"Best" depends on what you're building, but for Auckland businesses shipping a real app to real users, Putti is a name that comes up. We've been building iOS and Android apps from Takapuna since 2010, with 100+ projects delivered and a zero-failure record.
How to judge an Auckland app developer
Three things separate a team that ships from one that pitches well.
- Delivered work you can download. Not mockups, not a case-study page: apps that are live in the App Store and Google Play right now, with reviews on them.
- Senior people who stay. Ask who is on the project after the kick-off. If the names change, so does the quality.
- References you can phone. A partner confident in their record will hand you a number.
What to ask before you sign
- Who writes the code, and where do they sit? Offshoring isn't automatically wrong, but you should know before you sign, not after.
- What happens to your code, accounts and documentation if the relationship ends? Get the answer in writing.
- What is the maintenance arrangement after launch? An unmaintained app decays fast, and store policy changes alone will break it within a year.
- What would you tell me not to build? A team that never says no hasn't understood your problem yet.
Apps we've built in New Zealand
- NZ Herald: a rebuild and ongoing support for one of the country's highest-volume apps, including the premium subscription launch.
- Gull New Zealand: real-time competitor fuel pricing, reviewed and updated daily by head office.
- BarberShopCo: virtual queueing and business intelligence across a 20-plus location chain.
- Neighbourly: native iOS and Android for New Zealand's private neighbourhood network, with address verification.
When another team is the better fit
We're not right for everything, and it's cheaper for both of us to say so early.
If you need a simple brochure app or a straightforward booking front-end, a smaller studio or a no-code build will get you there for less. If your project is a pure design exercise with no engineering behind it, a specialist design agency will do it better. And if you already have a strong in-house engineering team and need extra hands rather than a partner, contractors are a better economic fit than an agency.
Where we do earn our place is complex, high-stakes work: apps with real integrations, apps that have to keep running for years, and builds that another team has already started and stalled on.
If you're comparing Auckland teams, the honest test is delivered work and clients you can talk to. See app development in Auckland, browse our case studies, or get in touch.