iOS app development services
for native Swift apps

Our AI-native team offers custom iOS app development services: we build native iPhone and iPad apps in Swift and SwiftUI and take over live iOS apps that other teams built. New apps start from $20,000, and a focused MVP takes about 8 weeks.

Discuss a new iOS appI have a live iOS app
Hands sketching app wireframes on paper next to an iPhone

Native from the first screen
to every App Store release.

iOS app development services cover everything it takes to put a native app on the iPhone and iPad and keep it there: product definition, UX and UI design that follows Apple's guidelines, native development in Swift, the backend, testing on real devices, App Store submission and updates for every new iOS version. Tapptitude is an iOS app development company in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. We've built 150+ web and mobile products over 12+ years, including native iOS apps with millions of downloads.

Reviewed by

Igor, Senior iOS Engineer

Last updated:

iOS app development at a glance

Time to MVP
About 8 weeksA focused MVP in three milestones, with a demo and a TestFlight build every two weeks.
Pricing
New iOS appfrom $20,000Design, backend, admin panel and the App Store releaseCode auditfrom $1,000One week, before we take over a live appMaintenance with SLAfrom $1,500/moFixes, iOS updates and App Store releases
Tech
SwiftSwiftUIUIKitXcode
Your team
Technical product managerSenior mobile developer (app and backend)Product designerA small senior team working with AI agents. Complex products add a full-stack developer.
After launch
4-hour responseCritical issues fixed within 1 business day, App Store rejections included
Store rating
4.9★Average across 1.2M App Store and Google Play ratings for Glorify

When to build native for iOS first

Native Swift is the right call in these four situations. Need the other platform too? We build it natively as well, through our Android app development services.

Your app leans on Apple features

HealthKit, ARKit, widgets, Apple Pay, Siri shortcuts or the newest iOS APIs on release day work best, and first, in native Swift.

Performance is the product

Heavy animation, real-time audio or video, large offline data or anything that has to feel instant.

Your users are mostly on iPhone

Many B2C and premium products launch on iOS first, prove the idea, then add Android.

The app only needs to run on Apple devices

iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, with nothing to share with Android.

Native iOS or cross-platform?

Native Swift and one cross-platform codebase side by side, and when we recommend each.
CriterionNative iOS (Swift)Cross-platform (React Native, Flutter)
One codebase for iOS and Android
No, the iOS app has its own code
Yes
Newest Apple APIs
On release day, in native Swift
Once a native module supports them
How screens are built
In SwiftUI, with UIKit where it still fits
Shared React Native or Flutter components
Cost when you need both stores
Higher: two native apps
Lower: one codebase
When we recommend it
Your users are mostly on iPhone, or the product depends on what only native code does well
You need iOS and Android from day one on a tight budget, or the app is mostly forms, content and standard screens

Need iOS and Android from day one?

From our blog · 12 min read

React Native vs. Swift: What’s Better For iOS Development?

Get the ultimate React Native vs. Swift comparison at Tapptitude. Our experts break down pros, cons, costs, and scalability in this useful guide!

Read the article

Our services

Cross-platform app development

One codebase in React Native or Flutter that ships to both stores at once.

See the service

iOS app development services

Our iPhone app development services cover iPhone and iPad, with Apple Watch apps and widgets where the product needs them. They are the native iOS side of our mobile app development services. Every new app comes with its backend and admin panel, usually on Node.js, and AI features build on our generative AI development work.

New iOS appsTaking over a live iOS appiOS updates and App Store complianceMoving to Swift and SwiftUIAI features in your iOS app
New iOS appsTaking over a live iOS appiOS updates and App Store complianceMoving to Swift and SwiftUIAI features in your iOS app

New iOS apps

From the first workshop to the App Store: product definition, design that follows Apple's Human Interface Guidelines, Swift and SwiftUI development, backend and release. You test an interactive prototype before we fix the price.

Cost

From $20,000

Timeline

MVP in about 8 weeks

Taking over a live iOS app

Your developer or agency moved on and the app still needs releases. A one-week code audit, from $1,000, shows what state the code is in. Then we take over releases and maintenance.

Cost

Audit from $1,000

Timeline

Audit in 1 week

iOS updates and App Store compliance

Every September a new iOS version ships and App Store rules change. Under a maintenance plan we test on the betas, update libraries and SDKs and keep the app approved.

Cost

From $1,500/month

Timeline

Monthly, 3-month minimum

Moving to Swift and SwiftUI

Older apps in Objective-C or UIKit, rebuilt screen by screen without stopping releases. We start with an audit of the current code and agree the order of the work with you.

