Web Development Gold Coast

Software built for your business.

Custom web applications, customer portals, quoting tools, integrations and APIs, designed and built by Thrive’s in-house developers in Burleigh Heads.

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3,500+

Websites built

100%

5 star reviews

20+

Years experience

3,500+

Websites built

100%

5 star reviews

20+

Years experience

Web developers on the Gold Coast who build the thing you cannot buy off the shelf

Most businesses are well served by a good WordPress website. Some need more: a portal customers log in to, a quoting tool that prices a job on the spot, a dashboard that pulls data from three systems into one screen, or an app that does something no plugin does. That is custom web development on the Gold Coast, and it is what our developers do when a template will not.

For web development Gold Coast businesses can rely on, we build it ourselves, in Burleigh Heads, with the same team that has shipped more than 3,500 websites. We also build for ourselves: Odin, the practice management software that runs Thrive, is ours, and The Lab is full of calculators, generators and tools we wrote because we needed them.

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What we build

Custom web applications

Portals, dashboards, booking and management systems with user accounts, workflows and reporting, built around how your business actually runs.

Quoting tools and configurators

Calculators and product configurators that let a customer price or design a job online, from benchtops to storage pods to coffins.

API and system integrations

Connecting your website to accounting, CRM, inventory, payment and logistics systems, securely, so data is entered once.

Custom WordPress development

Plugins, custom blocks and bespoke functionality that extend WordPress without page builders or bloat.

Headless and modern front ends

React and JavaScript front ends on WordPress, Contentful or an API, for sites that need app-like speed.

Mobile and web apps

Progressive web apps and mobile app development, with the interface designed in-house and the build scoped properly before a line of code.

The stack we work in

PHP and Laravel for custom applications, portals and APIs, where the logic, the database and the user accounts need to be yours.
WordPress as a platform, not just a website: custom post types, plugins and custom blocks for content-heavy systems the client can run themselves.
React and modern JavaScript for interactive front ends, configurators and anything that has to feel like an app in the browser.
Headless builds on Contentful or WordPress, with the content managed in one place and delivered to a fast front end or several.
AWS and managed cloud hosting, with databases, queues, backups and monitoring run by our own team through our hosting and support plans.

We choose the stack after the scope, not before. A WordPress site with one custom plugin is often the right answer; a Laravel application is the right answer when it is not.

Take a look

Custom web development projects

We developed a robust and user-friendly website for Zolve using Laravel. The platform connects property developers and investors with non-bank and private lenders, offering tailored loan solutions. It features a custom-built system that allows users to track their loan applications 24/7, ensuring a seamless and transparent experience. Behind the scenes, the platform provides lenders and administrators with powerful dashboards to manage applications, monitor loan pipelines, track conversions and analyse performance in real time. Automated workflows, reporting and status updates reduce manual administration while giving every stakeholder complete visibility throughout the lending process. The result is a scalable platform that simplifies complex financial workflows and improves efficiency for both customers and staff.

There is a market for 3D Coffin generators! So we made one for our clients and Ashton Manufacturing. This tool allows users to mock up custom coffin graphics and render them to flat images. expressioncoffins.com.au/design-your-own/ Customers can upload artwork, add personalised text and preview their design on an interactive 3D model in real time. Every surface of the coffin can be customised, making it easy to visualise the finished product before it goes into production. The system automatically generates production-ready artwork for each panel, eliminating manual setup and reducing the chance of errors. It provides a unique, engaging experience for customers while significantly streamlining the manufacturing workflow behind the scenes.

We created a streamlined booking system for a Dubai-based modern moving company. It includes a custom stripe integration. easytruck.ae Customers can receive an instant quote by entering their pickup location, storage requirements and estimated volume, all through a simple step-by-step process. The system calculates pricing in real time, guides users through the booking process and securely processes payments online. Behind the scenes, the platform automates much of the administration that was previously handled manually, reducing errors, saving staff time and providing customers with a smooth, intuitive booking experience across desktop and mobile devices.

Our custom quote generator streamlines the entire benchtop quoting process by allowing customers to visually build their kitchen layout online. Users can add benchtop sections, waterfall ends, cut-outs, sinks, power points and other options while seeing their plan take shape in real time. The system automatically calculates pricing based on the selected materials, dimensions and fabrication requirements, reducing manual quoting, improving accuracy and giving customers an instant estimate. It also generates detailed plans for the production team, helping eliminate errors and significantly speeding up the sales process.

