How long does it take to build an app? 10 of our builds, measured
Across the 10 builds we can date from our own records, the shortest went from first commit to built in 4 weeks (AlwaysLoud, our own AI content-marketing SaaS) and the longest from first commit to handover in 15 months (Trainr, a two-sided fitness marketplace app).
The client products now live took between 12 weeks and 15 months; the long ones had more apps, user roles and integrations to build, not a slower stack.
- builds with a dated start and end
- 10
- shortest (AlwaysLoud, built)
- 4 weeks
- longest (Trainr, to handover)
- 15 months
- had one engineer committing code
- 9 of 10
Updated 20 October 2026 · data from our own repositories, trackers and cost studies
The full table
| Project | What it is | Stage | Duration | Dates | Measured as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AlwaysLoud | AI content-marketing SaaS | Built | 4 weeks | 17 Sept 2026 → 17 Oct 2026 | first commit → built state at the 17 Oct 2026 build (not deployed, no customers) |
| QKE | Quotation-to-production ERP for a commercial-kitchen fabricator | Prototype | 5 weeks | 5 Aug 2026 → 9 Sept 2026 | first dated tracker → last dated tracker before the case study (workflow prototype + foundation slices; not deployed) |
| AskForth | Form-builder SaaS | Built | 11 weeks | 6 Jul 2026 → 24 Sept 2026 | first commit → built (last commit at the September 2026 billing push; never deployed) |
| LeafRanger | AI plant-care app and plant marketplace | Launching | 12 weeks | 24 Jun 2026 → 15 Sept 2026 | first commit → last commit of the build (Jun–Sep 2026); not yet in an app store |
| BogarInfra | Company website and admin panel (engineering and construction firm) | Live | 12 weeks | 15 Jul 2026 → 10 Oct 2026 | first commit → last commit of the rebuild (site live; the go-live date is not recorded in the case study) |
| Pakka | Delivery / logistics marketplace | Live | 15 weeks | 21 May 2026 → 31 Aug 2026 | first commit → web platform live (full stack in production for the first time) |
| Damir Pehar portfolio | Portfolio website for a UX designer | Built | 17 weeks | 17 Mar 2026 → 16 Jul 2026 | first commit → last round of requested changes (the first build went up in March 2026) |
| Temphera | Journal, planner and personal-finance app | Built | about 7 months | 31 Jan 2026 → 22 Aug 2026 | Jan–Aug 2026 build (first commit → last commit), unreleased |
| LetSlic | Social media app | Live | 13 months | 16 Jun 2025 → 27 Jul 2026 | first commit → handover (four codebases handed over, 27 Jul 2026) |
| Trainr | Two-sided fitness marketplace app | Live | 15 months | 6 May 2025 → 13 Aug 2026 | first commit → handover to the client's incoming developer (13 Aug 2026) |
What is behind each row?
AlwaysLoud: 4 weeks
- Web app (workspace) and operator console (Next.js 15)
- Node.js and Express API on MongoDB, with a Playwright browser and an ffmpeg render worker
- Python narration sidecar
- Receiver kit that runs inside customers' apps
- MCP server for AI coding assistants
1 engineer committing (git authors)
Our own product. It runs locally and is tested against Storafleet; 701 server tests passed on 17 Oct 2026.
Source: AlwaysLoud case study, project records, 17 Sept 2026 to 17 Oct 2026.
QKE: 5 weeks
- Nine-role workflow prototype (HTML) on one shared model, 389 of 389 verification checks passing
- 9 real-app slices built and verified (Next.js, Express and MongoDB), from sign-in to product kinds
1 engineer committing (git authors)
Git holds one import commit per repo (10 Aug 2026), so the dates come from the tracker folders: work is logged on 9 dates (5–14 Aug and 8–9 Sep 2026). The build is continuing.
Source: QKE case study, project records, 5 Aug 2026 to 9 Sept 2026.
AskForth: 11 weeks
- Form-engine library (a hard fork of the MIT-licensed formeo library)
- Node.js and Express API on MongoDB
- Next.js dashboard
- TypeScript embed widget
- Superadmin console
- 48-page marketing site (Next.js)
1 engineer committing (git authors)
Our own product. The marketing site's deployment waits on legal and contact details. The widget repo's 2023–24 commits are pre-AskForth code and are not counted.
Source: AskForth case study, project records, 6 Jul 2026 to 24 Sept 2026.
LeafRanger: 12 weeks
- React Native app (Android; iOS in development), 93 screens
- App backend (Node.js, MongoDB), 159 endpoints
- Console backend for the admin and vendor consoles, 81 endpoints
- Admin and vendor consoles (Next.js)
- Marketing site (leafranger.com)
1 engineer committing (git authors)
Our own product. leafranger.com, the production API and the consoles are deployed; a signed production Android build exists but is not on Google Play. Screen and endpoint counts are from the July 2026 audit.
Source: LeafRanger case study, project records, 24 Jun 2026 to 15 Sept 2026.
BogarInfra: 12 weeks
- Public website (Next.js): 6 discipline pages and 14 sector pages
- Admin panel: enquiry board, company mailboxes, projects and albums, staff accounts, site colours and fonts
- Visiting-card scanner (phone link, AI read)
- Client report pages and a field-crew update link
- Node.js and MongoDB API
1 engineer committing (git authors)
The window includes work after launch, such as the mail fix of 10 Oct 2026.
