When off-the-shelf software doesn't fit, we build what your business needs.
CodeDrips is a Melbourne software studio that has been building custom web applications since 2018. Most projects start the same way: a spreadsheet, a chain of emails or an off-the-shelf tool that no longer matches how the business works. We scope the software around your workflows, data and users, and we build it with the senior developers you talk to.
What we build
- Internal tools and dashboards: admin panels, reporting and workflow tools that replace spreadsheets and manual steps
- Client portals: secure logins where your customers see their accounts, documents and requests
- SaaS platforms: multi-tenant products with user management, roles and billing
- Booking and scheduling systems shaped around your own business rules
- Field and offline apps: progressive web apps that keep working without a signal and sync later
- Interactive installations and kiosks: in-store and in-venue applications on iPads and touchscreens
- MVPs: first versions built on foundations that do not need rewriting when the product grows
What custom software development involves
- Discovery. We map who uses the system, what they do in it, what data it holds and what it has to connect to. You leave with a clear technical direction whether you hire us or not.
- Scope and proposal. A written scope with milestones, a price and a timeline. Larger builds are broken into stages so you can stop, change direction or go live early.
- Architecture. Data model, access control, hosting and integrations are decided before features are built, because they are the expensive parts to change later.
- Iterative delivery. Regular demos of working software, so you test real features early instead of waiting months for a reveal.
- Launch and support. Deployment, monitoring and handover documentation, then ongoing development for as long as you want it.
Our stack
We have worked across most languages and frameworks, and we will work in what you have already got. A few we use often:
- Frontend: React, Next.js, TypeScript
- Backend: Node.js, Laravel (PHP), Python, chosen to fit the job
- Data: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis
- Integrations: Stripe, Xero, HubSpot and any API your business depends on
How we work with Melbourne clients
- Direct senior access. You work with the developers and architect building the system: live video kickoffs, working sessions and screen-shares. No account manager in the middle.
- NDAs before detail. We sign an NDA before any conversation that involves commercial or technical detail.
- Melbourne hours. Meetings, reviews, releases and support all happen in AEST.
- We also back your own build. If you have a prototype from an AI app builder or an in-house tool that has outgrown itself, we can review it, fix it or work beside you. See help with your build.
Related services and capabilities
Related Projects
Get a free scoping call.
Tell us the problem you are trying to solve. A senior developer replies within one business day, and we will book a scoping call from there. NDAs are signed before we dig into commercial detail.
Selected work
Custom applications we have built
IssuesID
A multi-tenant SaaS platform for construction defect and quality management, built as an offline-first progressive web app. A NestJS and Fastify API serves a React front end, with PostgreSQL row-level security keeping each tenant's data isolated. See the IssuesID project.
Chanel iPad experience
A bespoke React application optimised for iPad, built as an in-store experience for the Chanel boutique in Melbourne CBD. See the Chanel project.
Lunar New Year Fortune
An interactive fortune telling machine installed at Emporium Melbourne for Lunar New Year, built with TypeScript and React. See the Lunar New Year project.
Dealflow Brokerage
A WordPress platform with third-party API integrations including HubSpot, MailChimp, Mailshake and SumSub identity verification for newly registered users. See the Dealflow Brokerage project.
How it works
Pricing, engagement and what to have ready
What it costs
Work starts from $500 for small jobs such as a fix, a code review or a few hours of advice. Complete custom web apps typically range from $15,000 for a focused MVP to $100,000+ for complex SaaS platforms with integrations and enterprise features. Our 2026 website cost guide puts each integration with an external system at $2,000 to $8,000, depending on the API and the depth of the connection. The custom web application cost guide goes into what moves the number.
How we quote
Well-defined work gets a fixed price against a written scope. Work that is still being discovered runs in stages or on agreed hours, so you are not paying a premium for guesswork. Our guide to fixed price versus time and materials explains the trade-off.
What to have ready
A plain description of the problem, who will use the system and roughly how many of them, the spreadsheets or tools it replaces, the systems it must connect to, any deadline, and a budget range if you have one. Screenshots of the current process help more than a formal specification. Here is how to write a one-page brief.
After launch
Software keeps changing after it goes live. New features, monitoring and security updates can run as ongoing development or as one-off jobs, and we can hand over to your own developers when you are ready. See retainer versus project work.
From the journal
Custom software reading before you commit
Is custom software the right call?
Replacing the spreadsheet: when a small business needs custom software.
Portals and logins
Planning the build
What solution architecture is and why your project needs it, and offline-first PWAs for software that has to work with no signal.
Building it yourself first
By the numbers
The short version
8+
Years building custom software
Full-stack engineering since 2018: SaaS, portals, dashboards and complex integrations.
150+
Custom applications delivered
From early-stage startup MVPs to seven-figure platforms serving thousands of daily active users.
15+
Languages and frameworks
React, Next.js, Gatsby, Laravel, Node, Python, Go, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, AWS. We pick the right tool for the job, not the one we prefer.
NDAs
Signed before scoping
We sign NDAs before any conversation involving commercial or technical detail.
Common questions from Melbourne founders and operators
Work starts from $500 for smaller jobs like a fix, a code review or a few hours of advice. Complete custom web apps typically range from $15,000 for a focused MVP to $100,000+ for complex SaaS platforms with integrations and enterprise features. Every project is scoped individually, and you get a written proposal with a price before any build work begins.
MVPs run 4 to 8 weeks, mid-sized platforms 3 to 6 months, and enterprise SaaS products 6 to 12 months to first production release, with ongoing iteration after that. We provide a detailed milestone timeline during scoping.
Buy when an existing product fits how you work and the subscription cost is reasonable. Build when you are bending the business around the tool, paying for several tools plus manual work to join them, or when the software is part of what you sell. We will tell you honestly if an existing product would do the job.
Often React, Next.js and TypeScript on the frontend, Node.js, Laravel or Python on the backend, and PostgreSQL or MySQL for data. We choose the stack that fits the problem, and we will work in what you have already got.
Ownership and licensing are set out in the agreement before work starts, so ask us about it at scoping. We can also hand the finished code and documentation over to your own developers.
Yes. We sign NDAs before any conversation involving commercial or technical detail.
Yes. Starting with a focused first version is usually the sensible way to do it. We build it on foundations that can carry the later features, so the first version does not have to be thrown away.
Yes, including prototypes built with AI app builders and coding assistants. We start with a review, tell you what it needs, and either fix it, work beside you or take it over.
Yes. We can work alongside in-house developers as extra senior capacity or on architecture, and hand finished work over to them.
Yes. We build iOS and Android apps for clients whose product extends beyond the web.
Ready to scope your custom web app in Melbourne?
Talk to us directly. No commitment required.