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10 Best App Developers: Chicago Edition

Finding the right app developers in Chicago can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. There are plenty of options on the market, but how do you pick the one that matches your requirements? Relevant experience in your industry and a diverse tech stack are some of the key criteria to pay attention to.

In this article, we’ve shortlisted the 10 best mobile app development companies in Chicago to help you narrow down the search. Learn about top agencies in the Windy City, their expertise, the development services in Chicago, and standout projects.

Reading time: 9 minutes

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Key takeaways

Here is the summary of the top 10 app developers in Chicago and the run-down of the services they offer:

Company name Logo Services Niches
Purrweb Purrweb logo Cross-platform & mobile app development, UX audit, UX/UI design, project discovery Healthcare, IoT, fintech, smart TV, eCommerce
Red Foundry Red Foundry logo Native development, consulting, UX design, post-release updates Foodtech, healthcare, travel
tms tms logo Mobile & web app development, stack integration, gamification, marketing strategy, brand partnerships Foodtech, telecommunication services 
Five Pack Five Pack logo Custom app & web development, UI/UX design, staffing Dating apps, fintech, travel
Mercury Development Mercury Development logo Mobile, web & desktop development, staff augmentation, IoT systems Logistics, healthcare, social media, fitness
Utility Agency Utility Agency logo iOS & Android app development, UI/UX design, mobile games, web platforms Travel, education, wellness, sports
Focused Labs Focused Labs logo Custom software development, AI implementation, legacy modernization, staff augmentation Supply chain management, travel
Calibrate Software Calibrate Software logo Wireframes, AppStore marketing, UX design, app development, system/API integration Fintech, education, sports
Goji Labs Goji Labs logo Product strategy, UI/UX design, mobile app development Sports, fintech, healthcare, AI, insurance
Rightpoint Rightpoint logo Digital marketing, customer research, content services, sales & service experience Healthcare, fintech, retail

Insights into the mobile app market

It’s no secret that smartphones have become an essential part of daily life. Order a taxi, book a doctor’s appointment, or transfer money across the world within seconds — these everyday tasks can be completed with a few clicks on your phone.

The numbers confirm — mobile usage keeps rising. And it has an impact on how businesses operate and connect with customers.

Here are some stats:

    • There are around 6.3 billion smartphone users across the world and 1.14 billion tablet users.
    • In 2024, mobile apps generated over $935 billion in revenue.
    • Studies show that the average American checks their phone 262 times per day. That’s about once every 5.5 minutes.
    • The average smartphone owner uses 10 apps per day and 30 apps each month.

5 benefits of mobile apps for a business

Regardless of the size or the industry, any business in Chicago can benefit from having a mobile app for their customers. In 10+ years on the market, we’ve developed apps for food delivery services, massage salons, crypto startups, and real estate companies.

All of our clients needed a mobile app for different reasons, but the most popular were:

    • Build a stronger brand. An app can keep your business in front of the customers’ eyes and remind them of your brand every time they unlock the phone.
    • Connect with customers better. Get a direct line with clients to share updates, answer their questions, and provide support.
    • Improve customer engagement and loyalty. With a mobile app, a business can use push notifications, rewards, and exclusive content to keep users interested.
    • Personalize a marketing channel. An app collects data that helps businesses create individual offers, promotions, and messages.
    • Boost profits. A smooth user experience, easy transactions, and targeted deals lead to more conversions and higher revenue.

1. Purrweb

Purrweb logo, top app development company in Chicago

🛠️ Services: mobile app development, cross-platform development, UX audit, UX/UI design, project discovery

🔎 Key niches: healthcare, IoT, fintech, smart TV, eCommerce

Purrweb is a full-cycle development company with 10+ years of experience and expertise in various industries: fintech, food delivery, logistics, and healthcare. Our main focus is to help businesses from Chicago quickly develop a product and launch it on the market without sacrificing quality or stretching the budget.

We use a diverse tech stack to create mobile apps in Chicago, including tools like JavaScript, React Native, Electron.js, and React.js. Cross-platform frameworks allow us to reuse the same codebase for iOS and Android versions of an app and have a faster turnaround time and lower costs.

At Purrweb, we offer a range of development services in Chicago:

⭐️ Our experience:

 

Niche: fintech/online payments

Market: Balkan region, RSA, and Dubai

Duration: 10 months

We developed Together, a Montenegrin cashless tipping app that turned into a full financial ecosystem. Initially, our client wanted a product that would simplify tipping via QR codes. However, later, the app expanded to enable cashless payments for small businesses and service workers, addressing Montenegro’s limited mobile banking infrastructure. The project took longer than expected as the scope kept growing.

We incorporated new features like income tracking, seamless transactions, and a vibrant design. Despite being nearly complete, the app has not yet launched, as our client is strategizing their market entry and potential expansion to Serbia, RSA, and Dubai.

Mobile app screens

We came up with a vibrant color palette to stand out from traditional banking apps

Looking for the best mobile app development company Chicago has to offer?
We look forward to hearing from you. Contact us for a free project estimate within 48 hours.
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2. Red Foundry

Red Foundry app development company

🛠️ Services: native development, consulting, UX design, post-release updates

🔎 Key niches: foodtech, healthcare, travel

Red Foundry, from Chicago, specializes in custom native development for web & mobile apps. They work with clients of all sizes, from large corporations to emerging startups.

The company offers a unique AppCare Maintenance Program: they take on the responsibility of keeping the app healthy and relevant post-launch. For example, in the case of OS, SDK, and API updates, the team will prepare and release a new version of the app to reflect the changes.

