thoughtbot

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Details

Founded:
2003
Hourly Rates:
$150 - $199 / hr
Employees:
50 - 249
Avg. Project Cost:
$5,000,000+
Ratings:
4.3 9 Reviews

Services

  • Mobile App Development
  • Web Development
  • Custom Software Development
  • Mobile App Design
  • App Marketing
  • iPhone App Development
  • Supply Chain Blockchain

Industries Served

Financial Services Information Technology Food & Beverage Travel & Hospitality Automotive Healthcare Retail & E-commerce Telecommunications

Where We Specialize

25% Web Design
Web Design 25%
Mobile App Development 24%
Bot Development 18%
Virtual Reality 16%
AI Development 10%
Web Development 7%

Industry Expertise

Hospitality49% Food36% Restaurant8% Travel7%

Typical Project Size

48% Enterprise
44% Midmarket Business
8% Small Business

About

thoughtbot works with clients to plan, build, and ship digital products. thoughtbot focuses on Mobile App Development. With 50 - 249 people on staff, thoughtbot can take on projects of varying size. Typical hourly rates run around $150 - $199 / hr/hr, with an average project cost near $10,000. Clients have rated thoughtbot 4.9 out of 5 in 39 reviews. Their home base is New York, NY. These details offer a useful starting point when evaluating thoughtbot.

thoughtbot Reviews

4.3 9 Reviews
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A reliable long-term partner for our tech needs

Ryan Morgan / Founder | Sep 04, 2026

Honestly, this was one of the smoothest projects we have run with an outside team. 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.

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

We are already discussing the next phase with them.

Project summary

We engaged thoughtbot to rebuild a slow, outdated web app and move it to a new framework. Scope included discovery workshops, development in two-week sprints and a short support period after launch. The engagement ran for about 2 months.

  • Overall Rating 5.0
  • Quality 5.0
  • Schedule 4.5
  • Project Cost 5.0
  • Willing To Refer 5.0
Project Type:
Web Development
Project Cost:
$10,000 to $49,999
Project Duration:
May 2026 - Jul 2026
Business Type:
Financial Services
Location:
Tampa, USA

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.
I'm the Founder at Pinecrest Capital, a Financial Services company based in Tampa, USA. 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?
We needed to rebuild a slow, outdated web app and move it to a new framework, and we didn't have the in-house capacity to do it ourselves.
What services did the company provide for your project?
Web Development, including planning, development, testing and launch support.
Why did you choose this company over other providers you considered?
Their pricing was fair and they were honest about timelines instead of just telling us what we wanted to hear.
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?
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?
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?
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.

Great team to work with — professional, responsive and reliable

Dan Hughes / Co-Founder & CTO | Jul 10, 2026

We were happy with the final result. The developers were knowledgeable and made a few suggestions that ended up saving us time and money. They took the time to understand our business before suggesting anything, which we appreciated after previous agencies jumped straight into building. Communication was consistent. We had a weekly call, a shared Slack channel and a project board we could check at any time.

Feedback from our customers has been very positive so far. There were some early misunderstandings on requirements that took a few rounds to sort out. If you need a team that communicates well and delivers, they are a good choice.

Project summary

thoughtbot was brought in to build a customer portal where clients can log in, track orders and download invoices. The work covered requirements, design, development, testing and launch support. The project took roughly 6 months from kickoff to launch.

  • Overall Rating 4.0
  • Quality 4.5
  • Schedule 4.0
  • Project Cost 4.0
  • Willing To Refer 5.0
Project Type:
Web Development
Project Cost:
$10,000 to $49,999
Project Duration:
Nov 2025 - May 2026
Business Type:
Information Technology
Location:
Seattle, USA

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.
Harborview Software LLC is a Information Technology business in Seattle, USA. As Co-Founder & CTO, I was responsible for this project on our side and the main contact for thoughtbot.
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 customer portal where clients can log in, track orders and download invoices.
What services did the company provide for your project?
End-to-end Web Development — from requirements and design through to deployment and a support period afterwards.
Why did you choose this company over other providers you considered?
Their pricing was fair and they were honest about timelines instead of just telling us what we wanted to hear.
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?
Organised and transparent. Their project manager kept the project on track and flagged risks early.
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 would recommend them and we plan to work with them again.

They listened, asked the right questions, and delivered

Conor Murphy / Founder | Jul 07, 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. Communication was consistent. We had a weekly call, a shared Slack channel and a project board we could check at any time. They took the time to understand our business before suggesting anything, which we appreciated after previous agencies jumped straight into building.

