Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers to the questions we are asked most often. If yours is not here, send it over and we will answer it properly.
Common questions
How much does it cost to build an app?
Our product builds start at €3,000 for a focused first version — one platform, up to eight core screens, cloud deployment and one AI feature — delivered in about four weeks. Anything beyond that fixed scope is quoted separately. Most projects begin with a €800 discovery sprint that produces a costed plan you keep regardless of who builds it.
How long does a project take?
A discovery sprint takes about a week. A first production version is typically about four weeks for a fixed scope, longer for platforms with several user types or heavy integration work. You get a real timeline at the end of discovery, not before it.
What is a discovery sprint and why is it paid?
One week spent pressure-testing the idea, producing a scope, a technical architecture plan, an assessment of where AI genuinely helps, and a costed delivery roadmap. It is paid because it is real work, and the output is yours to keep even if you take it to another team.
Do you work with startups or established businesses?
Both. The common factor is a product that needs to actually ship rather than a document describing one.
When could you start?
Discovery sprints usually start within a week or two. Build slots depend on what is already running, so ask and you will get a straight answer rather than a maybe — the team is deliberately small, which means real attention on your project and a limited number of them at a time.
How does payment work?
Half to start, half on delivery. The discovery sprint is invoiced in full up front, as it is a week of work with a deliverable at the end. Everything is quoted as a fixed price before it begins — there are no hourly surprises. Invoices are in euros, pounds sterling or US dollars, payable by bank transfer (SEPA or international), card, Wise or PayPal — whichever is simplest from where you are.
What happens if something breaks after you hand it over?
Bugs in the scope we delivered are fixed free for 30 days after launch. That is not a support plan, it is us standing behind the work. New features and ongoing changes are what the monthly partnership is for.
What happens after launch?
Most clients move onto a monthly partnership covering continuous delivery, support, infrastructure and cost management, and growth iteration. It is priced at the same weekly rate as a build, from €750 per month, and runs rolling with 30 days’ notice.
What does the €750 a month actually buy?
Reserved capacity — roughly a week of work each month held open for you, used for whatever the product needs that month. Some months that is a new feature, others it is infrastructure, a library upgrade or nothing much at all. Unused time does not roll over, because what you are paying for is the slot being there rather than a block of hours to spend later. You can stop any month with 30 days’ notice.
What if we only need help occasionally?
Then a retainer is the wrong shape and we will say so. Occasional work is €250 a day, scheduled into a free slot rather than dropped everything for — if you need someone on call, that is what the monthly partnership is for. Two or more days most months and the retainer costs you less.
What does it cost to run once it is live?
That depends on the product, but it is separate from what you pay us and it goes to the providers directly. Hosting, the Apple and Google developer accounts, payment processing and any AI usage sit in accounts held in your name — we configure them, you own them. It keeps costs visible, avoids a markup, and means nothing is trapped with us if you ever move on.
Who owns the code?
You do. That includes the discovery output, the application code and the infrastructure configuration.
Do you support Arabic and right-to-left interfaces?
Yes, on every product we ship. English, French and Arabic with full RTL — mirrored layouts, flipped iconography and bidirectional text — built in from the start rather than retrofitted, because retrofitting RTL is expensive and usually looks wrong.
Can you add AI to a product we already have?
Yes. We read the existing codebase, identify where a model removes real work for your users, and integrate that feature without a rewrite. We will also tell you where AI would add cost and no value.
Where are you based?
Two offices. Nova AI CLOUD LTD is registered in England and Wales, company number 17381937, at 71–75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ. We also work out of Alexandria, Egypt — Nova AI, 75 El Fath Street, Fleming, company number 32997. That is part of why Arabic and right-to-left are not an afterthought for us. Clients are across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and most delivery is remote.
Is there anything you do not take on?
Yes, and it saves everyone time to say so. We do not build games, we do not work on blockchain or web3 products, we do not do WordPress or Shopify theme work, and we do not take design-only briefs to hand to someone else’s developers. If your project is one of those, you deserve a team who does that work properly rather than one learning on your budget.
How do we start?
Send a message through the contact form or on WhatsApp describing the product, your timeline and the problem you need solved. We reply with a concrete next step, usually within one working day.
Tell us what you are building
Most projects start with a one-week discovery sprint. You get a scope, a technical plan and a costed roadmap — yours to keep, whoever builds it.