Source: BogarInfra case study, project records, 15 Jul 2026 to 10 Oct 2026.
Pakka: 15 weeks
- 2 Android apps (customer, driver)
- 2 Node.js backends (mobile API, web API)
- Pakka for Business portal (web)
- SuperAdmin console (web)
- Marketing site (pakkalogistics.com)
1 engineer committing (git authors)
At go-live the apps were with testers on signed builds. Release builds 1.0.13 and 1.0.14 were cut on 15 Oct 2026 after a pre-Play QA pass (21 weeks from first commit) and are not yet on Google Play. The marketing site's first commit is 3 Sep 2026, after go-live.
Source: Pakka case study, project records, 21 May 2026 to 31 Aug 2026.
Damir Pehar portfolio: 17 weeks
- 7-page static site on a heavily customised GSAP HTML template
- 3 long-form case-study pages
1 engineer committing (git authors)
The window holds the first build and three rounds of client changes (March, May and July 2026). No production URL was found, so the stage is built.
Source: Damir Pehar portfolio case study, project records, 17 Mar 2026 to 16 Jul 2026.
Temphera: about 7 months
- iOS and Android app (React Native 0.83), 86 screens
- App backend (Express, MongoDB)
- Admin backend (Express): 9 staff roles, each requiring 2FA
- Admin console and marketing site (Next.js 15)
Build led by co-founder Mayur Srivatsav; 2 engineers committing (git authors)
Our own product, not released: default bundle identifiers, empty store billing keys, and the domain is not serving.
Source: Temphera case study, project records, 31 Jan 2026 to 22 Aug 2026.
LetSlic: 13 months
- React Native app (Android on Google Play, iOS on TestFlight)
- Mobile API (Node.js, Socket.IO): 202 route handlers
- Admin API (Node.js)
- Website with superadmin console (Next.js)
1 engineer committing (git authors, aliases merged by email)
Client: Slic Solutions Private Limited. The store listing has been updated since our handover.
Source: LetSlic case study, project records, 16 Jun 2025 to 27 Jul 2026.
Trainr: 15 months
- One React Native app for clients and trainers (Android on Google Play, iOS on TestFlight)
- Mobile and web backends (Node.js): 978 HTTP endpoints
- Superadmin console (Next.js)
- 199 screens and page routes across the app and console
1 engineer committing (git authors, aliases merged by email)
The project's executive overview gives a build period of May 2025 – May 2026 (13 months elapsed, 12 active, 269 commits); release work and the handover ran on to 13 Aug 2026. Screen and endpoint counts are from that overview.
Source: Trainr case study, project records, 6 May 2025 to 13 Aug 2026.
How were these numbers measured?
- Start
- The first commit in the project's repositories. For QKE, whose repositories hold a single import commit, the first dated entry in the project tracker.
- End
- Differs by row and is stated in each: built (the product works but is not deployed), live (in production), or handover (code and accounts passed to the client).
- Stage
- The label on the case study: Live, Launching, Built or Prototype, as defined on our work pages.
- Team
- People committing code, from git authors with aliases merged by email. Design, testing and client calls don't show up in this count.
- Calendar time
- Every duration is elapsed calendar time, not hours worked; we did not record hours. Some windows include waiting for client feedback.
What doesn't this table show?
- Trainr: the build itself ran 13 months (May 2025 to May 2026), the figure quoted elsewhere on this site; this table counts on to the handover on 13 Aug 2026, about 15 months, to match how LetSlic is measured.
- Pakka's 15 weeks is first commit to the web platform going live; its Android apps were with testers on signed builds at that point, and the release builds were cut at 21 weeks.
- Left out because the records don't show a real start and end: Storafleet (its first commit already holds a working MVP), LoudMouth (most code arrived in the first commit), Firetrix (two dated sessions, not a build), Proton Fitness and Flying Pup Films (engagement and maintenance spans, no go-live date), and projects dated by year only.
- Discovery work (proposals, scoping) and design-only projects have no build to measure and are not in the table.
Questions about these numbers
How long does it take to build an MVP?
In our records, four to twelve weeks for a single product with one engineer: AlwaysLoud reached a working build in 4 weeks, AskForth in 11 and LeafRanger in 12. Adding mobile apps for two user types, payments and an admin console took Pakka to 15 weeks.
Why did the longest builds take over a year?
Scope. Trainr has 978 HTTP endpoints and 199 screens and page routes across one app for clients and trainers and a superadmin console; LetSlic has a mobile API with 202 route handlers, an admin API and a website. Both also ran through store review, release work and a handover.
Is a website quicker to build than an app?
Usually, but the calendar can still run long. A seven-page portfolio site here spans 17 weeks because it includes three rounds of client changes, while a company website with an admin panel and a card scanner went from first commit to its last change in about 12 weeks.
Do two engineers build an app twice as fast?
Not in a way our records can show: 9 of these 10 builds had one engineer committing code, and the one with two (Temphera) was also one of the larger scopes. Elapsed time follows scope and feedback cycles more than headcount.
How can I get a first version live sooner?
Ship fewer surfaces first. Pakka's web platform went live at 15 weeks while its Android apps were still with testers; a first release with one user role and one platform is the biggest single cut you can make to the timeline.
Use these numbers
To cite this table: CountryDevs, “CountryDevs build timelines, first commit to live or built”, countrydevs.com/build-timelines, updated 20 October 2026.