The result looks great and performs well, and our internal team found it easy to take over. If you need a team that communicates well and delivers, they are a good choice.

Project summary

thoughtbot was brought in to rebuild a slow, outdated web app and move it to a new framework. Their team handled planning, development and QA, with our product owner signing off each milestone. The engagement ran for about 6 months.

  • Overall Rating 5.0
  • Quality 5.0
  • Schedule 4.5
  • Project Cost 5.0
  • Willing To Refer 5.0
Project Type:
Web Development
Project Cost:
$50,000 to $149,999
Project Duration:
Dec 2025 - Jun 2026
Business Type:
Food & Beverage
Location:
Cork, Ireland

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.
I'm the Founder at Lumen Kitchen Ltd, a Food & Beverage company based in Cork, Ireland. 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 a slow, outdated web app and move it to a new framework before our busy season.
What services did the company provide for your project?
Mainly Web 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. thoughtbot asked the best questions and had good reviews from past clients.
How clearly did the company understand your requirements and business goals?
Better than we expected. They pointed out a few things we had not thought about.
How was your overall experience with their communication and project management?
Organised and transparent. Their project manager kept the project on track and flagged risks early.
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?
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?
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. They are a reliable Web Development partner.

Good work overall, with a few bumps along the way

Nicole Patel / CEO | Jun 28, 2026

The final product works well for us, although the process could have been smoother. They took the time to understand our business before suggesting anything, which we appreciated after previous agencies jumped straight into building. Even with the time zone difference, responses usually came the same day and we never felt left in the dark. 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.

We launched on schedule and have not had any major issues since. We had to follow up a few times on smaller bug fixes after launch. If you need a team that communicates well and delivers, they are a good choice.

Project summary

Our company worked with thoughtbot to build iOS and Android apps for our customers, including booking, payments and push notifications. They worked alongside our in-house team, which mostly handled business requirements and testing. Overall it was a 5-month engagement.

  • Overall Rating 3.5
  • Quality 3.5
  • Schedule 3.5
  • Project Cost 3.5
  • Willing To Refer 5.0
Project Type:
Mobile App Development
Project Cost:
$50,000 to $149,999
Project Duration:
Jan 2026 - Jun 2026
Business Type:
Travel & Hospitality
Location:
San Diego, USA

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.
I work as CEO at Ironwood Journeys LLC. We operate in Travel & Hospitality and most of our customers are in and around San Diego, USA.
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 iOS and Android apps for our customers, including booking, payments and push notifications.
What services did the company provide for your project?
Mainly Mobile App 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. thoughtbot 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?
Organised and transparent. Their project manager kept the project on track and flagged risks early.
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?
Customer feedback has been positive, and we have seen better engagement since going live.
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.

Reliable Web Development Partner That Delivered What They Promised

Heather Wallace / IT Manager | Jun 16, 2026

I would rate this engagement highly on almost every front. The team asked a lot of questions early on, which felt slow at first but meant there were very few surprises later. Even with the time zone difference, responses usually came the same day and we never felt left in the dark.

Since launch, everything has been stable and our team has adapted to it quickly. We are already discussing the next phase with them.

Project summary

We partnered with thoughtbot to redesign and rebuild our company website on a modern stack. They also took care of integrations with a couple of third-party tools we already used. Overall it was a 3-month engagement.

  • Overall Rating 4.5
  • Quality 5.0
  • Schedule 4.5
  • Project Cost 4.0
  • Willing To Refer 5.0
Project Type:
Web Development
Project Cost:
$50,000 to $149,999
Project Duration:
Feb 2026 - May 2026
Business Type:
Automotive
Location:
New York, USA

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.
I work as IT Manager at Silverline Motors. We operate in Automotive and most of our customers are in and around New York, USA.
What specific problem or business challenge led you to hire this company?
We needed to redesign and rebuild our company website on a modern stack, and we didn't have the in-house capacity to do it ourselves.
What services did the company provide for your project?
Mainly Web 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?
Their pricing was fair and they were honest about timelines instead of just telling us what we wanted to hear.
How clearly did the company understand your requirements and business goals?
They understood our goals quickly, partly because they had worked with Automotive clients before.
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. 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?
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.

Great Experience With thoughtbot on Our Mobile App Development Project

Hannah Turner / Director | May 23, 2026

We were happy with the final result. They were upfront about what was realistic within our budget, which helped us prioritise the right features. 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.

The Mobile App Development work has already made a noticeable difference — tasks that used to take hours now take minutes. A couple of milestones slipped by a week or so, mostly around testing.

