Custom Web Application Development in Christchurch
Client portals and SaaS platforms built in React, TypeScript and Strapi by a Christchurch studio.
Who builds custom web applications in Christchurch?
What IF Web is a Christchurch studio on St Asaph Street that designs and builds custom web applications and software, from client portals to full SaaS platforms, in React, TypeScript, Next.js and Strapi. Full-stack development is led by Te Manihera Woods. The team built the intern management app behind Interns in Asia, where new sign-ups rose 19%, and moved Carepatron's 450,000-visitor, 24-language site onto a custom React, Astro and Strapi platform on AWS. You deal directly with the developers writing your code, and you own all of it.
What does a custom web application developer in Christchurch build?
A custom web application is software that runs in a browser and does a job off-the-shelf tools can't, or can only do with six subscriptions and a spreadsheet holding them together. What IF Web builds them for Christchurch businesses and for companies well beyond the Port Hills, including:
- Client and customer portals, where your users log in and see their own data
- SaaS platforms, from the first version to the one people pay for
- Internal dashboards that replace the spreadsheet everyone is scared to touch
- Booking, quoting and application systems shaped around how your business runs (instead of the other way round)
- Integrations that connect your website to your CRM, project management or billing platform
Which tech stack does What IF Web use for custom web apps?
What IF Web builds most web applications in React and TypeScript, uses Next.js or Astro depending on how much of the app needs to be interactive, and runs Strapi as the headless CMS and API. Vue.js and Laravel come out when a project suits them better. The stack gets picked per project, and the table below covers where most of them land.
| Layer | What we use | Why it's there |
|---|---|---|
| Front end | React, TypeScript, Vue.js | Typed components catch mistakes before your users find them. |
| Framework | Next.js, Astro | Server rendering or static generation, so pages load fast and stay readable to search engines. |
| Back end and CMS | Strapi, Laravel | A CMS and API your team can edit without a developer on call. Carepatron runs 8,000+ items across 22 collections on Strapi. |
| Hosting | AWS, Webflow Cloud | AWS when you want to own the infrastructure outright. Webflow Cloud when the app sits alongside your Webflow site. |
| Marketing site | Webflow | What IF Web is a Webflow Premium Partner, so the site that sells your product and the product itself come from the same team. |
| Integrations | APIs, Make.com | Connecting the tools you already pay for, from ClickUp to your CRM. |
Who builds your app at What IF Web?
Your app gets built by a four-person team on St Asaph Street, with no account manager standing between you and the code. Te Manihera Woods leads full-stack development in React and TypeScript, Isaac Farrow runs Webflow development and client relationships, Thomas Hendrikz designs the interfaces, and Jacob handles Webflow builds and GSAP animation. Small enough that you deal with the people building your app, big enough that the project doesn't stall when one of them catches the flu.
How does a custom web app project run at What IF Web?
Every What IF Web app project starts with a written scope, and nobody writes code until you've agreed to it.
- Scope. We write down what the app has to do, who uses it and what it connects to, then quote against that list so you can see what's driving the cost and cut accordingly.
- Design. Key screens get designed in Figma and you click through them before they're built. Changing a Figma file takes minutes. Changing a shipped feature takes a sprint.
- Build the core first. We usually start with the smallest version that solves the real problem, get it in front of users, then build out from how people use it.
- Launch and handover. The code, repository and documentation are yours. Ongoing support is there if you want it.
What custom web applications has What IF Web built?
Interns in Asia is the clearest example of What IF Web's custom application work. The team replaced an app built on outdated technology with a custom intern management app where interns log in, track their application, update their details and make payments, while staff manage applicants from an admin side that syncs with ClickUp. After the onboarding was redesigned, new sign-ups rose 19% and bounce rate fell from 11.8% to 3.79%. Read the Interns in Asia case study.
Orana Car and Truck Rental, an Australian vehicle hire company, needed a booking system that could keep up with its customers. What IF Web built a mobile-first booking web app in Vue.js, TypeScript and Laravel on AWS, integrated with the RCM rental platform. Customers see which vehicles are free, can leave and pick up a booking where they left off, and Orana's team does less manual work. Read the Orana case study.
