Solution · Social

Chat and Messaging App Development

People judge a messenger in the first minute, by whether a message lands the instant it is sent. Behind that tick sit a real-time server, offline queues, push notifications and encryption that keeps even you out of the conversation. We build that, designed new for your audience by a team that has built messaging apps many times. Most first releases go live in about 30 days.

  • iOS, Android, web and desktop
  • Groups, channels and voice notes
  • End-to-end encrypted, on your servers
How it works

From typing a message to two blue ticks.

A message has to arrive in under a second, even when the other phone is off or on a train. This is the path every message takes, and the part of the software carrying each step.

  1. 01

    Sign up

    A phone number or email is verified, and contacts already using the app appear straight away.

    Sign-up and contact discovery

  2. 02

    Send

    The message is encrypted on the phone before it leaves, so the server only ever carries sealed text.

    End-to-end encryption

  3. 03

    Deliver

    The server passes it on in real time, or holds it until the other phone comes back online.

    Real-time delivery and offline queue

  4. 04

    Notify

    A push notification wakes the other phone without showing the message itself to Apple or Google.

    Private push notifications

  5. 05

    Read

    Ticks show sent, delivered and read, unless somebody has chosen to turn their read receipts off.

    Receipts and presence

  6. 06

    Keep

    History syncs to linked devices and backs up encrypted, so a new phone starts with every chat.

    Linked devices and backups

Features

One messenger, three points of view.

Users, group admins and you each see the app built for their job, all running on one system you own.

For users

Message anybody privately, in groups or in channels, from any device they own.

  • One-to-one chat with receipts and typing
  • Groups with replies, reactions and mentions
  • Voice notes, photos, files and locations
  • Voice and video calls from any chat
  • Disappearing messages and view-once media
  • Search across every chat
  • Linked phone, web and desktop
  • Block, report and privacy settings

For group admins

Run a group or a channel with the tools to keep it useful.

  • Admins, moderators and members
  • A switch so only admins post
  • Invite links with approval
  • Pinned messages and announcements
  • Remove, mute and report members
  • Channels with followers, not members
  • Communities that hold several groups
  • Member limits you set

For you, the owner

Run the service without ever reading a private message.

  • Users, groups and channels
  • Reports with the messages users attached
  • Spam and bulk-invite detection
  • Bans by account and device
  • Storage, delivery and uptime
  • Your branding and your features
  • Data export and deletion requests
  • Active users, messages and retention
Ways to earn

Six ways your messaging app earns.

Start with one and add the rest as you grow. Every rate is yours to set in the admin panel.

  • Most common

    Premium plan

    Bigger groups, larger files and extra features, billed monthly.

  • Business accounts

    Verified profiles, catalogues and customer chat for companies.

  • Paid channels

    Subscriptions to channels with exclusive updates.

  • Stickers and themes

    Packs sold in the app, by you or by artists.

  • Private deployments

    Your messenger licensed to companies on their own servers.

  • Channel sponsorships

    Sponsored posts in public channels, never in private chats.

Clients

What our clients say.

I worked with AppKodes for a website and mobile app development project, and overall, I'm very satisfied with the results. Their team was responsive and flexible throughout the process, and they delivered a product that met my expectations both in design and functionality.
Яша ФирузApr 2025
It was a good experience working with the team. They understood my ideas clearly and built everything as expected. The team was supportive, quick to respond, and helped me whenever I needed changes. Thank you for your hard work and support!
Prem SharmaApr 2025
Overall very good experience. I have been availing services for past 3 years. They are available for discussions and resolving issues whenever we faced any. Mr. Saravana has been looking after our project and I'm very much happy with his timely response. I would definetely recommend.
Vannala RajuApr 2025
Top features

The features that make a messaging app work.

Built into your app and shaped around whoever it is that your users actually want to talk to. Each one is designed and built new for you, and nothing here is switched on from a shelf.

  • Are we still on for Sunday?

    Yes, 8am at the park08:12

    MayaTyping

    Messages that arrive instantly

    Sent, delivered and read ticks, typing indicators and replies, all in real time across every device.

  • 0:42
    “Running ten minutes late, save me a spot by the gate and I will bring the coffees.”
    Playback speed1.5×

    Voice notes

    Record, pause and send, with playback speed controls and a transcript wherever you want one.

  • LLeeds Runners148 members
    Admins3
    Moderators5
    Invite linkNeeds approval
    Only admins post

    Groups that stay useful

    Admins, moderators, invite links and a switch so only admins post.