3. tms

tms app development company

🛠️ Services: mobile & web app development, analytics, stack integration, gamification, marketing strategy, brand partnerships, contract management

🔎 Key niches: foodtech, telecommunication services

tms definitely stands out among other mobile app development companies in Chicago. Though headquartered in the city, they have 10 offices worldwide and combine software development, marketing, and sourcing services. Essentially, they can not only develop a digital product but also come up with a marketing strategy, find PR partners, and set up supply management systems for production.

Some of their recent projects include a partnership between Samsung and artist collective MSCHF and a custom campaign “Winning Sips” for McDonald’s. Making tms a great development partner for large corporations and special projects with large budgets.

4. Five Pack

Five Pack app development company

🛠️ Services: custom app development, web development, UI/UX design, staffing 

🔎 Key niches: dating apps, fintech, travel 

Five Pack specializes in development services in Chicago for entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies. The company focuses on tailoring the mobile development process around the client’s needs and providing mobile solutions that fit business needs.

Five Pack stands out from other mobile app developers in Chicago with its Launch Lab service: a 30-day program for startup owners to refine their ideas. Starting with a one-day in-person session, the team helps define the problem you’re solving, the user you’re solving it for, and the software solution that meets those needs. In the end, you get a large stack of deliverables, including a prototype, design wireframes, tech recommendations, and cost estimates.

5. Mercury Development

Mercury Development app development company

🛠️ Services: mobile, web & desktop development, staff augmentation, IoT systems

🔎 Key niches: logistics, healthcare, social media, fitness 

Mercury Development has been in business for over 23 years. The company designs and develops custom mobile and web applications for startups, mid-size clients, and enterprises. The team is skilled in working with emerging technologies, like augmented reality, Bluetooth Low Energy, and wearables integration.

6. Utility Agency

Utility Agency app development company

🛠️ Services: iOS & Android app development, UI/UX design, mobile games, web platforms 

🔎 Key niches: travel, education, wellness, sports

Utility is among the industry-leading mobile app developers Chicago businesses can trust for innovative products. The team designs and creates custom mobile apps, platforms, and experiences. The agency works with an array of clients, from global brands and media properties to innovative startups and funded ventures. The list includes Airbnb, Forbes, BuzzFeed, and Counslr.

7. Focused Labs

Focused Labs app development company

🛠️ Services: custom software development, AI implementation, legacy modernization, staff augmentation

🔎 Key niches: supply chain management, travel

Focused Labs is an experienced Chicago mobile app development company with a client-first approach. The team’s method is guided by project requirements and includes extreme collaboration: in-depth questions, continuous delivery, and frequent communication. “Our team is your team,” says Focused Labs, embedding themselves within the client’s teams to build solutions that adapt and scale.

8. Calibrate Software

Calibrate Software app development company

🛠️ Services: wireframes, AppStore marketing, UX design, app development, system/API integration

🔎 Key niches: fintech, education, sports

Calibrate Software is a mobile app development company in Chicago with a 4-step approach: Strategy-Design-Develop-Iterate. First, the agency does market research and studies the competition to find the best strategy for bringing the idea into reality. Only after that does Calibrate Software move on to planning UX and coding. After the release, the team gathers user feedback and data-driven insights to further refine the product over time.

9. Goji Labs

Goji Labs app development company

🛠️ Services: product strategy, UI/UX design, mobile app development

🔎 Key niches: sports, fintech, healthcare, AI, insurance

For over a decade, Goji Labs has helped startups, nonprofits, and corporations build and launch products that scale their operations. The team is 100% remote because the company prioritizes hiring global talent. As a result, they have experts with experience in different regional markets, and the price goes way down compared to other development services in Chicago.

10. Rightpoint

Rightpoint app development company

🛠️ Services: digital marketing, customer research, content services, sales & service experience

🔎 Key niches: healthcare, fintech, retail

Rightpoint is a design studio and customer experience agency based in Chicago. They focus on digital transformation in many fields, including health, retail, manufacturing, financial, and professional services. The team has multidisciplinary expertise across research & analytics, strategy, design, content, and development.

Rightpoint uses the Total Experience approach, which focuses on the needs of both employees and end users. This approach helps them combine a comfortable work environment, a thought-out product experience, and the use of the latest technologies like AI.

To sum up

As smartphone usage is on the rise, many businesses, regardless of their size, niche, and location, are exploring the idea of getting a mobile app. It can help build a stronger brand, connect with customers, enhance engagement, and boost profits.

However, hiring a trusted IT agency is crucial for turning your app idea into reality. We recommend doing your research and making sure your perfect partner has relevant experience, great reviews, media presence, and necessary market expertise. Read our article about finding the right software partner.

⭐️ Our experience:

 

Niche: fintech/online payments

Market: Egypt

Results: 130k+ active users, 100k+ downloads

Purrweb has developed projects for many regional markets. For example, our Middle Easter expertise includes We’re All Winners (WAW), a discount coupon and lottery app for Egyptian users.

We managed to complete the project in just 4 months instead of the estimated seven. However, our team still had enough time to redesign the UI/UX, adapt the app to the Arabic language, and build the backend using Firebase. We managed to do that because of a structured approach, a clear roadmap, and a scalable architecture. All our efforts led to quick results — the app attracted over 130,000 users in the first 6 months.

Three screenshots of the We’re All Winners mobile app

We choose a color palette suitable for the bright Egyptian Sun

Looking for the best mobile app development company Chicago has to offer? Purrweb has successfully delivered 550+ projects for clients in healthcare, logistics, retail, IoT, and many other industries. Fill in the form and get a free project estimate in 48 hours.

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