# iPhone app development for founders and small businesses, from idea to App Store

> ODEL designs, builds and publishes iPhone apps in Swift and SwiftUI or React Native, under your own Apple developer account, with App Store review and subscriptions handled.

ODEL builds iPhone apps for founders and small businesses and publishes them on the App Store under the client's own Apple developer account. The developer who builds your app is the person you talk to: Oguz Delioglu, who has designed, built and published ODEL's own live apps since 2019. A project starts with a short discovery call and a written scope, then clickable screens, then working builds on your iPhone through TestFlight at each milestone, then App Store submission and launch. We use Swift and SwiftUI when the app needs deep Apple features, or React Native with Expo when Android is likely later. You own the source code, the design files and the store listing. Proof is public: ChairBook, a salon calendar in 43 store languages, BidCraft for contractor estimates and invoices, PillBuddy, HealthLog and CleanMasterX are all live iPhone apps that ODEL built and runs.

## Who it is for

- Founders with a validated idea who want an iPhone app first and Android later
- Small businesses that need a customer app or a tool for their own staff
- Teams that want to work directly with the person who writes the code
- Owners who want the app, the code and the Apple account in their own name from day one
- Products that need Apple features such as widgets, Home Screen quick actions, Sign in with Apple or StoreKit subscriptions

## When ODEL is not the right fit

- Projects that need a large in-house team, 24/7 on-site support or a dedicated project manager: a mid-size agency fits better
- Regulated systems that require a certified vendor, such as banking cores or apps that handle protected health information under a HIPAA business associate agreement
- Ideas you have not tested yet: try a no-code prototype or a landing page first, then hire
- A simple information app for a local business: a fast mobile website is usually cheaper and enough

## What you get

- Written scope with features, screens, platforms and what is left for later
- Clickable screen designs before any code is written
- iPhone app in Swift and SwiftUI or React Native and Expo, with the full source code in your repository
- TestFlight builds on your phone at every milestone
- StoreKit in-app purchases or subscriptions and a paywall, if the app sells anything
- Privacy policy page, App Privacy answers and permission prompts that pass App Review
- App Store Connect setup in your account: listing, screenshots, age rating, review notes
- Submission, App Review replies and launch
- Handover notes so another developer can continue the code

## How the project runs

1. **Discovery call and written scope**: We talk through users, core features, monetization and deadline. You receive a written scope with a fixed quote or a phased plan, and a list of what is out of scope.
2. **Apple account in your name**: You enroll in the Apple Developer Program as your company (D-U-N-S number, 99 USD per year) and add ODEL as a team member. Nothing is published under ODEL's account.
3. **Screens you can click**: Flows and screens are designed and tested on a phone before code, so changes are cheap.
4. **Build in milestones**: Each milestone ends with a TestFlight build on your iPhone and a short written note on what changed and what is next.
5. **Review and launch**: ODEL prepares the listing, privacy answers and review notes, submits, answers App Review and releases when you approve.
6. **After launch**: Optional updates, iOS version upgrades, ASO and subscription work, quoted separately.

## Technology

Swift, SwiftUI, StoreKit 2, React Native and Expo, WidgetKit widgets and quick actions, App Store Connect, TestFlight, Node.js and PostgreSQL for backends

## Apps ODEL built and runs

- [ChairBook](https://www.odel.dev/app/chairbook.md): ChairBook is an appointment calendar app for independent hairdressers, barbers and beauty pros.
- [BidCraft](https://www.odel.dev/app/bidcraft.md): BidCraft is an iPhone app for contractors to create job estimates, invoices and PDF documents.
- [Focus Timer](https://www.odel.dev/app/focustimer.md): Focus Timer is a Pomodoro study and work timer for iPhone with breaks, tasks and progress tracking.
- [PillBuddy](https://www.odel.dev/app/pillbuddy.md): PillBuddy is an iPhone app for medication reminders, dose logging and a daily medicine schedule.
- [HealthLog](https://www.odel.dev/app/healthlog.md): HealthLog is an iPhone diary for blood pressure, blood sugar, weight and pulse readings.
- [CleanMasterX](https://www.odel.dev/app/cleanmasterx.md): CleanMasterX is an iPhone and iPad app that cleans up similar photos and compresses videos.
- [Dualify](https://www.odel.dev/app/dualify.md): Dualify is an iPhone app that records the front and back camera at the same time.

## Questions

### How much does it cost to build an iPhone app?

It depends on the number of screens and workflows, whether there is a backend and accounts, payments, integrations and design depth. ODEL quotes each project after a discovery call, as a fixed price or a phased plan. For market context, Clutch's 2026 pricing guide (sample size not stated) shows 10,000 to 49,999 USD as the most common project range, and vendor blogs in 2026 put a simple MVP at roughly 15,000 to 50,000 USD (TechnBrains, a vendor estimate).

### How long does it take to build an iPhone app?

A focused first version usually takes weeks to a few months, depending on scope and how fast decisions are made. A 2022 GoodFirms survey of 267 firms put simple apps at 3 to 7 weeks; vendor blogs in 2026 say 10 to 14 weeks for a simple MVP (Idealogic, a vendor estimate). Add time for Apple enrollment: a D-U-N-S number can take up to 5 business days. App Review itself usually takes under 48 hours for 90 percent of submissions, per Apple.

### Will my app be rejected by Apple?

Some first submissions are: Apple's 2024 transparency report, as reported by MacRumors in 2025, counted about 1.93 million rejections out of 7.77 million submissions, many later approved after fixes. The most common causes are crashes, placeholder content, missing demo accounts, privacy issues and copycat or template apps (guidelines 2.1, 5.1, 4.3). ODEL submits updates for its own apps regularly and builds the review notes, privacy answers and account deletion flow in from the start.

### Swift or React Native for my iPhone app?

Swift and SwiftUI if the app is iPhone-only and leans on Apple features such as widgets, camera or health data; React Native with Expo if you want Android within a year from one codebase. ODEL ships both and recommends one in the written scope, with the reason.

### Who owns the app, the source code and the developer accounts?

You do. The app is published under your own Apple and Google developer accounts, the repository is yours, and the written agreement assigns the code and design to you; under US law, for example, a contractor owns the code by default unless there is a written assignment, so ask for that clause from anyone you hire. ODEL is added to your accounts as a team member and can be removed at any time.

### Who will I actually talk to during the project?

The developer who designs and builds your app. ODEL is a one-person studio run by Oguz Delioglu, so there is no account manager between you and the code: you get answers from the person writing it and test builds on your own phone at each milestone. The trade-off is capacity: ODEL takes on a small number of projects at a time.

## Sources

- https://clutch.co/directory/mobile-application-developers/pricing
- https://www.technbrains.com/blog/app-development-cost/
- https://prnewswire.com/news-releases/develop-a-simple-mobile-app-in-3-weeks-costing-just-12k-says-goodfirms-2022-survey-301542663.html
- https://idealogic.io/blog/mobile-app-development-cost
- https://developer.apple.com/programs/enroll/
- https://developer.apple.com/support/D-U-N-S/
- https://developer.apple.com/distribute/app-review/
- https://www.macrumors.com/2025/05/30/app-store-2024-transparency-report/
- https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/
- https://echai.ventures/startingup/finding-developers/how-do-i-make-sure-i-actually-own-the-code-my-freelancer-writes

Start a project: https://www.odel.dev/services#start (form) or info@odel.dev. ODEL quotes each project after a short discovery call; it does not publish fixed prices.

Page: https://www.odel.dev/services/ios-app-development