Build
Custom Software DevelopmentSystems built to your process
Web Application DevelopmentReact, Next.js, Rails, Django
Mobile App DevelopmentiOS, Android, React Native
App DevelopmentWeb and mobile apps, end to end
SaaS Product DevelopmentMulti-tenant from day one
MVP DevelopmentFirst release in 6–10 weeks
Enterprise SoftwareSSO, audit trails, scale
Connect & operate
API Development & IntegrationREST, GraphQL, webhooks
Cloud & DevOps EngineeringAWS, GCP, Azure, Terraform
QA & Software TestingAutomated suites, load, E2E
Legacy ModernizationStrangler-fig migrations
Cybersecurity EngineeringHardening and remediation
Data EngineeringPipelines, warehouses, reporting
Design & teams
UI/UX DesignInterfaces people finish tasks in
Prototyping & DiscoveryScope before you spend
Staff AugmentationSenior engineers on your team
Dedicated Dev TeamsA full pod, one contract
White-Label DevelopmentEngineering under your brand
Technology ArchitectureDecide once, correctly
Project ManagementDelivery you can audit
Start hereScope a build in one callBring a spec, a wireframe, or a paragraph. You leave with an architecture, a timeline, and a number.Book a scoping call
AI software
AI Application DevelopmentFull-stack AI products
AI Agent DevelopmentMulti-step autonomous agents
AI SaaS DevelopmentMulti-tenant AI products
Workflow AutomationReplace manual ops
Custom LLM AppsBranded internal assistants
LLM & data systems
Private LLM DevelopmentSelf-hosted Llama, Mistral, Qwen
RAG DevelopmentCited answers over your docs
MCP & WebMCPMake your systems agent-callable
Vector Database Setuppgvector, Pinecone, Qdrant
Document IntelligenceOCR and extraction pipelines
Vibe coding
AI-Assisted BuildsFast, with senior review
Rapid PrototypingClickable in days
Concept to CodeIdea to working software
Code Review & CleanupMake AI output shippable
Fractional AI TeamOngoing build capacity
Ready to ship?Put AI where the work isAgents, RAG, and private LLMs wired into the systems your team already uses — not a chatbot bolted to a homepage.Discuss an AI project
By company size
Domain firstWe learn your workflow before we model itRegulated, operational, or high-volume — the constraints belong in the schema, not in a training doc.Talk about your domain
Selected workSoftware we own and operateMost agencies show screenshots. We run the products — the same stack, uptime, and on-call we hand to clients.View the portfolio
The DEV.co product network
Legal AI infrastructure for firms
AI RFP discovery and response drafting
Automatic.coBusiness process automation
Secure AI virtual data roomsCompare
Plan smarterEstimate before you commitCost ranges, scope templates, and the questions we ask in discovery — free, no form.Open the cost calculator
Real conversationsTalk with a technical leadNo SDR, no discovery gauntlet. The person on the call is the one who scopes the build.Book a call
Software delivered for

12+
Years building software
Founded 2013
390+
Projects shipped
Web, mobile, SaaS, AI
3M+
App downloads delivered
Across client apps
$1B+
Client revenue powered
Systems in production
100%
Code ownership to you
From the first commit
Software development services
Twelve disciplines, one accountable team
Most projects need more than one of these, and the seams between them are where outsourced builds usually fail. We staff the whole path — discovery through production support — so nothing falls into a gap between vendors.
01
Custom Software Development
Line-of-business systems modeled on how your company actually works, instead of the way an off-the-shelf tool assumes you do.
/services 02Web Application Development
Fast, accessible web apps in React, Next.js, Rails, and Django — server-rendered where it matters for SEO and speed.
/web 03Mobile App Development
Native iOS and Android, or one React Native codebase when the roadmap doesn't justify two. Store submission included.
/mobile 04SaaS Product Development
Multi-tenant architecture, billing, roles, and usage metering built in from the first sprint rather than retrofitted at Series A.
/saas 05MVP Development
A narrow, genuinely usable first release in six to ten weeks — enough product to put in front of real users and learn something.
/mvp 06Enterprise Software Development
SSO, granular permissions, audit trails, and procurement-grade documentation for software that has to pass a security review.
/enterprise 07API Development & Integration
REST and GraphQL APIs, webhook infrastructure, and the unglamorous integration work that makes two systems agree on the truth.
/api 08Cloud & DevOps Engineering
AWS, GCP, and Azure environments defined in Terraform, with CI/CD, staged rollouts, and alerting that reaches a human.
/devops 09QA & Software Testing
Automated unit, integration, and end-to-end suites, plus load and regression testing, so a release stops being a gamble.
/testing 10Legacy Modernization
Incremental migrations off aging stacks — route by route, table by table — while the old system keeps serving customers.
