What are custom web applications? Benefits and common examples

We often rely on software to handle tasks like managing data, communicating with teams, or tracking progress. However, not every existing software addresses all your needs the way custom web apps can. Just like a tailor-made suit, web apps are designed to fit perfectly, solve unique challenges, and make things run effortlessly.

In this article, we will explore custom web applications and their uses and benefits through real-life examples.

What are custom web applications?

In simplest terms, a custom web application is tailored software designed to meet specific needs.

Although they share many similarities, it’s important to distinguish web applications from websites, as these two serve different purposes.

Web applications are interactive, enabling users to complete tasks, automate processes, and engage with dynamic features. Meanwhile, websites primarily provide information and content, making them more static in nature.

To make it easier to understand, let’s first look at some examples of off-the-shelf software – Google Workspace, Facebook, Netflix, and WhatsApp. These are standardized web applications ready for the general public, so their extensive features cater to a wide range of users.

Now, let’s say you use Google Sheets to track your business revenue. After some time, you find it cluttered with features you don’t need – like complex formulas or text formatting.

You realize you only need a simple system to track your income and expenses. More probably, it could be that you need a specific feature that Google Sheets doesn’t offer.

That could be a good time to consider building a custom web application. This way, you can have the features, functionalities, and even page designs exactly as you need.

Benefits of using custom web applications

The custom web app development market is expected to grow by 22.5% through 2030. This growth is the result of the rising demand for custom software solutions, driven by their numerous benefits:

• Complete control and ownership. You can modify features, add capabilities, and update security as needed.
• Scalability. Your software needs may change over time. With scalable software solutions, you can add features, improve performance, and handle more users without major overhauls.
• Improved efficiency. Custom web applications streamline workflows by eliminating bottlenecks. Instead of relying on multiple software tools, a custom solution can integrate all the needed features in one place.
• Better security. You can control the security requirements for your custom software solutions and adjust things as needed.
• Seamless integration. Custom web apps connect smoothly with other tools you need, like CRM, accounting, or email marketing software.
• Higher return on investment (ROI). You can avoid ongoing licensing fees and pay only for what you need.
• Enhanced UX. Custom web apps are better at addressing user needs, which in turn means a more intuitive and smoother experience.
• Competitive advantage. Stand out with unique features your competitors may not have.

Custom web application examples

We’ve discussed how custom web apps can benefit various projects. Now, let’s look at some examples of their use.

Web apps for business and organizational projects

Here are some real-life examples of custom web applications to improve business processes:

Ecommerce platforms

A custom ecommerce web application lets businesses design a unique shopping experience. For example, they can add features that simplify checkout, create personalized product recommendations, etc.

Additionally, software customization provides greater flexibility, branding opportunities, and seamless workflow integration.

Nike By You is a successful example of this approach. Through the web app, customers can personalize shoes to their liking, making the shopping experience more interactive.

Internal dashboards

An internal dashboard helps you monitor a real-time overview of your business operations.

Customizing the web app to fit your needs and preferences is also possible. For example, you can make the internal dashboard focus solely on tracking performance or identifying trends.

Enhancing efficiency is also in your hands, with tailored visualizations and interactive charts that align with your business goals.

Amazon’s internal dashboards are a real-life example of how custom software solutions can help optimize business operations.

Internal portals

Internal portals are comprehensive hubs that centralize various company or organization resources, tools, and information. Therefore, users can easily access everything they need for their day-to-day there.

Internal portals aren’t just for businesses – they’re valuable in other sectors, too. For instance, universities use student portals for course registration, grades, and academic resources.

Hospitals also often develop custom healthcare web apps to manage appointments, medical records, and patient information.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP)

Managing an enterprise requires seamless coordination between sales, marketing, operations, and customer support departments.

Custom ERP systems let you integrate those business functions into a single platform. This enables smoother collaboration between teams, increasing overall productivity.

Take Toyota as an example. The company implemented a custom ERP system to optimize its just-in-time manufacturing. It minimized waste, reduced costs, and improved efficiency across its global supply chain by aligning production with demand.

Customer relationship management (CRM)

A robust CRM system ensures that no interactions slip through the cracks – from collecting leads to retaining clients.

By developing a custom CRM web app, you can customize workflow processes to manage customer interactions, sales data, and communication efficiently.

