Your app in the stores in weeks. One captain, start to finish.
Shipward designs, builds, ships and launches your app. One command over the whole route, from the first sketch to your first users. From approved Blueprint to the App Store and Google Play: 4 to 8 weeks.
Most apps don't die in the code. They die between the people building them.
You hire a designer. They hand polished screens to a developer who wasn't in the room. The developer hands over an app nobody prepared for the store. The store says no. And the launch? Pushed to later, with an agency starting from zero.
Every handoff drops something. When it breaks, everyone points upstream. You pay the bill, and the delay.
Maybe you've seen it up close:
Quotes from a few thousand to over a hundred thousand dollars for the same app, and no way to compare them.
An AI-built prototype that looks 80% done, and nobody who can explain the other 20%.
A freelancer who vanished, leaving code no one wants to touch.
1 in 4
App Store submissions was rejected in 2024. The store is a real stage, and it needs someone in command.
Source: Apple, App Store Transparency Report 2024
The usual wayFour handoffs. Four places to drop the ball.
DesignerDeveloperStore reviewLaunch agency
ShipwardOne line of command, end to end.
DesignBuildStoreLaunch
Nobody told you apps sink between one handoff and the next. Now you know.
That's why Shipward works differently: one captain, from the first sketch to the first user. And the store starts on day one, not at the end.
The Launch Path
The whole route on the table, before you pay for the build.
Six stages, one command. Scroll and watch the app come together on the phone, from sketch to store.
01 Blueprint · 10 days · before week 1
W1W2W3W4W5W6W7W8
02 Design
wk 1–3
03 Build
wk 2–7
04 Store
from day one
05 Launch
wk 7–8
An 8-week example. Your Blueprint sets your number, between 4 and 8, and it goes into the contract.
0110 days
Blueprint
What to build, what stays out, the key screens designed, a fixed price and a launch date. In writing.
02weeks 1–3
Design
The whole app designed and clickable, with its brand ready. You approve it screen by screen.
03weeks 2–7
Build
The app running on your phone, every week. You never wait until the end to see it.
04from week 1
Store
Accounts, store listing, policies and the tests Apple and Google require, all in parallel. If the store says no, the reply and the resubmission are on us.
05weeks 7–8
Launch
The app's website, analytics in place, launch assets and a plan for the first 4 weeks. Launching is half the job.
06monthly, optional
Grow
New versions, plus the marketing you pick from our catalog. Each piece with a set deliverable and a goal.
week striptoday, by timeV1 · in scope
16 · 16
03 Build · build 0.4 on your phone
VidallyProductivityGet
Approved · both stores
Launch week
Download
✓ App website live
✓ Analytics in place
✓ Launch posts scheduled
✓ Plan for the first 4 weeks
What's new
Version 1.2
Version 1.1
Installs ↑ this month
Store from Day One
When the app is ready, the door is already open.
Most studios think about the store once the app is done, and lose weeks to paperwork at the finish line. Here the store starts in week one, side by side with design and build.
Building is one half. The other is knowing, every week, exactly where your app stands.
How we work
You'll never have to ask where things stand.
Every Friday, the Captain's Log lands in your inbox: what got done, where we're heading, and what we need from you. Plus a short video walking through the app, and the new build on your phone.
Every Friday, in writing.A two-minute read, wherever you are.
Your app on your phone, every week.You follow the product, not a report.
Calls whenever you want.We're always reachable. We just don't need a meeting to keep you on board.
Calls when you want them. Never because you're in the dark.
Inbox
R
Rael · ShipwardCaptain's Log, week 4 · your app
Fri 5:02 PM
Captain's Log · Week 4Friday
Done
Checkout with Apple Pay working, build 0.4 on your phone
Store listing drafted: name, subtitle, 6 screenshots
Google closed test: day 9 of 14, all testers active
And the Captain's Log is written by the person in command of your project.
Who's in command
Rael Alves · Captain
A captain who has launched his own apps.
Rael Alves runs Shipward. Nearly two decades in technology, more than 15 years leading teams.
