In this article
We ask that question first. Then we build a small first version and expand it based on what users really do. We do that from our office on the Duivendrechtsekade in Amsterdam, and you are welcome to drop by.
Mobile app, web application or customer portal: which do you need?
You install a mobile app through the App Store or Google Play, and it uses the camera, GPS or notifications of your phone. A web application runs in the browser, on any device, without installing anything. And a customer portal? That is a web application with a login, where customers see their own details, orders or documents.
| Mobile app | Web application | Customer portal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Phone, via the app stores | Browser, on any device | Browser, behind a login |
| Good for | Daily use on the move, camera, notifications | Internal tools, planning, dashboards | Customers checking orders, invoices or status themselves |
| Watch out for | Two platforms, review by Apple and Google | Works less well without internet | The integration with your own systems decides its value |
So which one fits depends on who uses it and where. You can read more per type under mobile app development for iOS and Android, web application development and customer portal development.
When do you really need a mobile app?
Only when your users open the app often, are on the move or need something from the phone, such as the camera or push notifications. For most business uses a web application is quicker to build, easier to maintain and available straight away. You also skip the review by Apple and Google.
That is why many people who search for app development in Amsterdam actually need a web application. There is also a middle route: the progressive web app. According to MDN, that is an app built with web technology that can run on several platforms and devices from one codebase, and that you can still install on your phone (MDN Web Docs, updated August 2026, accessed October 2026). For many internal tools that is enough.
What I would not do: have a mobile app built because it feels more professional. A business app that your staff open once a week belongs in the browser. One example: for a golf club in Amstelveen we built the day pass booking app as a web app on its own address. Golfers book on their phone and pay with iDEAL, the most common online payment method in the Netherlands, and the same app runs in kiosk mode on the service point in the clubhouse. No app store was involved.
Why do we start with an MVP?
Because only after launch do you know what users really do. An MVP, or minimum viable product, is the smallest version of your app that lets you test whether the idea works. So you first build the one feature that matters, let real users work with it and then decide what comes next.
An MVP is not half a product. It is a fully working app with fewer features. The difference is the order: first prove that it works, then expand. That way you avoid spending months building features that nobody uses.
Besides, most wish lists get shorter as soon as you put them in order of priority. Explanation and examples are in what is an MVP. If your app later grows into a product you sell to others, it becomes a different story; see SaaS development.
How does app development with us work?
We start with a conversation, at our office in Amsterdam, at yours or online. In that first call you speak to Joey van Vliet or me. Then we choose the type of app, sketch the first version and build it in short rounds. After launch we measure what users do and plan the next step.
- Getting to know each other. What should the app solve, and for whom?
- Choosing. Mobile app, web application or portal, and which systems sit behind it.
- Building the MVP. In short rounds, with interim versions you can try yourself.
- Launch and measure. Real users, real numbers.
- Expand. Only what demonstrably helps.
The value of a business app usually sits in its integrations. An app that shows orders has to get those orders from somewhere. So we connect it to your CRM, accounting or planning; the details per system are under integrations. Looking for broader custom software? Then see custom software development.
App development Amsterdam: what does it cost?
That depends on the type of app, the number of screens, the integrations and whether it has to run on one or two platforms. A web application with three screens and one integration is a different project from a mobile app for iOS and Android that works offline. So we work it out per project and do not quote a figure here.
An MVP keeps the first bill small, because you only build what you need for testing. How the costs are built up, you can read under app development costs and web application costs. Comparing quotes? Then use the quote comparison worksheet.
Why choose an agency in Amsterdam for your app?
Because building an app means many small decisions, and you make those faster together at the table. We visit you to talk to your users, or you walk in at our office to try the latest version. Our area is Amsterdam and the surrounding region, but we also build for companies elsewhere in the Netherlands.
People who look for a business app developer in Amsterdam are often after exactly that: short lines and someone they know.
Sometimes it turns out after that first conversation that you do not need an app at all. The problem is then in two systems that do not talk to each other, or in a task that an AI employee can take over better. In that case we say so, because software development in Amsterdam only makes sense if it solves a real problem. Examples of such tasks are under AI employees.
We work to ISO 27001 and ISO 9001, certified by Kiwa. For an app with customer data or a login that is no luxury. After all, you want to know who can access the data and how updates are rolled out. What we built before, you can see in our cases, such as a music platform with a web application and a React Native app on one Laravel back end.
