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How Much Does It Cost to Build an App for a Small Business?
There is no single price, but there are five things that decide it. Understand them and you can budget with confidence.
Read article →Lean dedicated squad
Web and app developers, a project manager, QA, technical support and social media. Pick the roles, set the percentage of each person's week, and see your weekly hours. More team and more percentage means more time for your product.
Web
App
PM
QA
SMM
Support
- 6
- Specialist roles
- 40h
- One full-time week
- $750
- Squads from / month
- 100%
- Client-owned code
01The team
Six disciplines, one coordinated squad.
You are not buying a developer. You are buying the whole delivery loop: build it, test it, ship it, keep it running, and tell people about it.
01
Web developer
Builds and ships your web product: interfaces, APIs, databases and integrations.
- Next.js / React front ends
- Node.js and Python back ends
- Database design and integrations
- Performance and technical SEO
- Next.js
- React
- TypeScript
- PostgreSQL
02
App developer
Ships iOS and Android apps that share a backend with your web platform.
- Flutter / React Native apps
- Push notifications and offline modes
- App Store and Play Store releases
- Crash and performance monitoring
- Flutter
- React Native
- Firebase
- REST / GraphQL
03
Project manager
Keeps priorities clear, scope honest and your Friday demo on the calendar.
- Sprint planning and backlog
- Weekly demo and status notes
- Risk and dependency tracking
- Your single point of contact
- Linear
- Notion
- Slack
- Loom
04
QA engineer
Finds problems before your users do, with tests that keep running after launch.
- Automated end-to-end tests
- Release regression checks
- Device and browser coverage
- Accessibility and performance audits
- Playwright
- Jest
- Lighthouse
- Postman
05
Social media manager
Turns what you ship into a steady presence on the channels your buyers use.
- Content calendar and posting
- Launch and case-study posts
- Community replies and monitoring
- Monthly reach and engagement reporting
- X
- Buffer
06
Technical support
Watches production, answers your users and fixes the small things fast.
- Monitoring and incident response
- User and admin support queue
- Security patches and updates
- Backups and uptime checks
- Sentry
- Uptime monitoring
- Help desk
- Runbooks
02Squad builder
Set the mix. See the hours.
Drag each role to the share of their week you want. A full-time person is about 40 hours, so a 60% web developer is roughly 24 hours a week.
Start from
Web developer
Builds and ships your web product: interfaces, APIs, databases and integrations.
100%
40 h / wk
App developer
Ships iOS and Android apps that share a backend with your web platform.
60%
24 h / wk
Project manager
Keeps priorities clear, scope honest and your Friday demo on the calendar.
30%
12 h / wk
QA engineer
Finds problems before your users do, with tests that keep running after launch.
40%
16 h / wk
Social media manager
Turns what you ship into a steady presence on the channels your buyers use.
0%
0 h / wk
Technical support
Watches production, answers your users and fixes the small things fast.
20%
8 h / wk
Your squad
100
hours / week≈ 2.50 FTE · 5 roles
MonTueWedThuFri
Web
App
PM
QA
SMM
Support
More roles and more percentage means more hours of focused work every week. Dedicated squads start at $750 a month; we price your exact mix in writing after a scoping call.
Get a quote for this squad03A week with your squad
The same rhythm every week.
Monday
Planning
Priorities agreed, the week's scope locked, risks flagged.
Tue – Thu
Build
Daily async updates. PRs reviewed, tests running, support queue watched.
Friday
Demo
A working demo of what shipped, with notes for next week.
Always
Support
Technical support monitors production and answers your users.
04Squad vs hiring
Same ownership. Far less overhead.
TreeHex squadIn-house hiring
Time to startDays2–4 months to hire
Roles coveredWeb, app, PM, QA, SMM, supportOne person per hire
ScalingChange the percentagesRecruit or lay off
OverheadOne monthly invoicePayroll, benefits, equipment
Code ownership100% yours100% yours
05Guides
How a squad helps you grow and scale.
Dedicated SquadNationwide, US7 min
How to Hire a Development Team for Your Small Business (Without Hiring Staff)
You need software built, but you do not need to become an employer. Here is how small businesses get a whole tech team on a flexible footing.
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Website, Web App or Mobile App: Which Does Your Small Business Need?
Three different tools solve three different problems. Choosing the right one first saves months and money.
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You do not need technical knowledge to vet a development team. You need the right questions.
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Freelancer vs Agency vs Dedicated Team: Who Should Build Your Software?
Each model works for someone. Here is how to match the model to your project and your risk tolerance.
Read article →06Questions
Dedicated squad FAQ.
What is a lean dedicated squad?+
A small, senior group of TreeHex specialists (web developer, app developer, project manager, QA, technical support and social media) assigned to your roadmap for a set share of their week. You choose the roles and the percentage of each person's time.
How does the percentage allocation work?+
One full-time person is about 40 hours a week. A 60% web developer gives you roughly 24 hours of web development every week, and a 20% project manager about 8 hours. Add roles or raise the percentages and your weekly hours go up.
How much does a dedicated squad cost?+
Squads start at $750 per month. The final price depends on the roles and the allocation. We quote the exact mix in writing after a scoping call, and you can change the mix with notice.
Can we change the team size later?+
Yes. Allocations are reviewed monthly, so you can scale roles up or down as your roadmap changes without recruiting or layoffs.
Is post-launch support included?+
Yes. Every project we deliver includes 6 months of post-launch support covering bug fixes, security updates, monitoring and technical help on what we built. A squad continues new development beyond that.
Who owns the code and accounts?+
You do. Repositories, cloud accounts, designs and documentation live in your organization, covered by a US contract with IP assignment.