Fish in a Bottle

Visit Website Write a Review Claim this Company

Details

Founded:: 2003
Hourly Rates:: $150 - $199 / hr
Employees:: 10 - 49
Ratings:: 4.7 9 Reviews

Industries Served

Construction Fashion & Apparel Government & Public Sector Media & Entertainment Insurance Gaming & Gambling Travel & Hospitality Education

Where We Specialize

27% Bot Development

Bot Development 27%

Software Development 22%

Web Design 19%

Mobile App Development 17%

Graphic Design 8%

AI Development 7%

Industry Expertise

Food43% Retail36% Restaurant21%

Typical Project Size

61% Small Business

30% Enterprise

9% Midmarket Business

About

Fish in a Bottle has been in business since 2003, delivering technology projects for clients. Their core services include Branding & Graphic Design and Mobile App Development. With 10 - 49 people on staff, Fish in a Bottle can take on projects of varying size. Projects are generally billed around $150 - $199 / hr/hr. Fish in a Bottle operates out of Leamington Spa, England. This gives a quick snapshot of what to expect when working with Fish in a Bottle.

Fish in a Bottle Reviews

4.7 9 Reviews

Submit Review

Service

Industry

Project Cost

Sort By

Delivered on time and stayed involved after launch

Thijs Smit / Senior Product Manager | Sep 30, 2026

Honestly, this was one of the smoothest projects we have run with an outside team. When we changed our minds on a couple of features halfway through, they handled it without fuss and were clear about the impact on cost and timeline. They shared working builds regularly, so we could test early and give feedback before things were locked in. We dealt with the same core team throughout, so we did not have to keep re-explaining things.

Feedback from our customers has been very positive so far.

If you need a team that communicates well and delivers, they are a good choice.

Project summary

We partnered with Fish in a Bottle to build a custom operations platform to replace the spreadsheets and email threads we were running the business on. The work covered requirements, design, development, testing and launch support. Overall it was a 6-month engagement.

Overall Rating 4.5
Quality 4.0
Schedule 4.0
Project Cost 4.0
Willing To Refer 5.0

Project Type:: Software Development
Project Cost:: $50,000 to $149,999
Project Duration:: Jan 2026 - Jul 2026
Business Type:: Construction
Location:: Utrecht, Netherlands

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.

Lakeshore Contracting BV is a Construction business in Utrecht, Netherlands. As Senior Product Manager, I was responsible for this project on our side and the main contact for Fish in a Bottle.

What specific problem or business challenge led you to hire this company?

We had tried to do this internally and it stalled. We needed specialists to build a custom operations platform to replace the spreadsheets and email threads we were running the business on.

What services did the company provide for your project?

End-to-end Software Development — from requirements and design through to deployment and a support period afterwards.

Why did you choose this company over other providers you considered?

They had relevant experience in Construction and their proposal was the clearest of the ones we received.

How clearly did the company understand your requirements and business goals?

Very well. They asked a lot of questions upfront and turned our rough ideas into a clear plan.

How was your overall experience with their communication and project management?

Good. Weekly calls, regular updates and a shared board meant we always knew where things stood.

Did the company deliver the project on time and within your expected budget?

It was delivered on time, and the final invoice matched the original estimate.

What tangible results or business impact have you seen since the project was completed?

It is still early, but the numbers are trending in the right direction and the system has been stable.

What did you like most about working with this company?

The consistency. Same team, same standard, from the first week to the last.

Would you recommend this company to others, and would you work with them again?

Yes. They are a reliable Software Development partner.

Capable Software Development team — happy with the end result

Maria Hayes / Owner | Jun 14, 2026

The final product works well for us, although the process could have been smoother. Communication was consistent. We had a weekly call, a shared Slack channel and a project board we could check at any time. Their project manager kept things organised and was quick to flag anything that might affect the timeline. Even with the time zone difference, responses usually came the same day and we never felt left in the dark.

We launched on schedule and have not had any major issues since. Their team changed one developer midway, which slowed things down for a couple of weeks. Happy to recommend them.

Project summary

Fish in a Bottle was brought in to develop a scheduling and dispatch tool for our field team. They also took care of integrations with a couple of third-party tools we already used. The project took roughly 8 months from kickoff to launch.

Overall Rating 3.5
Quality 3.5
Schedule 3.5
Project Cost 3.5
Willing To Refer 5.0

Project Type:: Software Development
Project Cost:: $10,000 to $49,999
Project Duration:: Sep 2025 - May 2026
Business Type:: Fashion & Apparel
Location:: Phoenix, USA

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.

