Web App Development Services for SaaS, Portals and Platforms
We design and build web applications that real users log into every day: SaaS products, customer portals, internal dashboards and marketplaces, on a modern TypeScript and Postgres stack with auth, payments, testing and monitoring built in from the first sprint.
- USD 25/hour offshore rate
- Working apps you can try
- 300+ projects shipped
What are web app development services?
Web app development is the design, build and running of software that people use in a browser: accounts, data, workflows and payments, not just pages to read. Lycore builds web apps end to end, from data model and interface to hosting, security and the release pipeline, so the product keeps working after launch.
A marketing site tells people about your business. A web app does the work: it signs users in, stores their records, runs your rules, takes payments and reports on what happened. That difference changes how it has to be built. Data needs a clear owner, every screen needs permission checks, and every release needs tests. We are a US-registered software company with an offshore engineering team, and we have shipped more than 300 projects across more than 30 industries. This page explains what we build, the stack we use, and what it costs.
Web applications we build
Most projects fall into one of these six shapes. Each one shares the same foundations: a clean data model, role-based access and a release process you can trust.
SaaS products
Subscription software with sign-up, onboarding, workspaces, roles, plan limits and Stripe billing. We design multi-tenancy from day one so each customer’s data stays separate as you grow from ten accounts to thousands.
Customer portals
Secure areas where your customers see orders, invoices, documents, tickets or case status, and request what they need. Portals connect to the systems you already run, so staff stop answering the same questions by email.
Internal dashboards and admin tools
Back-office tools that replace spreadsheets: approval queues, reporting dashboards, data editing screens with audit history, and admin panels that let support staff fix problems without a developer.
Marketplaces
Two-sided platforms with listings, search, messaging, bookings or orders, reviews and split payments through Stripe Connect, plus the moderation and payout tools the operator needs to run it.
AI prototype to production
You built a working prototype with v0, Lovable, Bolt, Cursor or Claude Code. We review the code, fix security and data issues, add tests and deployment, and turn it into an app you can put customers on.
AI features in web apps
Assistants, AI search, summaries and document extraction added to a new or existing app, with keys on the server, per-user limits and every call logged. See our AI development services.
The modern web stack we use
We pick proven, well-documented tools that your next developer will already know. The exact mix depends on your team, your data and where you need to host.
Frontend
Next.js and React with TypeScript, styled with Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui components for accessible, consistent screens. Server rendering where it helps speed and SEO.
Backend
Node.js for TypeScript-first teams, Django when you want a mature admin, ORM and Python data tooling. Background jobs and queues for email, imports and reports.
Data
PostgreSQL as the default, often through Supabase for auth, storage and row level security. Migrations in version control, indexes planned from real queries.
Hosting and cloud
Vercel for Next.js frontends, AWS for heavier backends and data, and Cloudflare for DNS, CDN caching and protection at the edge.
What makes a web app production-ready
The features users see are half the job. These are the parts that decide whether the app stays secure, fast and easy to change a year from now.
Accounts, money and tenants
- Authentication. Email and password with strong rules, sign-in with Google or Microsoft, magic links, two-factor authentication and SSO for business customers, with sessions you can revoke.
- Authorization. Roles and permissions checked on the server for every request, never only hidden in the interface.
- Payments with Stripe. Checkout, subscriptions, customer billing portal, usage-based pricing and Stripe Connect payouts, with webhooks verified and processed once.
- Multi-tenancy. A tenant ID on every row plus Postgres row level security, or a schema per tenant when isolation rules demand it.
Speed, security and releases
- Performance. Core Web Vitals budgets, server rendering and caching, CDN delivery, paginated queries and slow work moved to background jobs.
- Security. OWASP Top 10 checks, input validation, rate limits, secrets in a vault, dependency scanning and audit logs of sensitive actions.
- Testing. Unit tests for business rules, integration tests for the API and Playwright end-to-end tests for the key user journeys.
- CI/CD. GitHub Actions run tests on every pull request, preview deployments for review, and one-click releases with database migrations and rollback.
From AI-generated prototype to production web app
Tools like v0, Lovable, Bolt, Cursor and Claude Code make it fast to get a working screen in front of users. They are a great way to test an idea. The gaps usually show up later: database tables open to anyone with the public key, payment logic in the browser, no tests, and code that gets harder to change with every prompt. We take that prototype and make it safe to grow.
- Code and security review. We read the whole codebase, check row level security policies, exposed keys and permission gaps, and give you a written list of what to fix first.