Overall, a team we trust and plan to keep working with.

Project summary

We engaged thoughtbot to rebuild our existing mobile app, which had poor reviews and frequent crashes. The project was split into milestones, with a working build shared at the end of each one. The engagement ran for about 2 months.

  • Overall Rating 4.0
  • Quality 4.0
  • Schedule 4.0
  • Project Cost 4.0
  • Willing To Refer 5.0
Project Type:
Mobile App Development
Project Cost:
$10,000 to $49,999
Project Duration:
Feb 2026 - Apr 2026
Business Type:
Healthcare
Location:
Bristol, UK

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.
Cobalt Medical Ltd is a Healthcare business in Bristol, UK. As Director, I was responsible for this project on our side and the main contact for thoughtbot.
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 rebuild our existing mobile app, which had poor reviews and frequent crashes.
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 Healthcare and their proposal was the clearest of the ones we received.
How clearly did the company understand your requirements and business goals?
They understood our goals quickly, partly because they had worked with Healthcare clients before.
How was your overall experience with their communication and project management?
Organised and transparent. Their project manager kept the project on track and flagged risks early.
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?
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?
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?
Definitely. We have already started talking about the next phase.

Would happily work with them again

Harsh Kulkarni / Engineering Manager | Apr 17, 2026

We were happy with the final result. They took the time to understand our business before suggesting anything, which we appreciated after previous agencies jumped straight into building. Even with the time zone difference, responses usually came the same day and we never felt left in the dark. The team asked a lot of questions early on, which felt slow at first but meant there were very few surprises later.

It has made a real difference to how our team works day to day. Their team changed one developer midway, which slowed things down for a couple of weeks. If you need a team that communicates well and delivers, they are a good choice.

Project summary

We hired thoughtbot to redesign and rebuild our company website on a modern stack. The project was split into milestones, with a working build shared at the end of each one. The engagement ran for about 4 months.

  • Overall Rating 4.0
  • Quality 4.0
  • Schedule 4.0
  • Project Cost 4.5
  • Willing To Refer 5.0
Project Type:
Web Development
Project Cost:
$50,000 to $149,999
Project Duration:
Nov 2025 - Mar 2026
Business Type:
Healthcare
Location:
Hyderabad, India

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.
I work as Engineering Manager at Vertex Wellness. We operate in Healthcare and most of our customers are in and around Hyderabad, India.
What specific problem or business challenge led you to hire this company?
Our team was spending too much time on manual work. The goal was to redesign and rebuild our company website on a modern stack so they could focus on customers.
What services did the company provide for your project?
Mainly Web 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. thoughtbot asked the best questions and had good reviews from past clients.
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?
Organised and transparent. Their project manager kept the project on track and flagged risks early.
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?
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?
That they were proactive — they suggested improvements instead of just doing what was asked.
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

Raj Campbell / CEO | Mar 28, 2026

thoughtbot did an excellent job for us. We dealt with the same core team throughout, so we did not have to keep re-explaining things. They took the time to understand our business before suggesting anything, which we appreciated after previous agencies jumped straight into building.

The Mobile App Development work has already made a noticeable difference — tasks that used to take hours now take minutes. Happy to recommend them.

Project summary

We hired thoughtbot to develop a field-staff app with offline mode that syncs back to our main system. Scope included discovery workshops, development in two-week sprints and a short support period after launch. The project took roughly 8 months from kickoff to launch.

  • Overall Rating 4.5
  • Quality 5.0
  • Schedule 4.5
  • Project Cost 5.0
  • Willing To Refer 5.0
Project Type:
Mobile App Development
Project Cost:
Less than $10,000
Project Duration:
May 2025 - Jan 2026
Business Type:
Retail & E-commerce
Location:
Toronto, Canada

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.
Lumen Store is a Retail & E-commerce business in Toronto, Canada. As CEO, I was responsible for this project on our side and the main contact for thoughtbot.
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 develop a field-staff app with offline mode that syncs back to our main system.
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 Retail & E-commerce 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?
Organised and transparent. Their project manager kept the project on track and flagged risks early.
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?
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 Mobile App Development partner.

Good value and a team that genuinely cares about the result

Megan Sullivan / Senior Product Manager | Mar 16, 2026

The project went well overall. Even with the time zone difference, responses usually came the same day and we never felt left in the dark. Communication was consistent. We had a weekly call, a shared Slack channel and a project board we could check at any time.

