Mobile App Development Company in Saudi Arabia: iOS and Android Apps in Arabic and English
Flutter, React Native or native apps with Arabic right-to-left design, a backend and store submission handled with you. We quote by what you need.
Devvista builds mobile apps for Saudi companies on iOS and Android, using Flutter or React Native when one codebase fits and native Swift or Kotlin when the app needs it. The apps are built with an Arabic right-to-left interface from the first screen, a backend and an admin panel your team can use, and the store submission handled with you. We price either as a fixed project from $500 to $100,000 or hourly from $10 to $100, depending on complexity and developer level.
This page explains when an app is the right answer, how we choose the technology, what Arabic support involves, how the app store process works and what drives the cost. For a quote, contact us or use the Get an Estimate button.
When an app is the right answer, and when it is not
An app earns its place when customers or staff use it often, need the camera, location or notifications, or must work with poor connectivity. For an occasional visit, a fast mobile website is cheaper and reaches everyone without an install.
| Situation | Usually better | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Customers look up information once or twice | A mobile-friendly website | No install, one codebase to run |
| Customers order, book or track repeatedly | A mobile app | Faster repeat use, notifications, saved details |
| Field staff, drivers or technicians use it all day | A mobile app with an admin panel | Camera, location, offline use |
| You only need to publish an existing site inside a store | Think again | Apple states that an app should include features, content and UI that elevate it beyond a repackaged website (guideline 4.2) |
The last row comes from Apple's review guidelines: App Store Review Guidelines. It is a reason to decide what the app does better than the website before you build it.
Flutter, React Native or native: how we choose
Cross-platform frameworks let one team build one codebase that runs on both iOS and Android, which, in our experience, is usually the cheapest route to both stores. Native development in Swift (iOS) and Kotlin (Android) costs more but gives full access to the platform. We work with all of them, as our dedicated mobile developers page states, and we recommend by your case, not by what we prefer.
| Option | Suits | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Flutter | Apps with a custom look that must feel the same on both platforms | See our Flutter developers page (English) |
| React Native | Teams that already use JavaScript or React on the web | See our React Native developers page (English) |
| Swift and Kotlin (native) | Apps that depend on advanced device features or one platform only | Two codebases and a higher cost |
If you already have a web team or a backend in Python or .NET, tell us. It changes the recommendation, and the same developers can often cover the API. See Python developers and hire .NET developers.
Arabic and right-to-left, built in from the first screen
An Arabic app is more than translated labels. Layouts mirror, back buttons and swipe directions flip, text fields align to the right and long Arabic strings change how much space a button needs. Flutter's documentation says that after adding its localization packages, widgets should be adapted to the localized messages and use the appropriate left-to-right or right-to-left layout, and that by default Flutter only provides US English localizations, so you add the languages you need (Flutter internationalization).
In practice we design the first screens in Arabic and English together, keep every label in a language file rather than in the code, test with long Arabic names and addresses, check how numbers and prices read inside Arabic sentences, and review on real Arabic-language phones. We write the Arabic copy as Arabic, not as a translation of English. Decisions such as Arabic or Western numerals are yours, and we ask early.
The backend, the admin panel and the integrations
In our experience, most of an app's work is not on the screen. Accounts and sign-in, the database, the API the app talks to, push notifications and an admin panel where your team manages content and orders all have to be built and hosted. We scope them with the app so the price you see is the price of a working product, not only of screens.
Typical integrations in Saudi projects: online payments (decide the gateway and whether mada and Apple Pay are enabled in the scoping call), SMS or one-time-password sign-in, maps and location, your ERP or accounting system, and ZATCA e-invoicing if the app issues invoices. See our Odoo ERP implementation, accounting and e-invoicing software and ZATCA Wave 25 guide pages for those. Hosting is a decision to make early: tell us if your customer requires hosting inside the Kingdom.
The app store process
Publishing is part of the project, and it has its own rules. Apple says you need to be a member of the Apple Developer Program (or the Apple Developer Enterprise Program) to distribute apps, and that membership gives access to App Store Connect where you submit and manage apps (Apple Developer, compare memberships). Apple's review guidelines also say that all apps must include a link to their privacy policy in the App Store Connect metadata and within the app, and that an app that supports account creation must also offer account deletion within the app (App Store Review Guidelines, 5.1.1). Google's Play Console requirements page covers developer account information, app metadata, a privacy policy, the Data safety section and demo accounts for reviewers (Google Play Console help).