I work as Owner at Lumen Wear Inc. We operate in Fashion & Apparel and most of our customers are in and around Phoenix, USA.

What specific problem or business challenge led you to hire this company?

We needed to develop a scheduling and dispatch tool for our field team, and we didn't have the in-house capacity to do it ourselves.

What services did the company provide for your project?

Mainly Software Development. They also helped with the technical planning and a few integrations with our existing tools.

Why did you choose this company over other providers you considered?

They had relevant experience in Fashion & Apparel and their proposal was the clearest of the ones we received.

How clearly did the company understand your requirements and business goals?

Very well. They asked a lot of questions upfront and turned our rough ideas into a clear plan.

How was your overall experience with their communication and project management?

Good. Weekly calls, regular updates and a shared board meant we always knew where things stood.

Did the company deliver the project on time and within your expected budget?

Yes, on time and within budget.

What tangible results or business impact have you seen since the project was completed?

We can now handle more volume without adding staff, which was the main goal.

What did you like most about working with this company?

The consistency. Same team, same standard, from the first week to the last.

Would you recommend this company to others, and would you work with them again?

Yes, I've already recommended them to a couple of people I know.

Exceeded our expectations on quality and communication

Sam Wilson / CTO | May 31, 2026

Honestly, this was one of the smoothest projects we have run with an outside team. They took the time to understand our business before suggesting anything, which we appreciated after previous agencies jumped straight into building. When we changed our minds on a couple of features halfway through, they handled it without fuss and were clear about the impact on cost and timeline.

Feedback from our customers has been very positive so far. We are already discussing the next phase with them.

Project summary

We partnered with Fish in a Bottle to automate document data extraction that our team was doing by hand. The work covered requirements, design, development, testing and launch support. The engagement ran for about 9 months.

Overall Rating 5.0
Quality 5.0
Schedule 5.0
Project Cost 5.0
Willing To Refer 5.0

Project Type:: AI & Machine Learning
Project Cost:: $50,000 to $149,999
Project Duration:: Aug 2025 - May 2026
Business Type:: Government & Public Sector
Location:: Auckland, New Zealand

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.

I work as CTO at Cobalt Public Services. We operate in Government & Public Sector and most of our customers are in and around Auckland, New Zealand.

What specific problem or business challenge led you to hire this company?

We needed to automate document data extraction that our team was doing by hand, and we didn't have the in-house capacity to do it ourselves.

What services did the company provide for your project?

AI & Machine Learning, plus QA and some consulting on how to structure the project.

Why did you choose this company over other providers you considered?

They had relevant experience in Government & Public Sector and their proposal was the clearest of the ones we received.

How clearly did the company understand your requirements and business goals?

Well. There were a couple of points we had to clarify early on, but after that they were spot on.

How was your overall experience with their communication and project management?

Very responsive. We usually heard back the same day, even with the time difference.

Did the company deliver the project on time and within your expected budget?

Yes. The only extra cost came from features we added ourselves, and they quoted those fairly.

What tangible results or business impact have you seen since the project was completed?

It is still early, but the numbers are trending in the right direction and the system has been stable.

What did you like most about working with this company?

Their attention to detail and the quality of the final product.

Would you recommend this company to others, and would you work with them again?

Yes. They are a reliable AI & Machine Learning partner.

A reliable long-term partner for our tech needs

Thabo Nkosi / Head of Digital | May 22, 2026

We were very happy with how this project went. Their project manager kept things organised and was quick to flag anything that might affect the timeline. When we changed our minds on a couple of features halfway through, they handled it without fuss and were clear about the impact on cost and timeline. They were upfront about what was realistic within our budget, which helped us prioritise the right features.

Since launch, everything has been stable and our team has adapted to it quickly.

We would definitely work with them again.

Project summary

Our company worked with Fish in a Bottle to rebuild an internal order management system that had outgrown its original design. Scope included discovery workshops, development in two-week sprints and a short support period after launch. We worked together for around 5 months.

Overall Rating 5.0
Quality 5.0
Schedule 4.5
Project Cost 5.0
Willing To Refer 5.0

Project Type:: Software Development
Project Cost:: $50,000 to $149,999
Project Duration:: Oct 2025 - Mar 2026
Business Type:: Construction
Location:: Cape Town, South Africa

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.

I'm the Head of Digital at Riverbend Construction (Pty) Ltd, a Construction company based in Cape Town, South Africa. I look after our technology and work closely with outside partners on bigger projects.

What specific problem or business challenge led you to hire this company?

Our existing setup was holding us back. We wanted to rebuild an internal order management system that had outgrown its original design before our busy season.

