Mobile app development
Android, iOS and offline-ready web apps for Kenyan businesses, with M-Pesa payments built in.
- Flutter for Android and iOS
- Offline-first PWAs
- M-Pesa built in
Overview
What is mobile app development?
Mobile app development is the design and build of the apps Kenyan businesses give their customers and staff to use on phones and tablets. Quickwave builds Android and iOS apps in Flutter and installable progressive web apps (PWAs) that keep working offline, with M-Pesa payments, for businesses and startups in Kenya. We built the ZetuPay Android app and the offline Wave POS till this way.
Who this is for
- Startups launching a mobile or fintech product
- Businesses that want customers to pay by M-Pesa inside an app
- Retail and field teams that work where the network drops
- Companies turning a web system into an app staff can install
- SACCOs, schools and membership organisations serving members on their phones
What you get
What we deliver
Android and iOS apps in Flutter
One Flutter codebase for Android and iOS, so new features reach both together. Our ZetuPay app is a Flutter app, released for Android, with wallet balances, transactions, top-ups, transfers and QR scanning.
Offline-first apps and PWAs
Apps that save work on the device and sync it in order when the connection returns, without recording anything twice. The Wave POS till installs from Chrome and keeps selling with no internet.
M-Pesa payments in the app
STK Push checkout, payment status and receipts through ZetuPay or Safaricom Daraja. Secret keys stay on your server, never inside the app, and each payment is confirmed from the callback.
Secure sign-in
Fingerprint or face login, tokens kept in the phone’s secure storage, PINs for staff who share a device, and optional two-factor sign-in for admin accounts.
Scanning and printing
QR and barcode scanning with the camera or a USB scanner, and receipts on 58 mm or 80 mm thermal printers over USB or Bluetooth, as in the Wave POS till.
Backend, API and admin dashboard
The server side every app needs: a REST API, user roles, an admin dashboard for your team and signed webhooks to your other systems, built in Laravel or Next.js.
Process
How we work
Discover
A short call about your users, screens, roles and payments. You then get a written, itemised quote with milestones.
Design
We design the key screens and flows for small phone screens first, and you approve them before the build starts.
Build and test
You try early builds on your own phone. We test M-Pesa with small real payments and check how the app behaves when the connection drops.
Release and support
We prepare signed release builds for your Google Play and Apple developer accounts, or install the PWA on your devices, then stay on for fixes and updates.
Technology we use
- Flutter
- Dart
- PWA + service worker
- IndexedDB offline sync
- Vue 3
- TypeScript
- Laravel 12
- Next.js
- Safaricom Daraja API
- ZetuPay API
Proof
Built into our own products
The same engineering is inside the products we design and build ourselves.
FAQ
Mobile apps: common questions
How much does it cost to build an app in Kenya?
It depends on scope: how many screens and user roles, whether it takes M-Pesa, and whether it must work offline. We send a written, itemised quote after a short discovery call, so you see the cost of each feature before work starts. The quote also sets out a timeline with milestones.
Do you build Android and iOS apps?
Yes. We build in Flutter, so one codebase runs on Android and iOS. Our own ZetuPay app is a Flutter app that merchants download for Android.
Should I build a native app or a progressive web app (PWA)?
It depends on who will use it. A PWA installs from the browser, needs no app store and picks up updates on its own, which suits staff tools such as the Wave POS till. A Flutter app suits customer-facing apps that need a store listing, fingerprint login or deeper phone features.
Can the app work without internet?
Yes. We build offline-first: the app saves data on the device and syncs it in order once the connection is back, without duplicates. The Wave POS till keeps selling, printing receipts and switching cashiers with no internet.
Can you add M-Pesa payments to my app?
Yes. The app asks your server to send an M-Pesa STK Push prompt through ZetuPay or Safaricom Daraja, and the payment is confirmed from the callback. Your keys stay on the server, so they never ship inside the app where they could be extracted.
Do I need a Google Play or Apple developer account?
Yes, for apps in the stores. Google Play charges a one-time USD 25 registration fee and the Apple Developer Program costs USD 99 a year, according to Google and Apple as of October 2026. We prepare signed release builds for your accounts, and a PWA needs neither.
Keep exploring
Related services, products and guides
- M-Pesa & payment integration
Add M-Pesa STK Push, paybill, till and payouts to your website, app or system.
- Web development
Fast websites, online shops and web apps for Kenyan businesses, with M-Pesa checkout and SEO built in.
- UI/UX design
Clear, accessible interfaces for web and mobile products, designed by the team that builds them.
- ZetuPay
M-Pesa payment gateway
- Wave POS
Point of sale software
Get in touch
Let’s talk about your mobile apps project.
Message us on WhatsApp with a few lines about your business and what you need. We will come back to you with next steps, a timeline and a clear quote.