IT Glossary
What is a mobile app?
A program installed on a phone from the App Store or Google Play — the most direct channel to a customer who carries you around all day.
A mobile app is a program installed on the customer's phone, downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. The difference from a website is not really technical, it is relational. A site is visited when the customer happens to remember you; an app sits permanently on their home screen, logo and all, and is allowed to send them notifications. On top of that come capabilities a browser only partially has: camera and location, fast payment, offline operation, fingerprint or face authentication. The cost matches. Building, publishing and maintaining an app runs several times what a website costs, so the honest question is not whether you want an app but whether your customers have a reason to open one weekly. Repeat ordering, appointments, loyalty, access to a service you provide: yes. A brochure with contact details: a good website already does that job, and does it cheaper.
Let’s talk about your project
Message us on WhatsApp or send an email — you talk directly to a developer.
office@northdan.com · +40 752 070 247
Why it matters for your business
A permanent presence with the customer
The icon on the home screen is daily brand exposure, and push notifications reach the customer directly without paying per click for the privilege.
Capabilities a browser cannot match
Camera, location, sensors, native payments, offline mode and biometric login — the raw material of fast experiences that keep people coming back.
Real behavioural data
You see which features customers use, where they give up and what they buy — considerably richer than the statistics a website produces.
Frequently asked questions
What does a mobile app cost for a mid-sized company?
Realistically, from a few thousand euro for a simple app built with cross-platform tooling up to tens of thousands for complex products with a back end, payments and an admin panel, plus annual maintenance of fifteen to twenty per cent of the initial cost. Any serious quote starts from your feature list, not from a price list.
Do we need an app, or is a mobile-friendly website enough?
The test is simple: does the customer have a reason to come back weekly — orders, bookings, loyalty points, fresh content? If yes, the app pays for itself. If the interaction is occasional, a well-built responsive site serves just as well at a fraction of the cost.
How long does publishing in the App Store and Google Play take?
Once development is finished, store review usually takes a few days. What matters more is that the developer accounts are registered to your company rather than your supplier's — otherwise the app, and every review it earns, legally belongs to someone else.
Let’s talk about your project
Message us on WhatsApp or send an email — you talk directly to a developer.
office@northdan.com · +40 752 070 247