/software-modernization 11AI & Machine Learning
Agents, retrieval pipelines, and private LLM deployments wired into your existing data, with evaluation harnesses to prove they work.
/ai 12Staff Augmentation
Senior engineers embedded in your team, your sprints, and your repo — with a defined ramp-off instead of an indefinite invoice.
/staffingAnatomy of a build
What you get is a system, not a screen
Clients talk to a gateway, the gateway talks to services that own the business rules, and those services own their data. Underneath sits the part nobody demos and everybody needs: pipelines, monitoring, infrastructure as code, and access control.
CLIENTSWeb app (Next.js / React), Mobile (iOS · Android), Partner API (OAuth clients), Internal tools (Ops console), AI agents (MCP callers)
EDGEGateway (Auth · rate limit, TLS · WAF · CDN)
APPLICATION SERVICESDomain API (Business rules), Workflow engine (Jobs · retries · queues), Integration layer (CRM · ERP · billing), AI services (RAG · agents · eval). Typed contracts · versioned · tested
STATEPostgres (System of record), Object store (Files · exports), Cache / queue (Redis · SQS), Vector index (pgvector), Warehouse (Reporting)
PLATFORM — SHIPPED WITH EVERY BUILDCI/CD (Test → build → deploy), Observability (Logs · traces · alerts), Infra as code (Terraform), Security (SSO · RBAC · audit)
Custom software development
Built around your process, not a template
Every company reaches a point where the spreadsheet, the SaaS subscription, and the workaround stop adding up. Custom software is the answer when your competitive advantage lives in a process no vendor sells — or when four systems need to agree on one version of the truth and currently do not.
We start by modeling the workflow as it actually runs, including the exceptions people handle by hand. That model becomes the schema, the schema constrains the interface, and the interface is what your team lives in every day.
- A data model that matches how your business is really structured
- Integrations with the ERP, CRM, and billing systems you already run
- Role-based access, audit logging, and exportable records by default
- Documentation written for the engineer who inherits it, not for the invoice
1// Discovery output — every field below is a decision,
2// not a default inherited from a template.
3import { assess, dataModel, fixedBid } from './discovery';
4
5export async function scopeProject(brief: Brief): Promise<Scope> {
6 const risks = await assess(brief.integrations, brief.compliance);
7 const model = dataModel(brief.workflow, { exceptions: true });
8 const weeks = estimate(model.entities, risks.count);
9
10 if (risks.severity === 'high') {
11 // Say it in week one, not in month four.
12 flag(brief.owner, 'scope-risk', risks.top(3));
13 }
14
15 return {
16 architecture: model.diagram,
17 increments: splitIntoSprints(model, { each: '2w' }),
18 timeline: { weeks, start: '10 business days' },
19 price: fixedBid(risks, weeks),
20 ownership: { code: 'client', infra: 'client' },
21 };
22}
How we work
A development process you can audit week by week
Software projects fail quietly, in the gap between a status report and reality. Ours is structured so that gap never opens: every two weeks there is a working build on a URL you can click.
PhaseTwelve-week delivery timeline
01
Discovery
Wk 1–2 · Scope, risks, architecture
We map the workflow, the integrations, and the failure modes before anyone writes code. You get an architecture diagram, a risk list, and a fixed number — whether or not you hire us.
02
Design
Wk 2–4 · Flows, UI, data model
Flows and interfaces are drawn against the real data model, so what gets approved in design is something engineering can actually build without renegotiating scope.
03
Build
Wk 3–10 · Two-week increments
Two-week increments, each ending in working software on a preview URL. You review the product, not a status deck, and priorities can change between increments.
04
Harden
Wk 9–11 · QA, load, security
Automated test coverage, load testing at expected peak, a dependency and security audit, and accessibility passes before anything touches production traffic.
05
Launch
Wk 12 · Cutover and runbook
Staged cutover with a rollback plan, a written runbook, and a handover session with whoever will own the system next — including full repo and infrastructure access.
06
Operate
Ongoing · SLA, iteration
Monitoring, patching, and a support SLA if you want one. If you'd rather run it yourself, we hand over the keys and stay available by the hour.
Engineering standards
Eight gates between written and deployed
AI writes a great deal of the code we ship, and that is a speed advantage we use deliberately. It is also why the path to production is strict: nothing merges on confidence alone.
- 01Lint + typesPASS
- 02Unit testsPASS
- 03IntegrationPASS
- 04E2EPASS
- 05Security scanPASS
- 06Preview envPASS
- 07Human reviewPASS
- 08DeployPASS
S.01
Typed end to end
TypeScript on the frontend, typed contracts at every service boundary. A schema change that breaks a caller fails in CI, not in support.
S.02
Tested where it counts
Coverage concentrates on business logic and integration seams rather than chasing a percentage that flatters a dashboard.