  • City Council Updates12.4k following

    Road closures this weekend: Park Lane shut from 7am Saturday for resurfacing.

    👍 1.2k🙏 340😮 86
    Followers postNever

    Channels for broadcasting

    One-way updates to thousands of followers, who react without flooding anybody.

  • Security code with Maya
    4821390576133987204155820631742095881436
    Compared in personVerified

    Encryption you can verify

    Each chat has a security code both people compare, proving nobody sits in the middle.

  • Linked devices

    iPhone 15This phone
    MacBook AirActive now
    Chrome on WindowsLast seen yesterday

    Every device, one account

    Phone, web and desktop linked together, with history synced to each.

Inside the app

Everything a messaging app needs, from day one.

A chat app looks like the simplest thing on a phone, which is exactly why people notice every flaw. A message that arrives late, twice or out of order is the whole product failing, not a small bug.

This is the machinery we build into yours, shaped around your audience and how they talk. Each piece is designed and built new for you, by a team that has built messaging apps many times.

Get a free costed plan
  • End-to-end encryptionMessages are encrypted on the sender's phone and decrypted only on the recipient's, using the Signal Protocol or an equivalent. Your servers carry sealed text they cannot open, and a copy of your database holds nothing readable. Each chat has a security code people compare to prove nobody sits in the middle.
  • Real-time delivery at scaleMessages travel over a persistent connection, so they arrive in well under a second when both phones are online. When a phone is offline, messages wait in a queue and arrive in order when it reconnects. Nothing is lost, delivered twice or shown out of sequence, which is harder than it sounds.
  • Push without leakingA notification has to wake a phone without telling Apple or Google what the message says. The push carries only a signal, and the app fetches and decrypts the message itself. Previews on the lock screen stay the user's choice, not a side effect of the plumbing.
  • Groups, channels and communitiesGroups are conversations where every single member gets to talk. Channels are broadcasts with followers rather than members, so a large audience never floods anybody's phone. Communities hold several groups under one roof, which is how clubs, schools and companies actually organise.
  • Voice notes, media and filesVoice notes keep recording with the screen locked, and they play back at up to double speed. Photos and video are compressed for the network they are sent over, and files carry their original quality where it matters. Media is encrypted like the messages, and stored on your servers or a storage provider you choose.
  • Calls inside the chatVoice and video calls start from any chat, one to one or in a group, over WebRTC. They use the same encryption and the same contacts, so there is nothing extra to set up. Missed calls land in the chat, so the conversation carries on where the call left off.
  • Every device, in syncOne account runs on a phone, a web browser and a desktop app at the same time. Each linked device holds its own keys, so linking a laptop never weakens the encryption. Encrypted backups restore every chat to a new phone, protected by a key only the user holds.
  • Your servers, your rulesThe whole service runs on infrastructure in your name, in the region your users or your regulator expect. Nothing routes through a third-party chat platform that could change its prices or its terms. That matters most for companies, schools, clinics and governments, where the data has to stay put.
Additional features

The extra features you may need.

The core app already covers one-to-one and group chat, voice notes, media, encryption and linked devices. These are the extras clients ask for most often, and each one is designed for your app and priced in your costed plan.

  • Group calls

    Calls for larger groups, through a media server.

  • Screen sharing

    Shared from a call, on desktop or phone.

  • Message translation

    Chats translated into the reader's language.

  • Bots and integrations

    Automated accounts for alerts, orders and support.

  • Business profiles

    Verified companies with catalogues and quick replies.

  • Payments in chat

    Money sent between users, or paid to businesses.

  • Stories and status

    Updates that disappear after a day.

  • Compliance archive

    Retention and export for regulated companies.

  • Single sign-on

    Company logins for workplace messengers.

  • Store launch designs

    Store screenshots and banners designed for launch.

Markets

One app type, many conversations.

The same pattern of private chat, groups and channels works for almost any group of people who need to talk. Each version is designed around its own audience: its privacy, its size, its idea of an urgent message.

  • Workplace chatTeams, departments and company logins.
  • Schools and parentsClass groups with teachers as admins.
  • Healthcare teamsClinical chat that stays on your servers.
  • Communities and clubsGroups, events and announcements.
  • Regional messengersA national app in local languages.
  • Faith communitiesChannels for services and notices.
  • GamingClans, voice notes and quick invites.
  • Dating and social appsChat built into a larger product.
  • MarketplacesBuyers and sellers talking safely.
  • Field teamsCrews sharing photos and locations.
  • Public sectorStaff chat on servers in the country.
  • Customer supportBusinesses answering customers in chat.