AI features in your iOS app

An assistant, recommendations, search or document scanning, agreed with a clear goal before we build. Each one comes with a way to measure it, so you know whether it earns its place in the app.

Start A Project

How we work

AI drafts specs, code and tests, so we move fast. People decide what to build, review every change and answer for every release.

1. Product definition

chevron

Two or three 2-hour workshops, online or with us in Cluj. We map the business, the users and the competition, and decide what version one needs. Output: user flows and a detailed spec.

2. Design and prototype

chevron

Every screen designed with your brand in Figma and linked into an interactive prototype you test with real users. Output: the scope, fixed price and timeline, in writing. You decide whether to go ahead with the build.

3. Custom iOS app development in three milestones

chevron

The first milestone is the core flow the idea depends on, so it works early. A demo call and a build you can install through TestFlight every two weeks. Developers work with AI coding agents that also write automated tests. Every change goes through code review.

4. Launch

chevron

The third milestone ends with the app live on the App Store, with analytics and crash reporting built in and the launch KPIs we recommended set up from day one.

5. Maintain and grow

chevron

A monthly plan with an SLA: updates for new iOS versions, critical issues answered within 4 business hours and fixed within 1 business day, above 99% crash-free sessions.

AI-native delivery more product, sooner

We rebuilt how we deliver around AI coding agents. The result isn't a cheaper version of the same work: it's a smaller senior team that ships more of your product, sooner, for a fixed price.

A smaller senior team

An MVP used to take six people: a product manager, an iOS and an Android developer, a full-stack developer for the backend and admin panel, a designer and a QA engineer. Today a technical product manager and a senior developer who covers both mobile and backend deliver the same scope with our product designer. Fewer people means fewer hand-offs, and it's why new apps now start from $20,000.

Specs from your workshops

AI turns the notes from our definition workshops into specs and user stories. The team checks every one before it goes into the scope you sign.

Code written with AI agents, reviewed by people

Our developers build with Claude Code and Codex. Every change is reviewed by a senior developer before it is merged.

Tests written as we build

Automated tests are written with AI alongside each feature, and the team tests every build itself, so quality is part of each milestone, not a phase at the end.

Where we don't use AI

Product decisions, UX and UI design and the final code review stay with people. Your code and data are never used to train AI models.

Taking over
a live iOS app

1. Access and NDA

chevron

You give us access to the repository, App Store Connect and your Apple developer account. We sign an NDA.

2. One-week audit

chevron

A code audit from $1,000: code quality, dependencies, crash reports, build and release setup, with risks ranked by severity.

3. Handover

chevron

We move signing, certificates and the release pipeline to our team and ship the first fix release. This usually takes one to two weeks.

4. Monthly maintenance

chevron

We run the app under maintenance with SLA from $1,500/month. The audit fee is credited against the first month.

iOS apps we've designed and built

Planning
an iOS app?

Tell us what you're building, or start with a one-week audit of the iOS app you already have.
Discuss a new iOS appBook a code audit
Catalin Demian

Our iOS tech stack

As a Swift app development company, we write new screens in SwiftUI and keep UIKit where it still fits, with a clear architecture so the app stays easy to change.

Swift icon

Swift

Apple's language for every native iOS app we build.

SwiftUI icon

SwiftUI

New screens, written declaratively and previewed live in Xcode.

UIKit icon

UIKit

Older screens and the cases SwiftUI doesn't cover yet.

Xcode icon

Xcode

Where we build, debug, profile and sign the app.

TestFlight icon

TestFlight

The build you install and try every two weeks, before the App Store.

StoreKit icon

StoreKit

In-app purchases and subscriptions through Apple's own payment flow.

Firebase icon

Firebase

Sign-in, push notifications, analytics and Crashlytics crash reports.

Sentry icon

Sentry

Error and performance monitoring, with alerts before users report a problem.

Node.js icon

Node.js

The backend runtime behind the API your iOS app talks to.

App Store Connect icon

App Store Connect

App Store submissions, App Review and the store listing for every release.

AWS icon

AWS

Where we host the backend, the API and the admin panel.

Swift Package Manager icon

Swift Package Manager

Third-party libraries, added and versioned the way Apple supports.

Swift icon

Swift

Apple's language for every native iOS app we build.

SwiftUI icon

SwiftUI

New screens, written declaratively and previewed live in Xcode.

UIKit icon

UIKit

Older screens and the cases SwiftUI doesn't cover yet.