What we do with that: register the developer accounts in your company name so you own the app, plan the privacy policy and account deletion into the first release, prepare store listings in Arabic and English, and allow time for review, because a rejection adds days to the date. We do not promise an approval date, since the stores decide.
How an app project runs with us
Every app follows the same steps. The table shows what happens and what you hold at the end of each one.
| Step | What happens | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Discovery call | Who uses the app, what it must do first, what exists today | A short written summary of the problem and the goal |
| 2. Scope and plan | Features split into a first release and later releases; technology chosen | A feature list, a plan in working days and a price (fixed or hourly) |
| 3. Design | Clickable screens in Arabic and English, tested with your team | A prototype you can hold on a phone |
| 4. Build in short cycles | Working builds every one to two weeks, with a demo on video | A test build installed on your own phone |
| 5. Test and submit | Phone and tablet checks, payment and sign-in tests, store listings and submission | Apps ready for review in both stores |
| 6. Handover and support | Source code, accounts and documentation passed to you; optional monthly maintenance | Everything in your company name |
Cost drivers and a worked example
Devvista prices an app either as a fixed price from $500 to $100,000 depending on complexity, or hourly from $10 to $100 per hour depending on the type and level of developer. The number moves most with the number of screens and user roles, the backend and admin panel, the integrations, and whether you need one platform or two.
Illustrative estimate, not a quote. Take an ordering app with customer accounts, a catalog, payments, push notifications and an admin panel, in Arabic and English. Assume 300 to 500 developer and designer hours (an assumption for this example). At an illustrative $40 per hour that is $12,000 to $20,000. Your own scope will differ, and we give a written plan before you commit.
As an estimate, our custom software development page says a simple MVP takes eight to twelve weeks. For context, one foreign agency states its own figures on its US pages: a Swift app at $5,000 to $25,000+ and an MVP in 10 to 12 weeks. That is their scope and platform, not like-for-like with ours.
After launch
Phones and store rules change, so an app needs looking after. Our monthly maintenance and support retainers cover bug fixes, security updates, performance monitoring and new features. Plan for the first release to teach you what users actually do, then decide the second release from real use, not from the first guess.
Agree three numbers before the project starts and check them 60 days after launch: installs that turn into active users, completed orders or bookings, and crashes per session. If none moves, we would rather find out together early.
Questions to ask any app company before you sign
These work for us or for anyone you are comparing.
| Question | What a good answer looks like |
|---|---|
| Who owns the source code and the store accounts? | You do, in writing, with developer accounts in your company name |
| Have you built Arabic right-to-left apps? | A test build you can install, not screenshots |
| Which technology and why? | A reason tied to your case, with the trade-off stated |
| What happens if the store rejects the app? | A named person fixes it and resubmits; no promised approval date |
| What do you hand over? | Source code, build instructions, backend and admin access, documentation |
Mistakes Saudi companies make when commissioning an app
- Building an app where a website would do. Decide what the app does better first.
- Writing the Arabic version last. Mirrored layouts break when retrofitted, so test Arabic in the first release.
- Leaving the privacy policy and account deletion to the end. Apple requires both, so they belong in the first release.
- Letting the developer own the store account. If the relationship ends, so does your control of the app.
- Skipping the admin panel. Without it, every content change needs a developer.
Where Devvista fits
Devvista is a software development and growth agency. We work with companies across Saudi Arabia, in English and Arabic. We do not show Saudi app clients on this page because we have none to name, and we will not invent any; tell us your case and we will say honestly if we are a fit.
Related pages: website development, software development company, hiring developers and the Saudi home page. See also our case studies. To discuss your app, contact us.
Contact Devvista
Our address, phone and opening hours.
Amna Bint Wahb St, road, Jeddah 23622, Saudi Arabia
- SundayOpen 24 hours
- MondayOpen 24 hours
- TuesdayOpen 24 hours
- WednesdayOpen 24 hours
- ThursdayOpen 24 hours
- FridayClosed
- SaturdayClosed
Tell us what you need and we will send an estimate. Get an estimate.
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Straight Answers.
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Tell us who will use the app and what it must do first. We will quote it in writing after a short scoping call.
- 30-minute consultation
- No commitment required
- Response within 24 hours
- Book a call30 minutes with the team.
- Get a clear planSteps, timeline and a cost range for your setup.
- DecideGo ahead with us, or take the plan with you.