Quarter20 wanted a lead magnet it could take to conventions and run ads against. What IF Web built a self-assessment tool for engineering firms as a Next.js app on Webflow Cloud, scoring each firm out of 100 and unlocking the full report once they leave their details. It runs on Quarter20's existing Webflow plan and reuses the site's design system, so it's one less thing to maintain. Read the Quarter20 case study.
Carepatron shows the other end of the scale. What IF Web moved the healthcare SaaS company's site off Webflow onto a custom React, Astro and Strapi platform hosted on AWS, carrying 8,000+ content items across 24 languages for 450,000+ monthly visitors. Read the Carepatron case study.
Do you need a custom web app at all?
Not always, and it's cheaper to find that out now than six months into a build. If an off-the-shelf tool covers 90% of what you need for a monthly fee, use it and spend the difference on something else. Custom earns its keep when the workaround costs more than the build, whether that's staff hours lost to double entry, a subscription bill that grows with every hire, or a process that is the thing that makes your business different.
What IF Web is a Webflow Premium Partner and custom web development studio on St Asaph Street in Christchurch, founded in 2022 by Isaac Farrow and Thomas Hendrikz. If you'd like to talk through an app idea over a coffee in town, you'll be talking to the people who'd build it. See our web applications service for everything a full app engagement includes.
Web apps built from Christchurch
A sample of the platforms and portals we've shipped.
Q20 - Self Assessment Tool
Designing and building an interactive lead magnet for an engineering SaaS platform
Orana Car and Truck Rental
A custom vehicle booking system built to scale
Resilience Web
Building the world’s first resilience directory
Interns in Asia
A custom management web app for an internship provider
People Who Asked "What IF?"
Got a Crazy Idea? We're All Ears
Reach out, share your story, and Isaac or Tom will get back to you, usually same day. Let’s make some magic together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I hire a freelance full-stack developer or a studio in Christchurch?
A freelance full-stack developer suits a small, well-defined app with one person making the decisions. A studio makes more sense once the app needs proper interface design, a marketing site to sell it, or cover when the only developer is away. What IF Web is a four-person Christchurch studio, so the app, its design and the marketing site are handled by one small team with no account manager in the middle.
Can What IF Web take over a web app another developer built?
Usually, yes. We review the codebase first and tell you straight whether it's worth building on or cheaper to rebuild, before you commit to any work. Interns in Asia came to us with an app built on outdated technology, and we rebuilt it as a custom intern management app that plugs into their ClickUp workspace.
How much does a custom web application cost?
More than a website, and it varies a lot with scope. The price is driven by how much custom logic, how many user types, and how complex the data and integrations are. A simple internal tool is a different conversation to a multi-sided booking platform. We scope each build properly and quote it, rather than pretending there is a one-size number.
How long does a web application take to build?
Longer than a website, usually a few months rather than a few weeks, depending on complexity. We often start with the core that delivers the most value, get it working, then build out from there. That way you have something real in front of users sooner instead of waiting for the whole thing to land at once.
Can you start with an MVP and build from there?
Yes, and we usually recommend it. Building the smallest version that solves the real problem gets it in front of users faster and tells you what to build next. It also avoids the most common and expensive mistake, which is building far ahead of what the product needs yet.
Do I own the code for my web application?
Yes. What we build for you is yours. You are not locked into us to keep it running, and you are free to take it elsewhere. We would rather you stay because the work is good, not because you are stuck.
Can a web application integrate with our existing tools?
Usually, yes. We connect to third-party platforms and APIs so your app fits the systems you already run rather than forcing you to start again. If something cannot be integrated cleanly, we will tell you that early rather than after the budget is spent.
Is What IF Web based in Christchurch?
Yes. What IF Web is based on St Asaph Street in Christchurch and works with businesses locally and internationally. If you're based in Christchurch and want to meet in person, we're happy to do that.
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