S.03
Reviewed by a person
Every pull request has a human reviewer who can reject it. Automated checks gate the merge; they do not replace judgment.
S.04
Observable on day one
Structured logs, traces, and alerts ship with the first release, so the first production incident is diagnosable rather than mysterious.
Technology
A stack chosen for your problem, not our comfort
We are not a one-framework shop, but we are not indifferent either: the recommendation accounts for who will maintain the system after we leave and what your team already knows.
Frontend
TypeScript/React/Next.js/Vue/React Native/Swift/Kotlin/Tailwind
Backend
Node.js/Python/Go/Ruby on Rails/Django/Laravel/.NET/Java
Data
PostgreSQL/MySQL/MongoDB/Redis/Snowflake/pgvector/Elasticsearch/Kafka
Cloud & ops
AWS/GCP/Azure/Docker/Kubernetes/Terraform/GitHub Actions/Vercel
AI
Claude/GPT/Llama/LangGraph/MCP/Pinecone/Qdrant/PyTorch
Engagement models
Three ways to hire the team
The right structure depends on whether your scope is fixed, your roadmap is continuous, or your own team just needs depth for a stretch. All three are month-to-month commitments with no exit penalty.
Fixed-scope build
Fixed price, fixed date
Defined product, defined budget
You know what you need built. We scope it in discovery, quote a fixed price against that scope, and deliver it on a published timeline. Change requests are priced individually rather than absorbed silently.
- Fixed price and date
- Written acceptance criteria
- Discovery credited to the build
- Code and infrastructure yours at launch
Most popular
Dedicated pod
Monthly, cancel anytime
Continuous roadmap, changing priorities
A standing team — engineers, a lead, QA, and design as needed — working your backlog in your tools. Capacity is fixed, direction is yours, and you can resize or stop at the end of any month.
- Same people every sprint
- US-hours overlap
- Your repo, your board
- 30-day notice, no penalty
Embedded engineers
A defined stretch
In-house team that needs depth
Senior specialists dropped into your existing team for a defined stretch — a migration, a launch crunch, or a skill your team doesn't have and doesn't need permanently.
- Individually interviewed
- Ramps in under two weeks
- Your process, not ours
- Defined ramp-off
How long each option takes to start
A single senior in-house engineer takes five to seven months to source, and still does not cover design, QA, or infrastructure. A pod covers all of it from the second week, and stops the month you say so.
Get a quote for your projectIn-house team5–7 months to hire
Recruit, onboard, then build
Offshore shopStarts in 2 weeks
Rework tax, timezone lag
DEV.co podStarts in 10 days
Senior, US-hours overlap
Industries
Domains where the constraints are the hard part
The code is rarely the difficult bit. Understanding why an invoice can be voided but never deleted, or which fields a regulator expects to see, is what separates software that gets adopted from software that gets tolerated.
01
Financial Services
Ledgers, reconciliation, and reporting where the numbers have to tie out.
02
Healthcare
HIPAA-aligned systems, PHI handling, and EHR integration work.
03
eCommerce & Retail
Storefronts, inventory sync, and checkout that survives a traffic spike.
04
Legal
Matter management, document pipelines, and privileged-data controls.
05
Government
Procurement-ready builds with accessibility and audit requirements met.
06
Manufacturing
Shop-floor visibility, PLM, and systems that speak to old machines.
07
Logistics
Routing, tracking, and the EDI plumbing nobody advertises.
08
Education
Student systems, LMS integration, and district-scale rollouts.
09
Real Estate
Listing platforms, MLS feeds, and transaction workflow tools.
10
Agencies & Media
White-label development capacity under your brand and your contract.
Why DEV.co
What you are actually buying
Every software development company claims senior talent and on-time delivery. These are the six commitments we will put in a contract.
P.01
Senior engineers, not a bench
The people who scope your project are the people who build it. No handoff from a solutions architect to a team you never interviewed, and no junior developer learning your domain on your budget.
P.02
A fixed number before you commit
Discovery ends with an architecture, a timeline, and a price. If the scope changes, the number changes in writing — you will not find out about a budget overrun in month four.
P.03
You own everything
Source code, infrastructure, CI configuration, and documentation are yours from the first commit. Nothing is locked behind a proprietary framework or a license that expires when the relationship does.
P.04
Every change is reviewed
Pull requests get a human reviewer, an automated test suite, and a security scan. AI accelerates the writing; it does not get the last word on what reaches production.
P.05
We run our own software
DEV.co builds and operates its own products on the same stack we hand to clients. The architecture we recommend is the one we are on call for at two in the morning.
P.06
Weeks, not quarters
Most engagements start within ten business days of a signed scope. The first working increment is usually live on a preview URL inside three weeks.