- Keep what works. Good screens and components stay. We restructure the data model and move business rules and secrets to the server.
- Add the missing foundations. Tests, error tracking, logging, backups, environments for staging and production, and a release pipeline.
- Hand back a codebase your team can own. Documented, typed and consistent, so you can keep building with or without AI tools.
If you are still at the idea stage, our MVP development service covers how we scope and ship a first version quickly.
Web apps we built and run
Lycore designed and built a growing set of working apps that are live and open to try. Four of them are web apps, and each one shows a different kind of product.
Stride
Project management, web
Projects and tasks on boards, lists, calendars and timelines, team chat with public and private channels, time tracking and shared contacts. Each workspace is a separate tenant with Admin, Manager and Member roles, and admins get an audit log.
Explore StrideLyCare
Care operations, web
Runs care organizations: medications, meals, incidents and logbooks. Every module checks permissions on the server, two-factor authentication can be enforced per company, outside partners get a separate portal with logged access, and billing goes through Stripe checkout.
Explore LyCareLyStream
Film streaming, web
A film library with free films and 48-hour rentals paid through Stripe checkout in sandbox mode. Admin uploads go straight to Mux for encoding, and subtitles in four languages power search inside every film.
Explore LyStreamLyne
Social app, web
Short posts of up to 300 characters with follows, likes, reposts, replies, community feeds, lists and private chat, plus mutes, blocks, muted words and app passwords. AI helpers run through the server, and every AI call is logged.
Explore LyneOur web app development process
Five steps from a product idea to a monitored app in production, with working software to review every one to two weeks.
- 01
Discovery
Users, roles, core workflows, integrations and constraints, written up as a scoped backlog and an estimate.
- 02
Design
Data model, architecture and clickable screens for the key journeys, agreed before heavy build starts.
- 03
Build in sprints
Short cycles with preview deployments, so you test real features as they land and can change priorities.
- 04
Test and launch
Automated tests, security review, load checks on busy screens, then a planned release with monitoring in place.
- 05
Run and improve
Error tracking, uptime alerts, dependency updates and new features on a monthly retainer.
How much does web app development cost?
We price web work three ways: an offshore rate of USD 25 per hour, a fixed project price for well-defined scope, or a monthly retainer for ongoing product work. As an indicative guide, most projects fall into one of these budget bands:
The biggest cost drivers are the number of user roles, the number of systems the app has to connect to, how complex the payment rules are, and how much existing data needs to be migrated. Hosting and third-party services such as Stripe, Supabase or Vercel are billed to you directly at their published rates, and we estimate them up front. You get a written estimate after a discovery call.
Most web apps also need to talk to other systems. Our API development and integration services cover REST and GraphQL APIs, webhooks and connections to CRMs, ERPs and accounting tools. If you need a phone app alongside the web app, see our mobile app development service.
Related reading
Guides from our blog on planning, architecting and scaling web applications.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to build a web app?
A focused internal tool or portal usually takes six to ten weeks. A SaaS product with billing, multi-tenancy and admin tools typically takes three to five months, and a marketplace or large platform is planned in phases. We break every project into short sprints with preview deployments, so you see working features within the first few weeks and can adjust scope before the full budget is spent.
Should we use Next.js and Node.js or Django?
Both are solid choices. Next.js with a Node.js backend suits teams that want one language, TypeScript, across the whole app and fast, SEO-friendly pages. Django suits data-heavy products that benefit from its built-in admin, mature ORM and the Python ecosystem for reporting and machine learning. We often pair a Next.js frontend with a Django API. We recommend based on your team’s skills and the product, not on habit.
Can you take over an app built with Lovable, Bolt or v0?
Yes. We start with a code and security review, paying close attention to database access rules, exposed keys and business logic running in the browser. Then we agree what to keep and what to restructure. Most prototypes keep their screens and lose their weak spots: we move secrets and rules to the server, add tests and a release pipeline, and leave you with code your team can maintain.
Who owns the code and the hosting accounts?
You do, once the work is paid for. Hosting, Stripe, Supabase and domain accounts are set up in your name from the start, with our team added as members, so you always control your data, your users and your payment history. Our agreement assigns the code and other intellectual property to you when the invoices for that work are paid in full, and the repository is transferred to your GitHub or GitLab organization at that point. After that you can bring the work in-house, change vendors or add developers at any time.
Planning a web app?
Tell us what your users need to do and which systems it has to connect to. We will tell you how we would build it, what it would cost and how long it would take.
Talk to Lycore