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Laravel · Next.js · Custom PHP

Web Application Development: Laravel, Next.js & Custom PHP Apps

Hi, I’m Arul. For more than 14 years I’ve been building websites, and more and more often, the tools behind them. Admin dashboards that replace a messy spreadsheet. Booking systems that stop the 11 pm WhatsApp back-and-forth. Client portals where your customers log in and find exactly what they need.

If your business has outgrown what a WordPress plugin or an off-the-shelf SaaS can do, I build the web application that fits the way you actually work. I use Laravel, Next.js/React and plain, well-written PHP, from my desk in Kozhikode, for clients across India, the UAE, the UK, Canada and Australia.

Book a free 30-minute consultation See pricing

Fixed written quote You own the source code Free support after launch

Note: Every web app is scoped individually. The prices below are starting points so you know roughly where you’ll land. Your fixed quote comes after a free 30-minute call.

Custom web application dashboard showing bookings, revenue and client payments

What I build

You don’t need to know the technical name for what you want. Tell me the problem and I’ll suggest the right shape. These are the things I’m asked for most:

Custom Laravel applications

The backbone of most of my web app work. Laravel gives you secure logins, clean databases and room to grow. It’s my default when your workflow is too specific for a plugin.

Next.js & React web apps

Fast, app-like interfaces with excellent SEO through server-side rendering and static generation. I often pair a Next.js frontend with a Laravel API backend.

PHP development & legacy rescues

Got an old PHP system that “nobody dares to touch”? I’ll audit it, stabilise it, and either modernise it in steps or move it to Laravel.

APIs & integrations

REST APIs for your mobile app or partners, plus integrations with payment gateways (Razorpay, Stripe, PayPal), WhatsApp, SMS and email services, Google Workspace, accounting tools and shipping providers.

Admin dashboards

One screen that shows what’s happening in your business: orders, leads, staff tasks, stock and reports, with PDF/Excel export.

Booking & scheduling systems

Appointments, classes, tours, rooms or rentals, with real-time availability, deposits or full payment, reminders, and an operator dashboard.

Client portals

A private, branded login where your clients download invoices, upload documents, track project status or raise requests, so they stop emailing you for them.

SaaS MVPs

You have a product idea and need a working first version to test with real users. I build lean MVPs with subscriptions, user accounts and an admin panel, so you can validate before you spend big.

CRM / ERP-lite tools

Lightweight, made-for-you CRM or operations tools for leads, quotations, invoices, inventory and staff, without paying per seat for features you’ll never use.

Multi-vendor marketplaces

Platforms where several sellers or service providers list, sell and get paid, with vendor dashboards, commissions and an admin approval flow.

Progressive Web Apps (PWA)

Your web app installs on a phone’s home screen, loads fast, and can work offline for key screens. It’s often the sensible step before (or instead of) a native app.

Web Application Development Pricing

Honest starting prices. Your final figure depends on features, user roles and integrations, and I’ll always give it to you in writing as a fixed quote before we start.

Starter Web App

from ₹20,000

≈ $209

Best for: One focused tool: a booking form with admin, an internal dashboard, a simple portal.

Contact Us
Scope
Timeline: 2–4 weeks
Laravel (or PHP) + Blade/Livewire
Up to ~5 screens, 1 core module
Admin + 1 user type
Application features
Custom admin panel (basic)
Database design (MySQL)
Payment gateway (add-on)
Email notifications
REST API / third-party integrations (add-on)
Reports & export, PDF/Excel (basic)
File uploads & management
PWA (installable)
Hosting & security
Cloud VPS setup + SSL
Security basics: HTTPS, hashed passwords, CSRF/XSS protection, role checks
Support & handover
Free support after launch: 3 months
Source code handover & Git repository access
Documentation: short guide

Most Popular

Business Web App

from ₹60,000

≈ $628

Best for: Running a real part of your business online: a client portal, CRM-lite, a booking system with payments.

Contact Us
Scope
Timeline: 6–10 weeks
Laravel + Livewire/Inertia or Next.js frontend
Up to ~20 screens, 3–5 modules
Up to 3 roles & permissions
Application features
Custom admin panel (full)
Database design (MySQL)
Payment gateway: 1 (Razorpay / Stripe / PayPal)
Email + SMS or WhatsApp notifications
REST API / up to 2 integrations
Reports & export, PDF/Excel
File uploads & management
PWA (installable), optional
Hosting & security
Cloud VPS + SSL + automated backups
Security basics: HTTPS, hashed passwords, CSRF/XSS protection, role checks
Support & handover
Free support after launch: 1 year
Source code handover & Git repository access
Documentation: guide + 1 training call

Custom Build

SaaS / Platform

from ₹1,50,000

≈ $1,571

Best for: SaaS MVPs, multi-vendor marketplaces, ERP-lite, multi-branch systems. Scoped individually.

