01 Case study · Workforce · Mobile app
An hours-and-pay app, from idea to 300,000+ downloads.
WAC is a UK hours-and-pay app. Its founder, not a technical person, came to us at the idea stage, and one Tailwebs team took it from research to an MVP, then to launch and scaling. Over four years it passed 300,000 downloads, and the rebuilt app is live and scaling. Tailwebs also designed the app.
- Client
- WAC
- Built
- Research, design, MVP, native app and API, scaling
- Engagement
- One Tailwebs team, from idea to scale, over four years
Four years in one scroll
From an idea to 300,000+ downloads.
Scroll through the milestones in order, from the idea to the figures four years on.
Four years on: 300,000+ downloads, 10+ awards, a top app in the UK App Store and 50,000 monthly active users. WAC's App Store (UK) rating is 4.8★ from 5,780 ratings.
- 50,000 downloads after the MVP
- 300,000+ downloads by year four
- 01
Idea and research
- 02
MVP
50,000 downloads after the MVP
- 03
Advanced rota
- 04
Live payslip
- 05
Legal hub
- 06
Widgets
- 07
Freemium model
- 08
Investment raised
- 09
300,000+ downloads
300,000+ downloads by year four
The milestones are listed in the order of WAC's feature list; they are not dated.
03 The moves
What we did, move by move.
- Move 1
Research, then an MVP
What we saw A non-technical founder came to us with an idea for a UK hours-and-pay app.
What we did We ran the research, then designed and built the MVP.
The effect The idea became an app people could download.
- Move 2
Features after the MVP
What we saw The MVP was the start of the app, not the whole of it.
What we did We added an advanced rota, a live payslip, a legal hub and widgets.
The effect The app gained a rota, a live payslip, a legal hub and widgets.
- Move 3
A freemium model
What we saw A freemium model was one of the later features.
What we did We built a freemium model into the app.
The effect The app runs on a freemium model.
- Move 4
A native rebuild, still scaling
What we saw WAC has 50,000 monthly active users. In 2026 we rebuilt the app natively.
What we did We designed the app and rebuilt it natively, in Swift and Java, on a Ruby on Rails API.
The effect The rebuilt app is live and scaling.
04 Results
What the moves added up to.
- 300,000+downloads over four yearsFrom moves 1, 2: Research, then an MVP; Features after the MVP
- 50,000monthly active usersFrom moves 2, 4: Features after the MVP; A native rebuild, still scaling
- 10+awards, and a top app in the UK App StoreFrom moves 2, 4: Features after the MVP; A native rebuild, still scaling
- 4.8rating on the App Store (UK)From move 4: A native rebuild, still scaling
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06 Keep reading