Building for a different group? Tell us who needs to talk and we will scope it.

Trust and safety

Keep conversations safe and private.

A messenger holds the most private thing people write, so safety and privacy have to work together. These are built in from the first release, rather than bolted on after the first complaint.

  • Reports with evidenceThe reporter shares recent messages, since nobody else sees them.
  • Spam caught by behaviourNew accounts sending invites in bulk are slowed or stopped.
  • Block and restrictUsers block anybody, and choose who adds them to groups.
  • Privacy by ageDefaults set by age, where your market requires it.
  • Bans that stickA banned account stays banned with a new number.
  • Audit logWho acted, when, and what they decided.
Timeline

From first call to launch.

Most first releases go live in about 30 days. Larger apps take longer, and your costed plan fixes the scope and the exact date.

BeforeWeek 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Day 30+
  1. Free costed planBefore we start
  2. Design and prototypeWeek 1
  3. Build and testWeeks 2 to 4
  4. Launch and supportFrom about day 30
  5. Store submissionWeeks 4 to 5

Where most of the work happens

What you get along the way.

  • A plan before you commitThe scope, a fixed price and a launch date in writing, free, whether you go ahead or not.
  • A prototype in week oneYour screens in your brand, clickable, before a line of code is written.
  • A new build every weekThe app reaches your phone each week, so you watch it take shape instead of waiting for a reveal.
  • Both stores handledWe prepare the listings, submit the apps and answer the reviewers. Only the store account fees are yours.
  • A team that staysAfter launch we keep the apps fixed, current and running, and price new features the same way.
  • Tested on bad connectionsEvery build sends messages through dropped signal, airplane mode and a phone switched off for a day.
  • Encryption reviewed firstKey handling and the encryption itself are both reviewed before a single real user ever signs up.
Get your date in writing
Questions

Before you build.

Not here? The costed plan answers the rest, for your app.

Can it work like WhatsApp or Telegram?

Yes, and people will find it familiar. One-to-one chat, groups, channels, voice notes, calls and read receipts all work the way they expect. The difference is that it is yours, on your servers, with your features and your rules.

Can we read messages if we have the database?

No, and that is the point of end-to-end encryption. Messages are sealed on the sender's phone and opened only on the recipient's, so your database holds nothing readable. Not your team, not a hacker who copies it and not a court order will ever recover the text.

Then how do you moderate it?

Through what users themselves choose to share with you. A report sends the recent messages from that chat to your team, because the reporter already sees them. Spam is caught by behaviour rather than content, like a new account sending hundreds of invites. Public channels are moderated normally, since they were never private.

How fast do messages arrive?

Usually in well under a second when both phones are online, over a connection that stays open. When one is offline, the message waits in a queue and arrives in order the moment it reconnects. We test delivery on bad and patchy networks, rather than only on the office wi-fi.

How many users will it handle?

As many as you grow to, because the chat servers scale sideways rather than up. Connections are spread across machines, and a busy evening adds servers instead of adding delay. Your costed plan states the capacity it is built for, and what the next step costs.

Does it work on web and desktop too?

Yes, as linked devices on the same account. Each device holds its own encryption keys, so a laptop never weakens the phone's security. History syncs between them, and the web version runs without the phone being switched on.

Should we use a chat SDK instead?

For a feature inside another app, often yes. For a messenger that is the product, an SDK charges per user every month and keeps the data on its servers. Your own build is a fixed cost, and the users, the data and the roadmap stay yours.

Is this a ready-made app?

No, and none of them ever is. Every app we build is designed and built new, for the one client who asked for it. We have built messaging apps many times, which is what lets us fix the scope, price and launch date before we start.

How long does it take?

Most first releases go live in about 30 days. Larger apps, with desktop clients, group calls or several add-on modules, take a little longer. Your free costed plan fixes the scope and the exact launch date in writing, before you commit.

Which platforms do I get?

Apps for iOS and Android, a web version and desktop apps for Windows and Mac, plus a web admin panel. Some clients start with the phone apps and add the web and desktop versions later.

Who owns the app and the data?

You own both of them, completely and from day one. The code sits in your own repository, the cloud accounts stand in your company's name, and the apps ship under your own developer accounts. Documentation gets written for a developer who never met us.

Next step

Your first release could be live
next month.

Tell us about the app you want to build. We send back a costed plan with a fixed price and a launch date, free and yours to keep.

Eighteen years of excellence