Contact Us
Scope
Timeline: 10–16+ weeks (phased)
Laravel API + Next.js/React, queues, caching
Unlimited screens, scoped per phase
Multi-role, multi-tenant / multi-vendor
Application features
Custom admin panel (full + analytics)
Database design (MySQL), optimised for scale
Multiple payment gateways + subscriptions / payouts
All notification channels + scheduled jobs
Public/private API + integrations
Custom reports & export
File uploads & management (cloud storage)
PWA (installable)
Hosting & security
Scalable cloud + staging server + backups
Security basics + security review before launch
Support & handover
Free support after launch: 1 year + priority support
Source code handover & Git repository access
Full docs + team training

Optional add-ons: extra payment gateway · extra integration · multi-language · Next.js marketing site for your SaaS · AI chatbot or assistant integration · monthly maintenance and hosting after the free support period.

Need a website rather than an app? See my website packages.

Need something that doesn’t fit a box?

Most of the interesting projects I’ve worked on didn’t fit neatly into a package, so don’t worry if yours doesn’t either. Send me a short brief: what you do today, what’s frustrating, and what “done” looks like. I’ll tell you honestly whether you need a custom app at all. Sometimes a well-configured WordPress, Shopify or existing SaaS tool is the smarter choice, and I’ll say so. If custom is the right call, you’ll get a clear scope, a timeline and a fixed price.

Tell me about your project Fill in the project brief

What’s included in every web app I build

Hosting, set up properly

I set your app up on a reliable cloud server (VPS), not cheap shared hosting, with SSL, a domain connection, and automated backups. I can manage hosting for you, or deploy to your own AWS, DigitalOcean or similar account if you prefer.

Security from day one

HTTPS everywhere, properly hashed passwords, role-based permissions, protection against common attacks (SQL injection, XSS, CSRF), validated file uploads and up-to-date dependencies. Sensitive actions are logged so you can see who did what.

You own the source code

This matters a lot to me. When the project is paid for, the code is yours. You get full source code and access to the Git repository, and you’re never locked in to me. Any developer can pick it up later.

Support & maintenance

Free post-launch support (3 months to 1 year depending on tier) covers bug fixes and small tweaks. After that, you can move to a maintenance plan for updates, security patches, backups and monitoring. See my maintenance and support services.

Speed, SEO & AI-search readiness

Public pages are built to be fast and indexable, with clean URLs, schema markup and llms.txt where it makes sense. That way your app’s marketing pages can rank on Google and show up in AI search too.

Documentation & handover

A plain-English guide for your team, a recorded walkthrough of the admin panel, and technical notes for any future developer.

How we’ll work together: process & timeline

  1. Free 30-minute call

    You tell me about the business problem and I ask a lot of “why” questions. No sales pitch.

  2. Scope & fixed quote (2–5 days)

    A written document listing features, user roles, screens, integrations, timeline and price. Nothing starts until you’re happy with it.

  3. Wireframes & clickable prototype (1–2 weeks)

    You see and click through the key screens before I write the real code. Changing a screen at this stage is cheap.

  4. Build in sprints (most of the timeline)

    I build in short cycles and share a private staging link, so you test real features every week or two instead of waiting months for a big reveal.

  5. Testing, security review & launch

    We test with real data and real users, fix issues, set up the live server and backups, and go live. Usually this happens on a quiet weekday morning, not a Friday evening.

  6. Training, handover & support

    You get the training call, the documentation, the code and repository, and then the free support period.

Project type Typical timeline
Starter web app / single module2–4 weeks
Business web app (portal, CRM-lite, booking with payments)6–10 weeks
SaaS MVP / marketplace / ERP-lite10–16+ weeks, often in phases

Payment: 50% to begin and the balance on completion before go-live, the same as for my websites. For larger builds I can split payments by milestone. Payment methods: bank transfer, Razorpay (UPI/cards) and PayPal for international clients.

My tech stack

I pick tools that are proven, well-supported and easy for other developers to maintain. I don’t chase what’s fashionable.

Backend
PHP 8+, Laravel (Livewire, Sanctum/Passport for API auth, queues, scheduled jobs)
Frontend
Next.js, React, Blade, Tailwind CSS, Alpine.js
Database
MySQL / MariaDB, Redis for caching and queues
APIs & integrations
REST/JSON APIs, Razorpay, Stripe, PayPal, WhatsApp, SMS and email services, Google APIs
Hosting & DevOps
Linux cloud VPS, Nginx, SSL, Git (GitHub), automated backups, staging environments, Cloudflare
Also at home with
WordPress (headless or custom plugins), Shopify (custom apps and integrations), Drupal

Custom Web App vs WordPress Plugins vs Off-the-Shelf SaaS

Feature Custom Web App (Laravel / Next.js) WordPress + Plugins Off-the-shelf SaaS
Fits your exact workflow Built around itPartly; you bend to the pluginsYou adapt to the tool
Ongoing costHosting + optional maintenancePlugin licences add up yearlyMonthly per-user fees, forever
Data ownership100% yours, on your serverYours, spread across plugin tablesStored on the vendor’s servers
Source codeYours, with Git accessPlugin code isn’t yoursNone
Scaling with your businessDesigned inSlows down as plugins pile upLimited by plan tiers
Upfront investmentHigherLowerLowest
Ideal forUnique processes, portals, SaaS productsContent sites with light featuresStandard needs, quick start

Who I build for: industries & use cases

Education

Student and parent portals, admissions and fee workflows, results and notices.