The UI/UX Design work has already made a noticeable difference — tasks that used to take hours now take minutes. There were some early misunderstandings on requirements that took a few rounds to sort out. We are already discussing the next phase with them.

Project summary

thoughtbot was brought in to redesign the user experience of our SaaS product. Their team handled planning, development and QA, with our product owner signing off each milestone. The engagement ran for about 5 months.

  • Overall Rating 4.0
  • Quality 4.5
  • Schedule 4.0
  • Project Cost 4.0
  • Willing To Refer 5.0
Project Type:
UI/UX Design
Project Cost:
$150,000 to $499,999
Project Duration:
Sep 2025 - Feb 2026
Business Type:
Telecommunications
Location:
Minneapolis, USA

Questions & Answers

Please describe your company, your role, and the industry you operate in.
Vertex Communications is a Telecommunications business in Minneapolis, USA. As Senior Product Manager, I was responsible for this project on our side and the main contact for thoughtbot.
What specific problem or business challenge led you to hire this company?
Our team was spending too much time on manual work. The goal was to redesign the user experience of our SaaS product so they could focus on customers.
What services did the company provide for your project?
UI/UX Design, including planning, development, testing and launch support.
Why did you choose this company over other providers you considered?
Their pricing was fair and they were honest about timelines instead of just telling us what we wanted to hear.
How clearly did the company understand your requirements and business goals?
Better than we expected. They pointed out a few things we had not thought about.
How was your overall experience with their communication and project management?
Organised and transparent. Their project manager kept the project on track and flagged risks early.
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?
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.
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Got questions about our specialized technology solutions? We have the answers to help you make informed decisions.

thoughtbot has delivered projects across a range of different industries, including Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology, Gaming & Gambling, Healthcare and Telecommunications.

It depends heavily on scope. A lean MVP might be a matter of weeks, while a full enterprise system or a larger digital transformation project can stretch into months once you factor in development, testing, and deployment. With a team of 50 - 249 professionals, thoughtbot can scale resources based on project urgency.

What tends to set thoughtbot apart usually comes down to some mix of technical depth, relevant industry experience, how clients describe working with them, their development approach, communication habits, and whether they can actually deliver something that scales. Founded in 2003, the company has built a track record of delivering projects across various industries.

Like most established software teams, thoughtbot typically sticks around post-launch for ongoing maintenance — bug fixes, performance tuning, security patching, new feature work, and general technical support. For context, it has experience across industries such as Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology, Gaming & Gambling, Healthcare and Telecommunications, and its listed capabilities span iPhone App Development, Mobile App Design, Custom Software Development, Supply Chain Blockchain and App Marketing.

Usually, yes — a dedicated developer arrangement is a common option with firms like thoughtbot, where you get engineers working exclusively on your project as an extension of your in-house team rather than as a separate outsourced unit. For context, its listed capabilities span iPhone App Development, Mobile App Design, Custom Software Development, Supply Chain Blockchain and App Marketing, and it has experience across industries such as Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology, Gaming & Gambling, Healthcare and Telecommunications.

Most companies structured like thoughtbot give you a choice between a fixed-price contract, a dedicated team arrangement, or time-and-materials billing, so you can pick whichever lines up with your budget and how well-defined your scope already is. For context, it has experience across industries such as Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology, Gaming & Gambling, Healthcare and Telecommunications, and its listed capabilities span iPhone App Development, Mobile App Design, Custom Software Development, Supply Chain Blockchain and App Marketing.

Plenty of modern software teams, thoughtbot included, now build real AI and machine learning features — chatbots, predictive models, computer vision, and automation that goes beyond simple rule-based scripts. For context, its listed capabilities span iPhone App Development, Mobile App Design, Custom Software Development, Supply Chain Blockchain and App Marketing, and it has experience across industries such as Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology, Gaming & Gambling, Healthcare and Telecommunications.

Most professional shops, including thoughtbot, expect to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement before getting into specifics — it's a fairly standard ask and a reasonable one to make before sharing anything sensitive. For context, its listed capabilities span iPhone App Development, Mobile App Design, Custom Software Development, Supply Chain Blockchain and App Marketing, and its typical hourly rate is around $150 - $199.

Modernizing legacy software is usually within scope for a firm like thoughtbot — re-platforming, refactoring old code, and moving things onto current frameworks or cloud infrastructure without necessarily rebuilding everything from zero. For context, its listed capabilities span iPhone App Development, Mobile App Design, Custom Software Development, Supply Chain Blockchain and App Marketing, and it has experience across industries such as Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology, Gaming & Gambling, Healthcare and Telecommunications.
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