He builds and runs his own apps, with payments, subscriptions, AI and messaging, in both stores. He's been through Apple rejections, fixes, resubmissions and approvals. That's why the store starts on day one here.
From Blueprint to launch, you talk to him. Not to an account manager.
~20 years in tech15+ years leading teamsApps live on iOS + Android
The first step costs $3,000. And you get all of it back.
Before a single line of code, you need three answers: what to build, what it costs, and when it launches. Without them, every quote is a guess. That's why quotes run from a few thousand to over a hundred thousand dollars for the same app.
The Blueprint gives you all three in 10 days.
01 · Blueprint
$3,000
Fixed price · 10 business days
What goes into your V1, and what waits
The key screens, designed
Who the app is for and how it makes money
A fixed V1 price and a launch date, in writing
V1
from $20,000
Fixed price, set in your Blueprint
Design, Build, Store and Launch. Live in both stores 4 to 8 weeks after your Blueprint.
One fixed price for the whole route, no hourly billing
Milestones: 25% at each approved stage
Code, accounts and app in your name
Grow · optional
Your scope
Monthly · picked from the catalog
After launch, if you want us at the helm.
Pick what we own from the catalog below
A set deliverable and a goal for each piece
Terms that grow as your app grows
Continue with us, and the $3,000 comes off your V1. Don't, and the Blueprint is still yours.Either way, you walk away knowing exactly what to build, what it costs and when it launches.
Grow · the catalog
After launch, you pick what we own. Never billed by the hour.
Every piece comes with a set deliverable and a goal, agreed up front. Three posts a week. A target cost per install. A new version every month. You know exactly what you're paying for.
Store optimization
Store pages, keywords, screenshots and ratings that turn visits into installs.
Paid acquisition
Ad campaigns aimed at one number: what each new paying user costs.
Social media
A set number of posts a week, written, designed and published.
Content and video
Demos, tutorials and short videos that show the app doing its job.
Email and push
Welcome, win-back and upgrade messages that keep users coming back.
Brand and website
Identity, the app's website and landing pages for each campaign.
Conversion and analytics
Paywall and onboarding tests, with a dashboard you can read in a minute.
New versions
Features, fixes and OS updates, each version scoped and dated.
When your app reaches the next level, our deal can grow with it. We'd rather share in the results we help you reach than bill you by the hour.
Still have a question? It's probably one of these.
Questions
Before you ask.
How much does a V1 cost?
A V1 starts at $20,000. Your exact number depends on the app, and the Blueprint gives it to you as a fixed price in writing, before any code. If you continue, the $3,000 comes off it.
Do I own the code?
Yes. The code, the store accounts and the app move to your name once payment is complete.
What if Apple rejects it?
It happens to 1 in 4 submissions. The response, the fix and the resubmission are part of the Store stage, all the way to approval. We don't promise what's Apple's call. We promise to steer it until they say yes.
I already have an AI-built prototype. Does it help?
It's a starting point. In the Blueprint we show you what carries over and what needs rebuilding to hold up with real users.
Why 4 to 8 weeks, and not one number?
Because it depends on the app. A lean app lands near 4; one with payments, integrations and several areas, near 8. Your Blueprint sets your number, and it goes into the contract. The one condition: you reply within 2 business days.
Do you bill by the hour?
No. Every stage and every Grow piece has a set scope and a goal. You know what you're buying before you buy it.
How does payment work?
In milestones: 25% at each approved stage, by bank transfer or card. Need a different setup? Let's talk.
Do you work with founders outside the US? What about time zones?
Yes. We work remotely with founders in the US and beyond. Most of the conversation happens in writing, and calls are booked in your time zone.
And after launch?
Your call: pick what we keep running from the Grow catalog, or take everything and work with whoever you like. The app is yours.
Five questions, five minutes. You'll hear back the same business day, from the person who'll command your project: whether it makes sense, and what your Blueprint would look like.
Walkthrough · 2:14 · build 0.4
Rael Alves · Captain