DreamLabs
DreamLabs
[Who we are]
Santa Monica startups and established companies build custom iOS and Android apps with our senior engineers, using an AI-driven process to launch in weeks instead of the months a traditional build takes.
★★★★★
“Other app developer quoted 10X the price to create a live testable version. DreamLabs pricing structure has meant we can quickly get the app in users hands and see what they think!”
Jenn Brooks · Founder & CEO @ Nurture
As a fractional product team, we start by defining your vision and sharpening your strategy. We don’t just say “yes,” but always ask “why?”, helping your dev budget go further and faster.
We use AI-accelerated development to help teams of all sizes launch custom, scale-ready digital products. Ship in days/weeks, not months/years.
User testing is a bonus service we offer to all clients for free. This means we learn together from real users with each release.
[What We Do]
Our development process for Santa Monica clients pairs AI-assisted architecture, implementation, and testing with direct senior engineering oversight at every stage, across iOS and Android. That combination lets us deliver production-grade mobile applications on a timeline that manual, platform-by-platform development can't match, which matters in a market this competitive.
We move from requirements to a working prototype quickly, then iterate with you in short, transparent cycles rather than a long, opaque development phase. Continuous integration and automated testing run throughout the build, so we catch issues early, and we help you decide up front whether a shared cross-platform codebase or separate native builds fits your product best.
Santa Monica's startup density means we often work alongside founders who are technical themselves and expect a real conversation about architecture, not a sales pitch. We build for that scrutiny, using AI to accelerate implementation and testing while senior engineers stay accountable for every decision that affects how the app performs once it's competing for attention in a crowded market.
[Deliverables]
MVP and early-stage product development for Santa Monica startups that need a working, testable app fast, not a slide deck. AI-accelerated development gets a genuine product in front of real users quickly, with senior engineers directing architecture so the build can scale if the product proves out.
Cross-platform mobile applications from a single, AI-accelerated codebase for Santa Monica companies reaching iOS and Android audiences at once. AI-enabled workflows speed up implementation while our engineers retain full ownership of architecture, security, and performance.
Mobile app development for Santa Monica's media and consumer brands, built to compete for attention in one of the most crowded startup markets in the country. AI-assisted prototyping speeds up iteration, so you're reviewing real, working screens early rather than waiting weeks for a first look.
[FAQs]
A traditional agency bills largely for manual hours across design, development, and QA on each platform separately. Our AI-enabled process lets a small, senior team move through the same work faster, delivering comparable or better quality iOS and Android apps for around $20,000 in about 6 weeks, versus roughly $200,000 and 6 months elsewhere.
Our published tiers anchor the range: prototypes start at $6,000 and full MVPs at $15,000. Pricing depends on scope, but a typical custom cross-platform build with our AI-enabled process runs around $20,000 all-in, compared to the roughly $200,000 an agency using a fully manual process might quote for similar work, with delivery in about 6 weeks instead of 6 months.
It depends on your product. Cross-platform frameworks like Flutter get you to both app stores from one codebase and often make sense for content-driven or early-stage products. Native development makes more sense when you need deep hardware access or heavy performance demands. We help you make that call during discovery.
Yes, and we expect it. Many Santa Monica founders are technical themselves, and senior engineers walk through architecture decisions directly with you rather than filtering everything through account management. AI accelerates implementation, but the technical conversation stays a real one.
[01] Product Strategy
We start by helping you define your long and short-term product visions. We then break down the concepts into concrete features and functions, so we can piece them back together into a prioritized roadmap.
[02] Development
With the framework pinned down, we go heads-down on execution. We leverage AI-powered tooling and a modern Flutter + Firebase stack to develop your product in record time.
[03] Polishing + Launch QA
Your finished product to ensure that each feature works seamlessly, every color is precise and all copy is ready for publication. We then manage the entire app publishing process on mobile, web or both.