You're In Great Company

5.0

G2Sam Robinson

Sam Robinson

Co-Founder, BOND

"They listen to the client's direction but also do an excellent job of being a real thought-partner in the process and uncovering 'blind spots' in the product without being explicitly asked to do so. They also hold themselves to an exceptionally high standard, and we have run our platform without any outages since launch."

5.0

ClutchCiprian Gheran

Ciprian Gheran

Co-Founder, imobiliare.ro

"They are perfectionists and they have very high knowledge about applications... The app is great and does not crash often. It has one of the best KPIs. The applications are currently at 99.9% uptime."

4.5

ClutchAaron Baldie

Aaron Baldie

CTO & Founder, Neon Mango

"The quality of Tapptitude’s work is great. We’ve done a couple of third-party reviews and a penetration test - there has been no problem with the code for security... Tapptitude has done a tremendous job at developing a secure ecosystem."

4.5

G2Barry Livingston

Barry Livingston

CTO, Glorify

"Tapptitude has great people. They're smart, competent, professional, and easy to work with. In addition, they take their work seriously and are very responsive to requests. Solutions are generally good quality, especially in the mobile codebases."

01 / 04
Read more reviews on Clutch

Clients that trusted us

150+Products built
$250M+Raised by our clients
10+Industries
13+Years in business
Glorify
Wellory
Holler
Oxwash
Vaha
Ometria
BOND
Tenor
Shebah
Reverse Health

iOS app development FAQs

  • Our custom iOS app development starts from $20,000 for a focused MVP, including design, backend, an admin panel and the App Store release. The price grows with the scope, and you see the fixed price for your scope after you've tested the prototype. If you already have the designs and a backend or API, the iOS app alone starts from $15,000.

  • Yes. Our developers work with AI coding agents such as Claude Code and Codex, AI drafts specs from our workshops and writes automated tests, and people review every change. Because we work at a fixed price, the time AI saves goes to you: a smaller senior team, a lower starting price (new apps from $20,000) and more of your product in each milestone. We don't sell hours, so there is nothing to discount.

  • Every change is reviewed by a senior developer before it is merged, covered by automated tests and built on the same architecture and conventions we use on every project. Your code and data are never used to train AI models. If you want a second opinion, our one-week code audit, from $1,000, reviews any codebase, ours included.

  • A focused iOS MVP takes about 8 weeks of development, in three milestones, with a demo and a TestFlight build every two weeks. Product definition and design come before that, under their own contract. Larger products take longer, and you get the timeline in writing together with the fixed price.

  • Native Swift is the better choice when the app leans on Apple features, needs top performance or only runs on Apple devices. If you need iOS and Android from day one and the app is mostly standard screens, React Native or Flutter gives you both stores from one codebase for less. We recommend one during product definition and write down why.

  • Yes, taking over iOS apps built by another agency or developer is part of our iOS app development services. We start with a one-week code audit from $1,000, then move signing, certificates and the release pipeline to our team and ship the first fix release, usually within one to two weeks. After that the app runs under maintenance with SLA, and the audit fee is credited against the first month.

  • When Apple rejects the app, we read the App Review notes, fix the issue or answer Apple through App Store Connect, and resubmit. Before the first submission we check the app against Apple's App Review Guidelines. Under a maintenance plan, handling a rejection is part of the release work, not an extra.

  • Keeping the app working with each new iOS version is part of our iOS app development services, under a maintenance plan. Each summer we test the app on the iOS betas, update Swift, libraries and SDKs, and ship a compatible release before or right after the public launch. Critical issues get a response within 4 business hours and a fix within 1 business day. Maintenance with SLA starts from $1,500/month, with a 3-month minimum.

  • Yes, we build iPad and Apple Watch apps as well as iPhone apps. Most iPhone apps we build also run well on iPad, and we add Apple Watch apps, widgets and Siri shortcuts when they help the product. We decide which devices the first version supports during product definition, so the scope and the price cover them from the start.

  • Choose an iOS app development company with native iOS apps in the App Store you can try, a fixed price you see before development starts, a prototype you can test first, and a clear plan for every iOS release after launch. As an iOS app development agency, we work this way: you test the prototype before we fix the price, our iOS apps include Glorify with 16M downloads, and every app can stay with us under an SLA.

  • Our team works 9:00-18:00 EET/EEST from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, which covers most of the UK and Western European working day. You get a demo call every two weeks, a shared Jira board and a dedicated Slack channel.

Learn more about iOS app development

See More