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Windows and macOS apps
Native apps for Windows and the Mac, with the menus, shortcuts and notifications each system expects.
- Built for Windows and the Mac
- Each system's menus and shortcuts
- Quick to open, light on memory
Desktop app development for Windows and Mac
Windows and macOS apps for work a browser can't do: offline, on your hardware, signed and kept up to date.
Desktop apps we build
From the apps people use every day to the software a business and its devices run on.
Apps for everyone
Apps people download and use every day, at home and at work.
- Productivity and office apps
- Creative and media apps
- Messaging and video call apps
- Security and system utilities
- Desktop apps for web products
Business software
The software a business runs on, from the office to the warehouse.
- ERP, inventory and operations
- Point of sale and retail
- Finance and accounting
- Reporting and data analysis
- Engineering and design tools
Hardware and devices
Software for the devices, machines and instruments a business relies on.
- Device setup and control apps
- Lab and medical instruments
- Machine control and monitoring
- Kiosks and self-service
- Scanning, printing and labelling
Desktop app development services
Everything a desktop app needs, from the first version to years of updates — built and run by one team.
02 / 06Cross-platform desktop apps
One codebase, built and tested on Windows, macOS and Linux, with an installer for each.
- One codebase for every system
- Tested on Windows, macOS and Linux
- An installer for each
03 / 06Desktop apps for web products
Your web product in the dock and the taskbar, with offline use, file access and notifications.
- Works offline
- Opens and saves local files
- Notifications and a tray icon
04 / 06Hardware and system integration
Barcode scanners, label printers, scales and lab instruments, connected to your ERP, APIs and databases.
- Barcode scanners and label printers
- Scales and lab instruments
- Connected to your ERP and databases
05 / 06Legacy app modernisation
Old Windows apps moved to a modern stack screen by screen, on the same data, while they keep running.
- Old Windows apps moved forward
- Screen by screen, while it keeps running
- The same data and rules
06 / 06Signing, updates and support
Installers both systems trust, store publishing, automatic updates and support through every new OS release.
- Installers both systems trust
- Automatic updates in stages
- Support through each new OS
Desktop problems we fix
The problems teams bring us most, each with a fix that lasts.
A warning on every install
Signed for Windows and notarized for macOS, so both systems know who made it and let it install.
Updates installed by hand
Signed updates roll out in stages, so every machine stays current on its own.
Crashes nobody can reproduce
Crash reports with the version, the system and what led up to it, the moment it happens.
An old app nobody dares to change
Moved to a modern stack screen by screen, with its data and rules intact.
Runs on Windows only
Built and tested for the Mac as well, with an installer for each system.
Work stops when the network drops
Works on local data offline and syncs the moment the connection is back.
Cross-platform, native — or a web app
We recommend one, with the reasons, before anything is estimated.
- Our default
Cross-platform
One codebase for Windows, macOS and Linux, in Electron, Tauri or Qt.
- Every system from one codebase
- Each system's installers and updates
- Lower cost to build and maintain
Trade-off
Electron apps install larger and use more memory than native.
Native
A separate app for each system, in its own language.
- Every system feature, from day one
- The smallest install and the best speed
- Each system's own look and feel
Trade-off
A codebase per system to build and keep current.
Web app
Runs in the browser, and installs like an app where the browser allows.
- Nothing to install or update by hand
- Works on any computer
- Live the moment it's deployed
Trade-off
Limited reach into local files, devices and offline work.
Our desktop app development process
Five steps, each ending on something that runs on your machines, from a prototype window to a signed installer.
01Scope
The systems it runs on, the framework and the update plan, settled before any feature work.
02Plan
Flows, windows and the UI kit planned for Windows and the Mac, with a prototype and a dated estimate.
03Build
Features and system integration built in milestones, each tested on every system you run.
04Launch
Signed, notarised installers for each system, with auto-update and crash reporting on.
05Maintain
Fixes, OS and dependency updates, and new features as you need them.
01Scope
The systems it runs on, the framework and the update plan, settled before any feature work.
02Plan
Flows, windows and the UI kit planned for Windows and the Mac, with a prototype and a dated estimate.
