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Guides

Straight answers, written down

The questions we get asked in every first conversation, answered honestly - including the parts that don't sell our services. Written by the two people who do the work, with UK prices, the date each guide was last checked, and links to the primary sources behind any figure we quote.

Websites

Why does my business need a website?

What a website does that a Facebook page can't, when you honestly don't need one yet, and the sum to do before you spend anything.

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Apps

Do I need an app, or will a website do?

The reasons to build an app that hold up, the ones that don't, what it costs, and the running commitment nobody mentions before launch.

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Comparison

Mobile app vs web app: which should you build?

Cost, updates, offline use, notifications and the 30% app store commission, compared side by side so you pick the right one first time.

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Pricing

How much does a website cost in the UK?

What DIY builders, freelancers, studios and agencies really charge, what drives the price up, and what a small business should sensibly expect to pay.

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Pricing

How much does it cost to build an app in the UK?

Cost by app type and feature, native versus cross-platform, the store fees and maintenance nobody quotes for, and six questions to ask any quote.

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Pricing

How much does custom software cost in the UK?

Price bands by system type, two worked examples with the assumptions stated, the day-rate arithmetic behind every quote, and a checklist for reading one.

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Comparison

Bespoke or off-the-shelf software?

Cost, fit, ownership, security and speed compared side by side, a ten-minute decision tree, and the four cases where we tell people not to build.

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Systems

When to replace a spreadsheet with real software

The signs a workbook has become a system, a four-question risk check, how a safe migration runs step by step, and when Excel is still the right answer.

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AI

What is actually worth automating with AI?

The workflows that pay back, the ones that don't, what it costs, how to handle your data properly, and a 30-day pilot plan you can run yourself.

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Apps

MVP app development: idea to first users

How to choose the features, the eight things to leave out, a realistic four-to-eight week plan, and what to measure once it's live.

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Pricing

How much does website maintenance cost?

Why hosting and maintenance are not the same product, the four price bands, six exclusions to read for, and our £45 plan itemised.

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Security

A cyber security checklist for small businesses

Seven sections of controls with the evidence a reviewer would ask for, from accounts and backups to email, websites and the bad day.

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Security

How much does a website security audit cost?

Four different services wear the word audit, which is why quotes vary twentyfold. What each buys, our own scope, and a sample finding.

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Email

Google Workspace migration checklist

Four phases across two weeks: inventory, prepare, cut over, verify. Including the two steps people skip and how to roll back.

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Games

How much does game development cost?

Prototype to release in four bands, what really drives a game budget, a retrospective from our own game, and how to cut scope safely.

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Pricing

How much does a web app cost in the UK?

Four price bands from a single-purpose internal tool to a multi-team platform, the six things that move the number, running costs and how to compare quotes.

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Pricing

How much does AI automation cost in the UK?

Pilot and project price bands, what really moves the number, ongoing usage costs, and the tasks where the cheapest honest answer is not to automate.

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