What services did the company provide for your project?

Mainly Software Development. They also helped with the technical planning and a few integrations with our existing tools.

Why did you choose this company over other providers you considered?

We compared three or four agencies. Fish in a Bottle asked the best questions and had good reviews from past clients.

How clearly did the company understand your requirements and business goals?

Very well. They asked a lot of questions upfront and turned our rough ideas into a clear plan.

How was your overall experience with their communication and project management?

Very responsive. We usually heard back the same day, even with the time difference.

Did the company deliver the project on time and within your expected budget?

Mostly. One milestone slipped by about a week, but the final delivery was on schedule and the budget held.

What tangible results or business impact have you seen since the project was completed?

Our team saves several hours a week, and we have had very few issues since launch.

What did you like most about working with this company?

How easy they were to work with. They were responsive, honest and genuinely interested in our success.

Would you recommend this company to others, and would you work with them again?

Yes, I've already recommended them to a couple of people I know.

Professional team that made a complex project feel manageable

Lerato Nkosi / CEO | May 17, 2026

Fish in a Bottle did an excellent job for us. Communication was consistent. We had a weekly call, a shared Slack channel and a project board we could check at any time. Even with the time zone difference, responses usually came the same day and we never felt left in the dark. They were upfront about what was realistic within our budget, which helped us prioritise the right features.

The UI/UX Design work has already made a noticeable difference — tasks that used to take hours now take minutes. We are already discussing the next phase with them.

Project summary

Our company worked with Fish in a Bottle to run user research and create new designs for our mobile app. They worked alongside our in-house team, which mostly handled business requirements and testing. We worked together for around 5 months.

Overall Rating 4.5
Quality 4.0
Schedule 4.0
Project Cost 5.0
Willing To Refer 5.0

Project Type:: UI/UX Design
Project Cost:: $10,000 to $49,999
Project Duration:: Nov 2025 - Apr 2026
Business Type:: Media & Entertainment
Location:: Cape Town, South Africa

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.

I work as CEO at Trueline Entertainment. We operate in Media & Entertainment and most of our customers are in and around Cape Town, South Africa.

What specific problem or business challenge led you to hire this company?

Our existing setup was holding us back. We wanted to run user research and create new designs for our mobile app before our busy season.

What services did the company provide for your project?

UI/UX Design, plus QA and some consulting on how to structure the project.

Why did you choose this company over other providers you considered?

A colleague recommended them, and our first calls confirmed they understood what we needed.

How clearly did the company understand your requirements and business goals?

Well. There were a couple of points we had to clarify early on, but after that they were spot on.

How was your overall experience with their communication and project management?

Communication was good overall and improved further once we settled into a routine.

Did the company deliver the project on time and within your expected budget?

Mostly. One milestone slipped by about a week, but the final delivery was on schedule and the budget held.

What tangible results or business impact have you seen since the project was completed?

Customer feedback has been positive, and we have seen better engagement since going live.

What did you like most about working with this company?

How easy they were to work with. They were responsive, honest and genuinely interested in our success.

Would you recommend this company to others, and would you work with them again?

Yes, I've already recommended them to a couple of people I know.

Strong Technical Skills and a Very Responsive Mobile App Development Team

Daniel Haddad / Owner | May 16, 2026

We were very happy with how this project went. They were upfront about what was realistic within our budget, which helped us prioritise the right features. They took the time to understand our business before suggesting anything, which we appreciated after previous agencies jumped straight into building.

We are already seeing better numbers than before the project.

We are already discussing the next phase with them.

Project summary

We hired Fish in a Bottle to develop a field-staff app with offline mode that syncs back to our main system. The work covered requirements, design, development, testing and launch support. Overall it was a 3-month engagement.

Overall Rating 5.0
Quality 4.5
Schedule 4.5
Project Cost 5.0
Willing To Refer 5.0

Project Type:: Mobile App Development
Project Cost:: $150,000 to $499,999
Project Duration:: Dec 2025 - Mar 2026
Business Type:: Insurance
Location:: Dubai, UAE

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.

We're a mid-sized Insurance company based in Dubai, UAE. I'm the Owner and I oversaw the project from start to finish.

What specific problem or business challenge led you to hire this company?

We needed to develop a field-staff app with offline mode that syncs back to our main system, and we didn't have the in-house capacity to do it ourselves.

What services did the company provide for your project?

Mobile App Development, including planning, development, testing and launch support.

Why did you choose this company over other providers you considered?

They had relevant experience in Insurance and their proposal was the clearest of the ones we received.