03Build
Features and system integration built in milestones, each tested on every system you run.
04Launch
Signed, notarised installers for each system, with auto-update and crash reporting on.
05Maintain
Fixes, OS and dependency updates, and new features as you need them.
Fast, secure and accessible desktop apps
Built into your Windows and Mac app where it needs them, and agreed with you before work starts.
Fast and light
Quick to open, light on memory and small to download, even on older machines.
Secure by default
Each part gets only the access it needs; every dependency is checked before release.
Accessible to everyone
Usable by keyboard and with the screen readers built into Windows and macOS.
At home on each system
Menus, shortcuts and windows that work the way Windows and Mac users expect.
Data safe on the machine
Passwords and keys in the Keychain or Credential Manager, and the files on the computer encrypted.
Sign-in you already use
Touch ID, Windows Hello or your company's single sign-on, with no new password.
Ways to start
Starting something new, or working with software you already have.
Something new
Build a first version
An MVP with the features that matter most, to launch and learn.
Build the whole product
Designed, built and launched in full, by one team.
Extend your team
Engineers join your team, or a dedicated team runs the work.
Software you already have
Modernise it
New features or a modern stack, one part at a time, without stopping the business.
Take a prototype to production
A prototype, demo or stalled project made reliable, secure and ready for real users.
Hosting, maintenance & support
Hosting, monitoring, updates and fixes for software in production, agreed with you.
Industries we build software for
Custom software development across industries: web, mobile and AI applications, built and security-audited by one team.
We also build software for insurance (insurtech), government (govtech), energy and media. If your industry is not listed, we can still build for it.
Software we run in production
Three products of our own, designed, built and kept running by the same team that would build your app.
Retail · SaaS
A point-of-sale system that keeps sales, stock and receipts together on till, tablet and phone.
Screen capture, 1908 × 944Travel
A travel booking app whose AI assistant finds flights, hotels and trip ideas, through to a confirmed booking.
AI
Silvia AI
An AI assistant for customer support and sales that answers questions and guides buyers.
Screen capture, 1908 × 944
Questions about desktop app development
The ones teams ask before they start, answered plainly.
How much does it cost to build a desktop app?
You get a written estimate after a first call, before any work starts. What moves it most: how many systems it runs on, how much of it is native, the hardware and systems it talks to, whether it works offline, and whether an old app's data has to come across.
How long does a desktop app take to build?
A focused first version takes a few months; a larger product, or moving an old app across, takes longer. Either way you have a build on your own machine at the end of every milestone.
Electron, Tauri or native — which do you use?
It is decided per app and written down before the build starts. Electron when there is a web team and codebase to build on; Tauri when size and memory matter; native SwiftUI or WinUI when the feel of the system is the product; Qt and C++ for heavy, hardware-close work.
Do we need a desktop app, or would a web app do?
If it doesn't need to work offline, reach local files or devices, or live in the system's tray and shortcuts, a web app is simpler to ship and to update — and we'll say so.
Can you build for Windows and macOS at once? And Linux?
Yes, from one codebase with Electron, Tauri or Qt, each build following its own system's conventions. Linux packages — AppImage, deb or rpm — when your users need them.
How do signing and notarization work, and who owns the certificates?
Windows builds are signed with a code-signing certificate; macOS builds with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so neither system warns your users on first launch. The certificates and the store accounts are in your organisation's name.
Can you publish to the Mac App Store and the Microsoft Store?
Yes. The Mac App Store requires Apple's App Sandbox and delivers every update itself, so some apps are better downloaded directly; the Microsoft Store takes MSIX packages or signed installers.
Can you modernise our old WinForms or WPF app?
Yes, screen by screen. The data and the business rules are kept, the old and new apps run side by side until the switch-over, and the stack it moves to is chosen for that app.
Does it work offline, and with our scanners and printers?
Yes. A local database is the source of truth and syncs when the connection is back, and scanners, label printers and USB or serial devices are reached through the system.
What happens after launch?
Updates are signed and rolled out in stages, crashes are watched, and the app is kept current with each Windows and macOS release — or handed over with documentation, whenever you want.