Guardian Angels school case study UAE school case study

Travel & tourism / resorts

Tour and room booking engines with availability calendars and operator dashboards.

Travel website design Travel booking guide

Healthcare, clinics & NDIS providers

Appointment booking, intake forms, staff rosters and client portals.

NDIS website design Healthcare providers

Real estate

Property listing management, lead CRM and agent dashboards.

Real estate website design

Media & news

Multi-author news portals and editorial workflows.

News portal development

Trading, contracting & service businesses

Quotation, invoicing and job tracking tools.

Trading & contracting websites

Ecommerce brands

Custom integrations, order dashboards, multi-vendor marketplaces and Shopify/WooCommerce connections.

Ecommerce services

Startups & founders

SaaS MVPs and investor-demo prototypes.

Recent work

University of Calicut – School of Distance Education (SDE) portal

For one of Kerala’s largest universities, I built the SDE platform on Drupal for distance learners. It has role-based access, with separate dashboards for students, staff and administrators, a structured hub for circulars, results and course materials, and hosting and caching tuned to stay up during admission and exam peaks. It’s not Laravel, but it’s the same kind of thinking: many users, many roles, and zero tolerance for downtime.

Read the case study

AMJ WhatsApp Chat: my own product

I build tools for myself too. AMJ WhatsApp Chat is a lightweight plugin I wrote and maintain, which lets website visitors start a WhatsApp conversation in one click.

See the plugin

Browse all case studies

Frequently Asked Questions

It depends mostly on how many user types, screens and integrations you need. As a guide, a focused single-purpose app starts from around ₹20,000. A business app with logins, payments and a proper admin panel usually starts from around ₹60,000. SaaS products and marketplaces start higher and are scoped in phases. After a free call, you get a fixed, written quote: no hourly billing and no surprises.

Small tools take about 2–4 weeks. Business apps such as portals, CRMs or booking systems usually take 6–10 weeks, and SaaS MVPs or marketplaces 10–16 weeks or more. The biggest factor is usually how quickly we can agree on decisions and get feedback, so I share a staging link early and often.

If it’s mainly a content website, WordPress is usually the right and cheaper answer. If you need custom logic, user roles, workflows or data that belongs to your business, Laravel is my go-to. If speed, SEO and a slick app-like interface matter most, I add a Next.js frontend. On our first call I’ll recommend whichever fits you, even when it’s the simpler option.

Yes. Once the project is paid for, you own the code. You get the full source code and access to the Git repository, so you’re never locked in, and any competent developer can continue the work.

Yes, and I enjoy these projects. We’ll pick the smallest set of features that proves your idea works with real users, build that well, and leave room to grow. That keeps your first spend low and your next decisions based on data.

Yes. I set up cloud hosting with SSL and automated backups and build in security from the start. Every build includes a free support period. After that you can choose a maintenance plan for updates, monitoring and backups. If you prefer, I can deploy to your own cloud account instead.

Yes. I regularly integrate Razorpay, Stripe and PayPal, plus email, SMS and WhatsApp notifications. I can also connect your app to accounting, CRM, shipping or other tools that offer an API. If the tool has no API, I’ll tell you upfront what’s possible.

Often, yes. I start with a paid code audit so we both know what we’re dealing with: security, code quality, outdated packages. Then I suggest whether to fix it, gradually modernise it, or rebuild it. You get an honest report, whatever we decide.

Yes. I’m based in Kozhikode, Kerala, and I work with clients across India, the UAE, the UK, Canada, Australia and beyond. We use video calls, shared project boards and a staging link, so time zones are rarely a problem. I can quote in INR and invoice by PayPal or international bank transfer.

A short description of your business, what you want the app to do, who will use it, any examples you like, and a rough budget and deadline. Don’t worry about technical details; working those out is my job. See what inputs I need from your side.

Let’s talk about your idea

If something in your business is held together with spreadsheets, sticky notes and late-night WhatsApp messages, there’s probably a simpler way. I’ve spent 14+ years and 500+ projects helping businesses find it. Let’s have a relaxed 30-minute chat about what you need. You’ll come away with honest advice, whether or not we work together.

Book your free consultation

WhatsApp / call +91 79072 70231 · mail@arulmjoseph.com