Bespoke web application development
for UK businesses
Magora designs and builds custom web applications for UK businesses: customer portals, internal tools, booking and ordering systems, dashboards and SaaS platforms. A senior in-house team, a free working prototype before you commit, and code and IP that belong to you. This page is part of our bespoke software development service; for marketing sites and e-commerce see our web development agency page.
Bespoke web application
development.
A bespoke web application is software that runs in the browser and is built for one organisation's own users, data and workflow, rather than a website or a packaged product. At Magora a free working prototype takes 5–10 working days, Discovery from £3,000, a first release from £10,000 (most £10,000–£25,000) and a full production web platform £25,000–£60,000 (2026 prices, GBP).
Informs and converts visitors
Visitors mostly read and then get in touch, so users usually do not log in. The main costs are hosting and content. See our web development agency page.
A standard job, done for many companies
Users log in, but you adapt your process to the product. A per-seat subscription grows with the team, and the vendor owns the product and its roadmap.
Your process, data and users
Users log in with roles and permissions you define. Running costs are hosting plus optional support you control, and you own the code, the IP and the data model.
An honest note. If a SaaS product already does almost everything you need, buy it and integrate it. Bespoke pays off when the process is what sets you apart, or when the workarounds cost more than building.
What we build
as web applications.
Logged-in systems with roles, data and workflow, built for scale, audit and a long life.
Customer and partner portals
Account self-serve, documents, requests and status tracking, with roles and an admin area your team runs itself. See customer portal development.
Internal and operations tools
Workflow apps, dashboards and back-office systems that replace spreadsheets and manual hand-offs. See bespoke business software.
Booking and ordering systems
Availability, orders, payments and notifications in one place. See booking system development.
Reporting and analytics dashboards
Configurable widgets, charts and live updates over your own data.
Integrations and legacy rebuilds
CRM, ERP, payments, accounting and third-party data, so information moves without re-keying; ageing systems rebuilt in stages without stopping the business. See API integration services.
Technology
we build with.
Mainstream, well-supported technology, so any competent team can maintain the system after us. We will work inside the stack you already run.
- React · Next.js
- Vue.js
- TypeScript
- Accessible UI
- Node.js · NestJS
- PHP · Laravel
- Python · FastAPI
- REST · GraphQL
- PostgreSQL
- MySQL
- MongoDB
- Redis
- AWS
- Azure
- Google Cloud
- Docker · CI/CD
- Salesforce · HubSpot
- Stripe · Xero
- QuickBooks
- Microsoft 365
- SSO · OAuth
- Audit logging
- UK/EU data residency
Laravel specifically: Laravel development company and hire Laravel developers.
Web application prices
(2026).
Published prices, so you can budget before you call. Our rates start from £49/hour per developer, and £65–£70/hour for a full team with QA and product ownership. Every engagement starts with a free working prototype.
A clickable, coded prototype in 5–10 working days, before any paid work.
Two weeks: scope, architecture, a fixed estimate and a roadmap.
Most first releases land between £10,000 and £25,000: one or two core workflows in production, typically 6–8 weeks.
Several user roles, an admin area, reporting and integrations.
Multi-role, audit-logged, integration-heavy platforms for regulated sectors.
Hosting, monitoring, SLAs, security updates and new features.
What moves the price of a web application. In our 2026 estimates, scope moved the price more than technology: the same conference app cost £24,900 or £39,758 depending on whether attendees also got a web app and organisers got their own role. Integrations, live AI processing and regulated data are where budgets grow. A second phase typically added 30–70% of the first release.
How to keep a first release inside £25,000. One user journey done properly; a component library instead of bespoke UI; integrations in phase two unless the product cannot work without them; the rare cases handled by hand; calculation rules agreed before building anything that prices, scores or allocates. Read the data in Software development cost in the UK (2026), or try the cost calculator.
How we build
a web application.
From a brief to a live platform, with a checkpoint at every stage and a weekly demo throughout.
Working prototype
5–10 working days · freeSend your brief; we build a clickable, coded prototype of the core workflow with a written analysis from a senior Product Owner.
