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Freelance fullstack developmentHi, I'm Nicho. I build apps that ship on every platform.Web, iOS, Android, desktop — usually from one codebase, built with Idealyst, the open source framework I wrote and maintain. I've spent my career at startups, so tight budgets, shifting requirements, and owning the whole stack myself are all familiar ground.
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10+ yrsshipping software
1 codebaseweb + mobile + desktop
App Store+ Play Store releases
AWS / GCPhosting & CI you own
The estimatorAnswer a few questions, get a ballpark.The real price depends on scope, and scope takes a conversation — but this will put us in the right range before we spend time on a call.
Step 1 of 5What are you building?
Closest descriptionpick one
Marketing siteContent, forms, CMS. No accounts.
SaaS productAccounts, dashboards, recurring billing.
Marketplace or socialTwo sides, listings, messaging, payouts.
Internal toolOps dashboards, admin, workflow.
Consumer appMobile-first, onboarding, notifications.
Something elseNot sure yet — we'll figure it out together.
Where does it need to run?pick all that apply
WebResponsive browser app.
iOSReal native iOS build.
AndroidReal native Android build.
DesktopmacOS / Windows app.
Roughly how many distinct screens?a guess is fine
10screens or views
340+
Accounts and access
No accountsAnyone can use it.
Email and passwordSign-up, reset, sessions.
Social or magic linkGoogle/Apple sign-in, invites.
Teams, roles, SSOOrganisations, permissions, enterprise SSO.
Taking money?
Not yetNo billing in this phase.
One-off paymentsCheckout, receipts, refunds.
SubscriptionsPlans, trials, upgrades, dunning.
Marketplace payoutsSplit payments, onboarding sellers, KYC.
Backend and database
I already have an APIYou connect to what exists.
Straightforward dataStandard models, CRUD, search.
Custom API and schemaReal modelling, jobs, third-party integrations.
Complex or high-volumeMulti-tenant, reporting, scale and caching work.
AI or LLM features
NoneNone needed.
Assisted featuresSummaries, chat, classification via an API.
RAG or agentsEmbeddings, retrieval, tool use, evaluation.
Design
I have designsFigma ready to build from.
Light designClean UI from a simple system, no branding work.
Full product designFlows, screens, design system, polish.
Hosting and deployment
Handled alreadyYour team owns infra.
Standard cloud setupAWS/GCP environments, deploys, backups.
Production-gradeCI/CD, monitoring, IaC, scaling and cost work.
App store publishing
Not neededWeb only.
One storeListing, assets, review, first release.
App Store and Play StoreBoth listings, signing, staged rollout.
Timeline
FlexibleNo hard deadline — quality comes first.
Target date, some roomA date in mind, not immovable.
Tight deadlineHard date — needs priority scheduling.
Ballpark estimate$11,000 – $15,5003–5 weeks of build time, 110–155 hours of workBased on the screens, features and complexity you picked. A firm price needs a scoping conversation — treat this as a well-informed starting point.
What's driving it
Core foundation, architecture, setup
100 h
Screen build-out10 screens
28 h
Start over
Want this in writing?Leave your email and I'll send you the full breakdown, along with a couple of questions that would sharpen the number. Just the one email — I don't do mailing lists.
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AboutA decade of being the whole team.
Most of my career has been at startups, where "fullstack" means designing the schema, writing the API, building the client, setting up the pipeline, and being on call when something breaks. It's also why my estimates hold up: I've seen firsthand where projects tend to run over.I work in whatever the project needs — React, Vue, Svelte, Next, Node, Python, Postgres — plus native Android and iOS and a lot of React Native. On the infrastructure side I've stood up and run production on AWS and GCP: containers, queues, managed databases, CDNs, CI/CD, monitoring, and the cost tuning that keeps bills predictable.I've also shipped through App Store and Play Store review more times than I can count. Signing, provisioning, privacy manifests, staged rollouts, the occasional rejection appeal — I know that terrain, and I plan for it from day one.
TypeScript
React / React Native
Swift / Kotlin
Node / tRPC / GraphQL
Postgres / Prisma
AWS / GCP
CI/CD
LLM integrations
Open sourceIdealyst — my cross-platform frameworkIdealyst is the framework I built and maintain because I was tired of writing the same app three times. One Rust codebase gives you native apps on iOS and Android, a web build, and a shared data layer and design tokens across all of them.For you, that mostly means fewer billable hours — shared logic instead of parallel builds. And since the framework is open source and documented, your own developers can take the codebase over whenever you like.See the repo →
One codebase, four targetsiOS, Android, web, desktop from the same source of truth.
Typed end to endTyped from the schema to the screen, so refactors stay safe.
Yours to keepMIT-licensed and public, so you're never locked in to me.
ServicesWhat I take on
01MVPs from zeroFrom idea to something real users can log into, usually in 8–12 weeks. I scope the first release tightly so it stays small enough to ship well.
02Mobile apps & store launchesNative or cross-platform builds, plus the release plumbing: certificates, review, staged rollouts, crash reporting.
03Backends that hold upAPIs, data modelling, auth, payments, third-party integrations — designed for the load you'll actually have.
04Cloud & deploymentAWS or GCP set up properly: environments, CI/CD, monitoring, backups, and a cost profile you can live with.
05Rescue & takeoverInheriting a half-finished or unmaintained codebase, getting it stable, and making it shippable again.
06Ongoing partnershipMonthly retainers for teams that need a senior fullstack pair of hands on tap rather than a one-off build.
Selected workA few projects
project screenshot
iOS + Android + webField service platformScheduling, offline job capture and billing for crews in low-signal areas. One Idealyst codebase across all three targets.
project screenshot
SaaS · AWSB2B analytics dashboardMulti-tenant reporting with SSO, role-based access and subscription billing, from schema to deploy pipeline.
project screenshot
Consumer app · store launchMarketplace mobile appListings, chat, Stripe Connect payouts, and a first release through both App Store and Play Store review.
Placeholder cards — send me your real project names, shots and outcomes to drop in.
ProcessHow a project runs with me
Week 0Scoping callWe turn the estimate into a real scope: what the first release needs, what can wait, and which unknowns carry the most risk.
Week 1Fixed planA written milestone plan with prices, dates and what "done" means for each one. You approve before I build.
BuildWeekly demosWorking software every week, on a real environment you can click through. Change requests are welcome — they just get priced as they come up.
LaunchHandoverStores submitted, infra documented, repo and accounts in your name. Retainer only if you want one.
FAQQuestions I get a lot
How do you charge?Project estimates are based on the number of screens, the features, the kinds of features and the complexity. Simple apps cost a lot less and take less time. Most projects run as fixed-price milestones so you're not watching a meter; retainers are monthly.
Can you work with my existing team or codebase?Yes — plenty of my work is joining an existing repo, matching its conventions, and reviewing rather than rewriting.
Do I have to use Idealyst?No. It's a good default when you need web and mobile at once, but I'll recommend plain React, Next, native Swift/Kotlin, or whatever fits the problem.
Who owns the code and accounts?You do, from day one. Repos, cloud accounts, store listings and domains all live in your organisation, with me as a collaborator.
What happens after launch?30 days of bug fixes on delivered scope are included. After that it's either a retainer or ad-hoc work, your call.
Tell me what you're building.Run the estimator first if you'd like a number in hand, or just send me a paragraph about your project. I read and answer everything myself, usually within a day.
Tell me about your project
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