Software & Mobile App Development Company in the United Arab Emirates
Bilingual Arabic and English apps, web platforms and AI products for UAE businesses, built around the PDPL, free-zone rules and local payment methods.
- NDA & full IP ownership
- Senior engineers
- Working hours that overlap with United Arab Emirates
Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah move quickly from idea to launch, and customers here compare every new app against the polished super-apps and government services they already use daily. Sigmato is a software development company for UAE businesses that need bilingual, secure and fast products: Arabic and English mobile apps, web platforms, SaaS and AI solutions. Our engineering team works from Bengaluru, only ninety minutes ahead of the Emirates, with a branch office in the United Kingdom.
Why Proximity to India Matters for UAE Projects
The UAE and India are just one and a half hours apart, so our working day overlaps almost entirely with yours. In practice, a Dubai product owner can join a morning stand-up at 8:30 Gulf Standard Time, review a build after lunch and get fixes the same afternoon. The main difference is the weekend: UAE private-sector teams mostly work Monday to Friday, like India, so the full working week is shared. Many UAE companies also have Indian-origin founders or staff, which makes collaboration straightforward.
Services for Emirati and Expat-Led Companies
We cover the full lifecycle, from strategy to post-launch support:
- Bilingual mobile app development for iOS and Android, with Arabic right-to-left layouts mirrored correctly, not just translated.
- Web platforms and portals for real estate, logistics, education and professional services.
- AI products: Arabic and English customer support chatbots, document processing and recommendation systems.
- E-commerce and quick commerce: Shopify builds, custom marketplaces and delivery apps with live tracking.
- Blockchain and tokenisation: smart contracts and real-world asset tokenisation for firms working within the relevant virtual-asset regime.
UAE Data Protection and Sector Rules
The UAE has a federal Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021), while several free zones run their own regimes. Which rules apply depends on where your company is licensed and what data you process:
- Onshore UAE: the federal PDPL governs consent, data subject rights and cross-border transfers; summaries are available on the official UAE government portal.
- DIFC and ADGM: these financial free zones have their own data protection laws and commissioners, closely modelled on the GDPR. See the Dubai International Financial Centre for its regime.
- Health data: federal health ICT law restricts storing health data outside the UAE except in permitted cases, so telehealth and clinic apps generally need in-country hosting.
- Financial services: banks, payment providers and stored-value schemes are regulated by the Central Bank of the UAE, and virtual-asset businesses in Dubai answer to VARA.
To respect these rules we can deploy on cloud regions inside the UAE, which major providers now operate, and design consent and access controls for each jurisdiction.
Arabic, English and Beyond
A UAE app normally launches in English and Arabic, and getting Arabic right is the difference between a product that feels local and one that feels imported. Our checklist includes:
- Full right-to-left mirroring of navigation, icons, progress bars and charts.
- Arabic typefaces chosen for legibility at small sizes, with correct ligatures.
- Support for both Western and Eastern Arabic numerals where appropriate.
- Hijri date display alongside the Gregorian calendar for religious and government contexts.
- Bidirectional text handling for mixed Arabic and English content such as addresses and product names.
Because more than eighty percent of the population are expatriates, consumer apps may also benefit from Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam, Tagalog or Russian content for specific audiences.
Payments and Customer Expectations
UAE shoppers expect a choice of fast, mobile-first payment methods:
- Cards with Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, which are widely used;
- Buy now, pay later through Tabby and Tamara, especially in fashion, electronics and travel;
- Aani, the UAE’s instant payments platform, for account-to-account transfers;
- Cash on delivery, still offered by many e-commerce and food delivery businesses;
- UAE PASS, the national digital identity, for sign-in and verification in services that integrate it.
Smartphone penetration in the UAE is among the highest in the world and iPhones hold a strong share, so we test carefully on recent iOS devices while supporting the Android models popular with mid-market users.
National Priorities Shaping Demand
Government strategies drive much of the UAE’s technology spending. The UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031 encourages AI adoption across sectors, the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 targets digital transformation and new business growth, and Abu Dhabi’s Hub71 supports startups. These programmes create demand for AI tools, smart-city integrations, fintech and proptech, which are the areas we see most often from Dubai and Abu Dhabi clients.
Indicative Pricing
Your quote depends on features, integrations, Arabic content volume and compliance requirements. These USD ranges are indicative; we can also quote in dirhams (AED).
| Solution | Indicative range (USD) |
|---|---|
| Bilingual mobile app MVP | $25,000–$65,000 |
| Real estate or listings portal | $30,000–$80,000 |
| Arabic and English AI chatbot | $15,000–$45,000 |
| Delivery or marketplace platform | $45,000–$120,000 |
| Dedicated developer per month | $3,000–$6,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my app data be hosted inside the UAE?
Yes. Major cloud providers operate UAE regions, and we can deploy your application, databases and backups there, which is often required for health data and preferred by government-linked clients.
How do you handle Arabic right-to-left design?
We design both language versions in Figma from the start, mirror layouts properly, choose Arabic fonts carefully and test bidirectional text on real devices, so Arabic users get an experience as polished as the English one.
Do you integrate Tabby, Tamara and Apple Pay?
Yes. We integrate BNPL providers, card gateways and digital wallets through their official SDKs and APIs, and we handle refunds, partial captures and order status updates.
Which time zone overlap can we expect?
Bengaluru is only ninety minutes ahead of the UAE, so our working hours cover nearly all of your business day from Monday to Friday.
Start Your UAE Project
Share your idea, existing designs or a request for proposal. We will reply within two working days with questions, a proposed approach and a cost range.