Discovery
2 weeks · from £3,000We agree the users, roles and priority journeys, choose the architecture and write the requirements and fixed estimate you will be quoted against.
Design
1–3 weeksDesigners map each user journey in Figma and test it with the people who will use the platform, before production code is written.
Build
Two-week sprintsTwo-week sprints, a demo every week and a shared board. The repository is yours from the first commit.
Testing & UAT
Every sprintQA engineers test every sprint and run regression before each release. In our estimates QA is 30% and product ownership 20% of development time, and both are included in our price.
Launch & support
OngoingRelease to your cloud account, with monitoring and backups; then a support retainer or a clean handover.
Web applications
we have built.
Each case gives the problem, what we built and the outcome as published on the case page. The budget line is the range on that case page for the scope (Magora pricing guide, 2026 prices), not the client invoice.
Grant Thornton: a self-service web platform for EMI documents
- Problem
- EMI scheme documents were produced by hand, with no automation and no easy way to manage complex cases.
- Built
- A web platform that generates tailored EMI documents from client information, with a self-service environment, workflow, case management and client notifications.
- Outcome
- Documents are generated automatically and clients follow a guided, notified process from creation to close-out.
- Budget
- £80k–£500k+, scoped after Discovery.
Casual Films: a web platform for producers, financiers and freelancers
- Problem
- Separate tools for video projects, expenses, revenue and freelancers worldwide.
- Built
- Freelancer accounts, invoicing and profiles, availability requests, product lists, rate cards, project management and a refreshed interface.
- Outcome
- External services consolidated in one place with a clear view of project progress.
- Budget
- £80k–£200k+, scoped after Discovery.
Retrofit Navigator: a rules-driven eligibility platform
- Problem
- Installers check ECO4 and Warm Homes: Local Grant eligibility by hand from spreadsheets, scheme PDFs and phone calls, and the rules change without notice.
- Built
- A web platform where every criterion is a structured, versioned rule, with council overrides for LA Flex, a rule builder, a 13-stage customer pipeline and an eligibility check that explains each criterion as met or not met. Three roles: installers, installer admins and platform admins.
- Outcome
- A working model of the whole product with a phased MVP (approx. £19k and 12 weeks) and a full-scope estimate (approx. £31k and 20 weeks), indicative and excluding VAT. Client names and figures in the screenshots have been changed.
Awnings: a web portal with an online product configurator
- Problem
- A European awnings retailer needed a rebuilt commercial portal with more functionality.
- Built
- An online customiser (size, colour, shape, fabric, valance and installation, with instant preview) and an automatic order email with a blueprint; WordPress replaced by PHP and Yii.
- Outcome
- Customers see their configured awning instantly and receive an automatic email with the order details and a blueprint.
- Budget
- £10k–£25k, typically 6–8 weeks.
Also: AstraZeneca reporting dashboards, upGrad Campus web portal and Rollio. All projects →
Verified reviews
from our Clutch profile.
Three of our verified Clutch reviews, each with the project it refers to.
Accessible
“They're accessible, and it doesn't feel like I'm working with a faceless team.”
Fast-moving
“Their flexibility and ability to move through processes quickly were impressive.”
Understanding the whole project
“Broader than just the code itself, the team strived to understand the entire project.”
Bespoke web applications:
the honest questions.
Nine answers to what UK buyers ask first. Looking for a marketing site or an online shop? See our web development agency page.
More on bespoke software: bespoke software development in the UK, in London, bespoke database development and bespoke business software. Choosing a supplier? Read how to choose a software development company.
Artem leads an engineering team at Magora and reviews the technical content on this page: architecture, stack choices and delivery estimates.
Pick a slot below
and let's talk.
No commitment, no charge. We'll review your project, scope the next step, and tell you the realistic price + timeline. Free working prototype + senior PO analysis before any paid engagement.
Building a
logged-in system?
Send us the brief: a free working prototype of your core workflow in 5–10 days, or a 30-minute call with a senior architect who tells you what the build really takes.