Custom apps. Real engineering. Yours to own.
Dashboards, portals, SaaS MVPs, internal tools. Built on modern stacks (Next.js, Postgres, tRPC) with real testing, real deployments, and source code you own outright.
A design agency that actually ships production code.
Most "design + dev" shops are designers with a Squarespace license. We're designers with a real engineering team — the same people who shipped your favorite SaaS onboarding flow.
How Dinko builds apps
- Senior engineers (no offshore hand-offs)
- Typed code, tests, CI/CD
- GitHub repo in your org from day 1
- Modern stack (Next.js, Postgres, tRPC)
- Post-launch pairing with your team
Most agencies "build apps"
- Bubble / Webflow stitched together
- Offshore handoffs, no code review
- No tests, no CI, no documentation
- You own the IP but can't read the code
- $3,000/mo "maintenance" forever
Custom software, purpose-built.
If your workflow is leaking hours into spreadsheets, or your customers are asking for a portal, or your MVP is stuck in Figma — that's us.
Admin Dashboards
Internal tools, operations dashboards, data-viz interfaces that replace the Google Sheets your team has outgrown.
- Role-based access control
- Real-time metrics
- CSV import/export
Customer Portals
Client-facing portals for scheduling, billing, document access, support. The thing your customers keep asking for.
- Auth + SSO (Google, Microsoft)
- Stripe / billing integration
- Document storage + e-sign
SaaS MVPs
First version of your SaaS — designed, built, and shipped in 10–14 weeks. Real code you can raise against or grow into.
- Auth + subscriptions
- Onboarding flows
- Multi-tenant architecture
API & Integrations
Middleware, webhooks, connectors. Get your CRM, ERP, shipping, and billing talking to each other.
- REST + GraphQL APIs
- Webhook / event systems
- Zapier / Make extensions
Cross-Platform Apps
Web + iOS + Android from a single codebase (React Native / Expo). Ship to three platforms without three teams.
- React Native / Expo
- Push notifications
- App Store / Play Store handling
AI Features
Embed Claude, GPT, or custom ML into your product — properly, not as a chatbot gimmick.
- Claude / OpenAI integration
- Vector search + RAG
- Streaming UI patterns
Opinionated. Modern. Maintainable.
We use the same stack across every app so you can hire any senior dev in the market to maintain it. No obscure frameworks, no vendor-specific magic.
Frontend
Next.js · React · TypeScript · Tailwind · Radix UI
Backend
Node · tRPC · Postgres · Prisma · Redis
Infra
Vercel · AWS · Supabase · Cloudflare · Stripe
Quality
Vitest · Playwright · GitHub Actions · Sentry
Apps and portals we've actually shipped.
Dealer platforms, in-store apps, product configurators, careers portals, internal stores. Click any of them for the full case study.
Do you need an app, or a very good website?
The test is whether your users have to log in. If someone must sign in to see data that belongs only to them — their orders, their leads, their documents, their dealers — that is an application. If they only need to understand what you do and reach you, that is a marketing website, and it costs a fraction as much. Most companies that ask us for custom software need a website plus one narrow tool, not a platform. We say that on the discovery call, before anyone signs anything.
The second question is what the app replaces. Nearly every build starts as something manual: a spreadsheet passed between departments, a product catalog explained by hand at the counter, an order form emailed around a dealer network, a program run out of a shared inbox. That framing matters, because the workflow you are replacing is the specification. Before a single Figma frame, we write down the exact steps someone takes today, who touches each one, and where it breaks — then we build those steps and nothing else. Scope creep is almost always a feature nobody can name a user for.
Ownership is architecture, not a clause in a contract. The GitHub repository is created in your organization on day one and we join as collaborators. The stack is deliberately boring — Next.js, Postgres, tRPC, and Stripe on Vercel — so any senior developer on the open market can maintain it. Tests and CI ship with the code, not after it. If you already inherited an app nobody on your team can read, the $3,500 code audit produces a document you can hand to anyone, with or without us attached to it.
Where does custom software fit? It comes after the basics are working — real traffic, a clear offer, and a manual process that has become the bottleneck. It pairs with conversion rate optimization on the way in and a maintenance retainer on the way out, and it sits inside the same Trust System™ framework as everything else we build. Browse the full portfolio of shipped work to see what these builds actually looked like.
Discovery, design, build, ship. In two-week sprints.
Bi-weekly demos, staging environment from week 3, you see progress every fortnight. No three-month radio-silent development.
Discovery
Interviews, user stories, tech-scoping. We say no to scope creep here.
Weeks 1–2Design
Hi-fi Figma, flows, state diagrams. Dev-ready specs.
Weeks 3–5Build Sprints
2-wk sprints, demos, staging. You see progress fortnightly.
Weeks 5–14QA & Hardening
Load testing, security review, accessibility audit.
Week 15Launch & Handoff
Deployment, docs, team training. Optional retainer after.
Week 16Three engagement models. Pick your fit.
Custom software scopes honestly. These are floors — every app is quoted after discovery. What you won't pay: hidden ongoing license fees, vendor lock-in, or surprise "deployment" costs.
Interactive Figma prototype + clickable demo. For validating before you commit.
- User research
- Hi-fi Figma prototype
- Clickable demo for user testing
- Technical spec doc
- Scope + build estimate
Working product, launched. Auth, billing, core workflows. Growable foundation.
- Design + build + deploy
- Full-stack (Next.js + Postgres)
- Auth, billing, admin
- CI/CD + monitoring
- Tests + documentation
- 60-day post-launch support
Senior designer + engineer embedded with your team. Month-to-month, scale up/down.
- 1 senior designer, 1 senior engineer
- Weekly sprint cadence
- Works in your repo + Slack
- Scale team up / down monthly
- No offshore, no juniors
Apps that still run. Code we still ship.
“Dinko really knows the ins and outs of web design, even helping to teach me how to do complex tasks like coding for automated certificates of completion for my courses. I really appreciate him not just making the website for me, but teaching me how to manage the website myself.
“Dinko can (and does) do it all! Working directly with him on multiple brand website projects, his approach is always focused on how to deliver the best results and tackle any and all hurdles that appear along the way. He's a collaborative partner that clearly views client success as the number 1 priority. It's amazing what his unique skillset of design and development expertise bring to the table in terms of visioning and executing on first-rate web assets.
“We hired Dinko to help us a build a new website for our chiropractic clinic. He's an incredibly friendly and knowledgeable guy who brought a ton to the table right away. As we had questions, he was able to point us to all of the right place and we're incredibly happy with the finished product. I'm not sure there's anyone out there who's more of an expert on digital marketing than Dinko!
Real questions from actual discovery calls.
Do we really own the code?+
Can you take over an existing codebase?+
What about ongoing maintenance?+
Can you work with our in-house team?+
Do you sign NDAs / IP assignments?+
What stack if we <em>need</em> something other than Next.js?+
Industries we serve
Built for contractors & home service businesses
We specialize in web design and marketing for the trades. Every service we offer is tuned for your industry.
Have a product idea that needs real engineering?
Free 45-min discovery call. We'll help you scope honestly, pick the right stack, and tell you if what you actually need is an MVP or a full build.