Mobile App Development in San Francisco

It doesn’t matter whether you have a fleshed-out plan and a detailed marketing strategy or you’re working off an idea scrawled on the back of a napkin. We’ll give you the framework to define your concept, create a prototype, and build your app the right way. We specialize in helping clients through the mobile app development process from start to finish: we’ll work to fine-tune your idea, craft the app design and screen flow to give users what they really need, and build a go-to-market strategy that lets you scale quickly and efficiently. With more than 250+ successful product launches under our belt, we’re ready to build your app in San Francisco and scale the user base all over the world.

Our approach to mobile app development works because it’s different. Instead of building an app because it seems like the right thing to do, we focus on making app design and development decisions grounded in business strategy: how will this grow the business? What user base will this serve? What’s the long-term plan to achieve ROI? Our philosophy focuses on answering these core questions first, letting us structure development to create real returns and sustainable growth.

We also believe – deeply – in an Agile, iterative development process. No matter what project we’re working on, our team focuses on creating a functional version of the product and getting it in front of users as quickly as possible. Build, test, and iterate: that’s the approach that has let us create effective, high-growth apps for clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to no-name kids out of Iowa.

And when that growth comes, we’ll be ready for it. Our development workforce spans three continents, and we have more than 60 full-stack engineers ready to take on any iOS or Android mobile development project. Whatever the industry, whatever the scale, whatever the business model – Rootstrap Studios is ready to help you fine-tune your concept, develop a mobile app with a user-centric interface, and grow with you as your product scales.

Our Roadmapping workshop lies at the core of our mobile app design process. Roadmapping is a 2-4 week pre-product workshop designed to perfect the idea and validate the app concept before investing real development money. In Roadmapping, we answer the key questions that guide the entire app development process: what is the need? Who is this app for? What core benefit does this provide to users?

Answering these questions at the beginning helps us make sure we’re going about the app design process the right way. By honing the concept and validating the idea in the marketplace early, we can head into the development phase with an understanding of exactly what we need to build to satisfy users as quickly as possible.

All that said, though, we still have a soft spot for great design. While our primary focus is always on user-driven design and development, we still value crafting gorgeous digital products. Our designers are some of the best in the business, and we have multiple awards for web and mobile app design to show for it. Just take a look at our portfolio: we’ve taken on ambitious design projects for Tony Robbins, Snoop Dogg, and a host of enterprise corporations. In all the work we do, our goal is to craft a design that goes beyond pure beauty and function – we work to ground every decision in the needs of the user.

Part of what makes our team so effective is our history. We’ve been in the app development world since the beginning, and we’ve seen every twist and turn of the industry. We’ve built and launched successful apps in every vertical throughout the US and the world, and we apply the experience we’ve gained from those projects to every app we build. When you work with Rootstrap, you aren’t just getting a team of coders on your app: you’re getting a repository of business experience and product know-how to help you build a growing business.

The West Coast is our home base and we’ve built plenty of products in the San Francisco market specifically – but we’re a global team in the true sense of the word. At any given moment, we have app developers online and working on 3 continents across multiple time zones. Working with a distributed team like ours means you get the mindset of a scrappy, agile, lean startup with the benefits of a big corporation: we’re online when you are, we work on your schedule, and if you need to hit the turbo button, we have the resources to get sh*t done. Fast.

And on a micro level, every member of our team is dedicated to the success of our clients. From the CEO to our newest design specialists, our mission is to do more than just build a mobile app and take your money: we want you to win. We aren’t just yes-men and order takers – we are your partners. We’ll share our experience and our real opinions, helping you craft a product that’s primed to succeed in today’s mobile app environment. Working together, we’ll help you see your app from concept to execution – no matter how many pivots and iterations come in between.

So why should you develop an iPhone app? Perhaps the most compelling reason is dollars and cents. While iOS is the smaller of the two major app markets, Apple’s App Store makes more money than the Google Play store: $34 billion and $10 billion in 2016, respectively. While there are a number of potential reasons for this, the most important is likely that iPhones dominate in the most developed, lucrative geographic markets: iOS apps reign supreme in the US, greater North America, and Europe. This means that, on average, iPhone app consumers have more money and are more willing to spend it than Android app users.

Still, there are drawbacks to building a mobile app only for iOS. Chief among these is that Apple gets the final say on what goes on the App Store: every iPhone app on the market has to be approved by Apple, Inc., and while it’s normally not an issue, this can be a setback for some companies. Recently, Apple disallowed an app that tracked net neutrality violations because it presented no “benefit to users” (although, after public pressure, Apple allowed the app).

Another issue with iPhone app development is that changes take much longer to publish. On the App Store, the review period for a new app can last anywhere from a few days to two weeks – which can impede launch plans if you aren’t prepared. This applies to updates to the app as well, which makes the process of iterating based on user data slower and less flexible.

Still, you can’t argue with the cash flow. iPhone app users are the most lucrative mobile app consumers on the market and building an iOS app is a great way to generate a return. Of course, best practices and great code are vital to achieving that goal – and at Rootstrap, we have a wealth of experience in building stable, fast mobile apps for iOS and iPhone.

Furthermore, Android apps are better-positioned for growth in the long-term (for now, at least). While Apple dominates the most developed markets, Android reigns supreme in emerging markets and developing countries. Android may be second place in markets like North America and Europe, but they have a definite lead on Apple in emerging markets like China and Latin America. This means that over the long-term, the Android app market is better-positioned for growth than iOS – and developing an Android mobile app positions you to capitalize on that growth.

Launching an Android app also offers you more flexibility than launching on the App Store. The Google Play store is less strict in its regulations than Apple’s App Store, and it’s possible to publish app updates and changes much faster than with iOS: a matter of hours rather than days. This means that Android apps are better set up for iterative development than iPhone apps. It’s possible to launch your app, collect data from users, then publish new changes as quickly as possible so you can improve and grow your mobile app.

We’ve also found, time and again, that user acquisition is cheaper and easier on Android. User acquisition just costs less with an Android app – and that means it’s cheaper, faster, and easier to build your user base and scale your app on the Android platform. For a young company looking to get itself out there as quickly as possible, that’s an attractive proposition. Plus, once you do grow that user base, it’ll be even easier to scale the app in the iOS market because you’re starting from a stronger market position.