run the cost calculator →

Working together

How the engagement works

Every build starts with discovery. We map the workflow, define the v1 and quote it, so you know the cost before production code is written. The founder scopes, builds and ships your project personally.

Timeline

a working v1 ships in 4 to 10 weeks, with progress you can see every week.

Pricing

custom scoped and quoted after discovery, with retainers available for ongoing development after launch.

Ownership

you own the code, the repository and the infrastructure outright. No licence fees, no lock-in.

Projects using this service

Frequently asked questions

How much does custom app development cost in the UAE?

It depends on scope, which is why every build starts with discovery. We define the v1, then quote it, so you know the price before production code is written. A focused internal tool costs far less than a multi-tenant SaaS platform. We do not bill open-ended day rates: you get a scoped build, a price and a delivery date.

How long does a custom app take to build?

A working v1 ships in 4 to 10 weeks depending on scope. We get there by cutting the v1 hard: the features your team needs on day one, nothing speculative. You see working software every week during the build, so there is no long silence followed by a big reveal. Larger platforms then grow through planned iterations.

Why build custom instead of buying off-the-shelf software?

If an off-the-shelf product fits your process, buy it, and we will tell you so during discovery. Custom makes sense in three cases: your process is your advantage, you are paying for five subscriptions and gluing them together with spreadsheets, or the software itself is the product you want to sell.

Who actually writes the code?

Dan, the founder. He has been building digital products for over 10 years and has delivered 100+ projects since starting his first agency in Manchester in 2015. Your build is never handed to a junior team or outsourced. The person you scope with is the person who ships.

Do we own the code and the infrastructure?

Yes, outright. The repository sits in your account, the infrastructure runs on your subscriptions, and there are no licence fees back to us. We document the codebase so any competent developer could take it over tomorrow. Retainers exist because clients choose to stay, not because they are locked in.

Do you build mobile apps?

Yes. Coach, our own iOS app, is the reference point: it tracks 3 daily tasks, verifies gym attendance by GPS and reads from HealthKit. It works because it is opinionated, not because it is big. We bring the same discipline to client apps: a focused feature set people actually use beats a bloated one they abandon.

Can you build AI features into the app?

Yes. For CyPro, a London security consultancy, we built an on-prem retrieval system on Azure that cut due diligence from 4 days to around 3 minutes, and a content platform that cut blog production from 6 hours to 30 minutes per post. Sensitive data stays on your infrastructure, not in a consumer chatbot.

What happens after launch?

Your choice. Some clients take the documented codebase and run it in-house. Most keep us on a retainer for improvements, new features and monitoring, which is how platforms like Agent Solution keep evolving. Most of our new work arrives by referral, so the incentive to keep post-launch support excellent is structural.

Related reading

Apps

App Development Cost in the UAE

Verified UAE app development costs, what each price band buys, when a web app or automation is smarter, and how a 4 to 10 week working v1 controls risk.

· 11 min read

Web

What a Website Actually Costs in Dubai

Verified pricing from Dubai agencies, what each band should include, the hidden costs nobody mentions, and how fixed AED quoting protects buyers.

· 10 min read

What happens when you get in touch

  1. 1

    Same-day reply

    From Dan, the person who builds it. No account managers, no ticket queue.

  2. 2

    A scoping call

    One conversation about where the time goes. No handoffs, no juniors.

  3. 3

    Fixed scope in 48 hours

    A written, fixed-AED scope within 48 hours of discovery. The price only moves if the scope does.

  4. 4

    Honest verdict

    If we're the wrong fit, Dan says so and points you somewhere better.

We can promise this because there are no layers: the person on the call is the person who builds the system.

Ready to talk about custom apps?