This custom client portal brings multiple tools and services together into a single, easy-to-use dashboard. Customers can track their progress, access personalised programs, manage projects and move seamlessly through each stage of their journey from one central location. Built specifically around the client’s workflow, the portal improves engagement, simplifies communication and provides a scalable platform that can continue to grow with new features and integrations over time.

App design and prototyping

A good app starts as a set of screens people can click through before anyone writes code. Our designers do that work in-house: user research, flows, wireframes and interactive prototypes, then the finished interface, with the same care we put into a website.

If we are building the app, the design feeds straight into development. If your own developers or another team are building it, we hand over a complete design system they can work from. Either way, you see and test the product before you commit to the build.

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How a development project runs

1. Discovery

We work out what the system has to do, who uses it, what it connects to and where the risk is, before anyone talks about technology.

2. Scope and quote

A written scope and a fixed quote for it. Changes after that are quoted too, so there are no surprises on the invoice.

3. Design

Flows, wireframes and a clickable prototype you can test, so the build starts from something you have already approved.

4. Build in stages

Developed in stages you can see and use, with testing as we go rather than a reveal at the end.

5. Launch and support

Deployed to hosting we manage, monitored, backed up and supported by the people who built it.

"Exactly the site we wanted and it’s so easy to update ourselves. The ongoing support is awesome too. A team of absolute pros."

Josh Hamilton

Creative Director, The Edit Suite

Got questions?

Web Development FAQs

How much does custom web development cost?

It depends entirely on what the system has to do, so we do not publish a rate. Every project starts with a discovery session and a written scope, and we quote a fixed price for that scope. Changes along the way are quoted before we do them. A small custom plugin and a customer portal are very different jobs, and the quote reflects that rather than an hourly guess.

How long does a development project take?

A custom WordPress plugin or integration can be days to a few weeks. A quoting tool or configurator is typically a few weeks. A full application with user accounts, workflows and integrations is a few months, delivered in stages so you are using parts of it before the whole thing is finished. The scope sets the timeline and we agree it before starting.

Do I need a custom build, or will WordPress do?

Usually WordPress will do, and we will tell you so. We build custom when a template or plugin cannot: user accounts with different roles, business logic, real-time pricing, integrations with other systems, or performance a page builder cannot deliver. Often the answer is a WordPress site with one custom-built piece, which is the cheapest way to get custom functionality.

Who owns the code?

You do. The code we write for your project belongs to you, is kept in version control, and can be handed over to you or another developer at any time. We do not lock clients in with proprietary platforms.

What happens after launch?

Custom software needs looking after: security updates, monitoring, backups and the occasional change. Most clients keep their application on our managed hosting and support plans, so the people who built it are the ones on call for it. You are free to host it elsewhere.

Can you take over an existing application or website?

Yes, and we do it regularly. We start with a code and infrastructure review so we know what we are inheriting, fix anything urgent, and then plan the work. Inherited projects are quoted after the review rather than before, because that is the only honest way to price them.

Do you build mobile apps?

Our core work is custom web applications and progressive web apps that run on any device. We design mobile apps in-house and can build them, or hand a complete design to your app developers. If you are not sure which you need, a web app is often the faster and cheaper route to the same result, and we will say so.

What technologies do you use?

PHP and Laravel for applications and APIs, WordPress for content-driven systems with custom plugins and blocks, React and modern JavaScript for interactive front ends, Contentful and WordPress for headless builds, and AWS for hosting. We pick the stack after the scope so it fits the job rather than the other way round.

Can you integrate with our accounting, CRM or other systems?

Yes. Integrations are a large part of our development work: Xero, MYOB, HubSpot and other CRMs, payment gateways, shipping and logistics platforms, inventory and point-of-sale systems, and any service with an API. We build them to fail safely and to be monitored, because an integration nobody is watching is the one that breaks.

Are you based on the Gold Coast?

Yes. Our developers and designers work from our studio in Burleigh Heads, and we build for clients across the Gold Coast, Brisbane and the rest of Australia. You can meet the people writing your code, which is rarer than it should be.

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