Compare
DEV.co, an offshore shop, or hiring in-house
An honest read, including where the other two options win.
| Criterion | DEV.co | Offshore agency | In-house hire |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to start | 10 business days | 2–3 weeks | 5–7 months to hire |
| Hourly cost | Mid | Lowest | Highest once loaded |
| Seniority | Senior only | Mixed, often rotating | Whoever you can land |
| Timezone overlap | Full US business hours | 2–4 hours, typically | Full |
| Handles ambiguity | Yes — discovery is the product | Needs a tight spec | Yes, after ramp-up |
| Design, QA, DevOps | Included in the pod | Usually billed separately | Separate hires |
| Best when | Scope is fuzzy or regulated | Spec is airtight and stable | The system is your core IP |
Comparing firms rather than models? Our guide on how to choose a software development company lists the twelve questions to put to every vendor on your shortlist — us included.
Selected work
Case studies, and the products we run ourselves
We build software for clients and we operate our own. The second part matters: the architecture we recommend is one we are personally on call for.
Groupon case study
Supply chain management software now used in more than 44 countries.
Read the case studyStaples case study
Internal supply chain platform for vendor distribution and fulfillment.
Read the case studyPepsiCo case study
A custom web meeting application for senior management.
Read the case studyemoov case study
Property management platform that automated 98% of customer onboarding.
Read the case studyQuestions
Hiring a software development company
The eight things every prospective client asks before a first call.
01What does a software development company actually do?
A software development company designs, builds, tests, deploys, and maintains software that a business cannot buy off the shelf. In practice that means discovery and requirements work, system architecture, UI and UX design, backend and frontend engineering, QA, cloud infrastructure, and ongoing support after launch.
The distinction that matters is depth. A freelancer writes code against a spec you supply. A full-cycle software development company like DEV.co owns the whole path — deciding what to build, proving it works, running it in production, and handing you a system your own team can maintain.
02How much do software development services cost?
We quote a fixed price against a written scope, and the number comes out of discovery rather than off a rate card. Three things drive it: how many systems have to be integrated, how much compliance the domain carries, and how precisely the workflow has to be modeled. A focused internal tool and a multi-tenant SaaS platform are different orders of magnitude for exactly those reasons.
Discovery is a paid, standalone engagement and it is credited against the build if you proceed. You keep the architecture, the risk list, and the estimate either way, so you can take them to another firm if you would rather. Tell us what you are trying to build and we will put a number on it inside a week.
03How long does it take to build custom software?
A usable MVP typically ships in six to ten weeks. A full production platform is usually twelve to twenty-four weeks depending on integration surface and compliance load. Legacy modernization runs longer because the old system has to keep serving customers throughout.
We publish the timeline at the end of discovery, broken into two-week increments with a working build at the end of each. That structure means slippage is visible in week three rather than week sixteen.
04Do I own the source code?
Yes — completely, from the first commit. Code is written in your repository or transferred to it, infrastructure is defined in Terraform under your cloud account, and documentation ships with the build.
There is no proprietary framework, no runtime license, and no clause that makes leaving expensive. If you decide to bring development in-house, we will help your engineers take it over.
05Can you work with our existing development team?
Frequently. Embedded engagements put our engineers in your repo, your sprint cadence, and your standups — reporting to your engineering lead, not routing through an account manager.
This is the usual arrangement when an in-house team is strong but missing a specific depth: a database migration, a mobile launch, a security remediation, or a stretch of extra capacity before a hard date.
06How do you use AI in development?
AI accelerates the parts of software development that are mechanical — scaffolding, test generation, migrations, documentation, and refactors. We use it heavily and it is a real speed advantage.
What it does not do is decide what ships. Every change passes human review, an automated test suite, and a security scan before merge. We also build AI into client products — agents, retrieval systems, and private LLM deployments — where the same discipline applies: if it cannot be evaluated, it does not go to production.
07What happens after launch?
You choose. Some clients take full ownership at handover with a runbook, documentation, and a walkthrough session. Others keep us on a support SLA covering monitoring, patching, dependency upgrades, and a defined response time.
A third group keeps a smaller pod running continuous iteration, because the first release is rarely the last one. None of these is a prerequisite for the others.
08Why hire DEV.co over an offshore development agency?
Offshore rates are lower per hour and that advantage is real. It erodes when the work needs tight collaboration — ambiguous requirements, regulated domains, or a product where the business logic is the hard part rather than the code.
DEV.co is US-based with senior engineers on US business hours. We tend to be the right call when specification is the bottleneck, when the system has to pass a security review, or when a previous outsourced build has to be rescued.
Bring us the problem, not the spec
Thirty minutes with an engineer who has built this before. You will leave with a technical direction and a realistic range — whether you hire DEV.co or not.