Beyond the website
Custom Apps & Business Software
Alongside your website, we can help with two different things a normal website doesn't cover: connecting existing tools — like booking or payment platforms — properly to your website, or developing a bespoke web application when your business needs something off-the-shelf software doesn't handle well — anything from a simple internal tool to a substantial customer-facing system for booking, ordering or hire. This is separately scoped, individually quoted development work — not part of the free website or Managed Website plan.
What this is
The right tool for the job — not a rebuild for the sake of it
Sometimes the right answer is connecting your website to software that already exists and works well — a booking platform, a payment provider, a form tool, or another service you already use. We can set that up and integrate it properly, rather than building something custom you don't need. If a salon just needs standard appointment booking, for example, an established service is usually the better fit — we'd help get it set up and connected rather than build a replacement from scratch.
Other times, off-the-shelf software doesn't quite fit how your business actually takes bookings, handles orders, or runs day to day — and that's when a bespoke web application makes more sense. That can be a small internal tool or a substantial, standalone system; either way, you don't need to know which of these applies to you — tell us the problem you're trying to solve, and we'll recommend the right approach honestly.
Examples
What we can build
This ranges from systems your customers book, order or pay through, to internal tools that make your own day-to-day easier. These are examples of the range, not a fixed list — every project is scoped around what your business actually needs.
Booking & reservation systems
Built around how your business actually takes bookings — appointments, sessions, multi-day hire, experiences, or something more specific — with real availability and capacity behind it, not just a date and a time.
Ordering & payment systems
Takeaway orders, product orders or service bookings that customers complete themselves, with secure online payment built in — including deposits or pay-later where that suits how you work.
Customer portals
A private, login-protected area where your customers can manage a booking, check a job's status, view past orders or download invoices — without having to ring or email you to ask.
Quote & job management systems
An instant, accurate quote worked out from the details of the job, feeding into a proper pipeline that tracks each enquiry from first contact through to quoted, scheduled and done — instead of emails and spreadsheets.
Internal dashboards & automation
One screen for your team to see bookings, orders, jobs or whatever numbers matter — with repetitive admin like approvals, notifications and follow-ups handled automatically instead of by someone on your team every time.
Integrations with tools you already use
Booking systems, payment providers, CRMs, forms and other platforms you already rely on, connected properly to your website — so the two actually work together instead of sitting side by side.
Built properly
Real development behind every build
Whether we're integrating an existing platform or developing something bespoke, there's real software development behind it — not a template stretched to fit. We plan the requirement properly, build and test it thoroughly, and make sure it's secure and genuinely fit for how your business runs before it goes anywhere near your customers.
A bespoke application is a different scale of project to a website — it's treated as proper software development from the start, planned and built around your process rather than adapted from a template.
Is this you?
Businesses that tend to need this kind of thing
Not sure whether what you need is an integration or something bespoke? That's fine — just tell us the problem you're trying to solve and we'll tell you honestly which applies, or whether it's a bit of both.
The process
How a custom project works
Tell us what you need
Get in touch and describe the problem you're trying to solve, or what you'd like your business to be able to do.
We recommend the right approach
Sometimes that means connecting an existing platform to your website; sometimes it means building something bespoke. We'll tell you honestly which applies.
We agree scope & provide a quote
Once we're clear on what's needed, we'll give you a clear, individually priced quote — there's no obligation to proceed after that.
We build/configure & test it
Whether that's setting up an integration or building custom software, we test it properly before it's used for real.
We launch & hand it over
Once you're happy, we launch it. Ongoing support and maintenance can be agreed separately if you'd like us to keep looking after it — it isn't automatically part of the project, or of the Managed Website plan.
Good to know
How this fits with your website
This is separate from the free website and Managed Website plan
Your free website build, free hosting and the optional Managed Website plan cover your website itself — not custom apps or business software. Custom apps and business software are their own, individually scoped and quoted projects, whether or not you have a free website with us or are on the Managed Website plan.
You don't need to be a Free Website NI customer already
You're welcome to get in touch about a custom app or business software project whether or not you already have a website with us. If you do, we can look at how it fits alongside your existing website; if you don't, that's fine too.
Every quote is based on what you actually need
There's no fixed price list for custom work, because every business's requirements are different. We'll only quote once we understand the scope — there's no obligation to proceed after that conversation.
Ongoing support isn't automatically included
Launch includes making sure everything works properly before handover. If you'd like us to keep looking after an integration or a piece of bespoke software afterwards, that's something we can discuss and agree separately — it's not an automatic part of every project.
Have a problem worth solving?