For example, at Hostinger, we developed a customized CRM solution to streamline our customer service processes. It is an important aspect reflecting our customer obsession principle, which also improved our net promoter score (NPS) from 21 to 58.

Custom web apps for personal projects

Not only for complex business operations, there are plenty of custom web apps that can streamline simpler projects, such as:

Travel itinerary generator

Planning a trip is always exciting, but juggling destinations, schedules, and budgets takes time.

A custom app can make planning stress-free. You can also choose key factors that shape your journey, such as budget, accommodation, and duration.

Simply input the data and let the web app handle the time-consuming tasks.

Recipe generator

Flipping through cookbooks or scrolling online is so last decade. What if you designed a web app that generates recipes just by inputting ingredients?

Combining smart filtering options, dietary preferences, and AI-powered recommendations helps you create delicious meals quickly and without the guesswork.

You can also integrate as many additional features as you like.

Mental health journal

Journaling using a web app offers structure, insights, and convenience that traditional methods lack. With instant access from anywhere, you can capture your thoughts whenever inspiration strikes.

Building a custom journaling solution means you can add only the features you like, such as a reflection prompt generator, mood tracker, and multimedia entries.

This can help you create a roadmap to better mental well-being.

Habit tracker

Sometimes, maintaining good habits is easier said than done. A custom habit tracker can keep you accountable, especially if you tailor the features to fit your needs.

With a personalized dashboard, you can integrate different aspects of your life and make habit-building a fun, rewarding experience.

Let’s say you have an ambitious fitness goal. By setting up your own dashboard, it becomes easier to stay consistent and motivated.

Task management app

Staying on top of tasks can be overwhelming, especially when running multiple projects.

While there already are many task management apps, creating a custom solution offers greater flexibility, better data control, and a user-friendly experience tailored just for you.

How to build a custom web application

If you already have web application ideas popping up, it’s time to put them to use. Let’s start with understanding the general flow of a web app development:

1. Planning and gathering the requirements

To create a successful custom web app, start by defining its purpose. The first step should be to determine the goals and essential features you want to have.

If you’re creating a scalable web solution for public use, the process should also involve research, surveys, or direct feedback to understand users’ needs.

Generally, businesses document all these details in a product requirements document (PRD). Consider creating a simpler document as a blueprint to develop a web application for personal use.

2. Choosing the web app development tools

Your technical skills and budget determine the best custom web application development approach.

Usually, businesses opt for a fully custom-built solution to create a web app with complex requirements. This involves multiple stakeholders with an extensive budget, a development team being just one. Each development stage, such as coding, design, and testing, also requires different tools to ensure a smooth process.

If the project requirements are simpler, a low-code or no-code development approach can answer the needs. In general, you’ll only need one tool to develop the web application.

Some examples of low-code applications are UI Bakery, Creatio, and Microsoft Power Apps. No-code web app creation tools include Hostinger Horizons, Bolt, and Replit.

3. Developing and testing

If you build a fully custom software solution, the development process will involve selecting a technology stack.

The process begins with defining the backend and frontend architecture, ensuring they align with the app’s functionality and user experience goals.

Next, developers plan to prepare the application programming interface (API) for components to communicate. They then design database structures for efficient data storage and retrieval.

If you lack technical knowledge, a low-code or no-code approach provides a simpler method for building a web app on a single platform.

Throughout development, web app testing strategies are implemented to identify and fix issues early. This includes evaluating performance, security, and user experience to refine the application before deployment.

4. Deploying the web app

After completing development, the custom software should be deployed to a server. Developers may roll out features gradually, testing and refining them at each stage.

With a low-code or no-code approach, deployment is often simpler, as these platforms offer built-in tools or easy integration with third-party services.

For example, with Hostinger Horizons, deploying the web app you developed only needs a single click.

5. Maintaining your custom web application

After the launch, regular updates, security fixes, and performance checks keep the app running smoothly.

Continuous improvements based on user feedback help maintain relevance and usability over time.

Conclusion

A custom web app lets you build a solution with just the features you need – nothing more, nothing less.

Building a custom solution lets you address unique operational needs. Unlike off-the-shelf software, they offer greater scalability and seamless integration with other systems.

Developing a custom web application involves multiple phases, from defining requirements to ongoing maintenance.

If that sounds like too much work, the good news is that you can now create a web application with Hostinger Horizons without writing a single line of code.

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