How to Build a Super App: 2025 Guide

Since 2020, super apps have been gaining an advantage over traditional apps and increasing in popularity. The super app market shows an annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27.8%, and a considerable adoption rate, with 1 in 3 people being users of super apps, and about 74% of consumers expressing interest in super apps in general. So, what should businesses know about super app development in 2025 and beyond? 

In this post, you’ll explore in great detail what is super app, how it’s comparable to a traditional app, and what advantages and limitations this app development type has. Besides, you’ll get to know types and examples of super apps, and, what’s probably the most valuable, learn how the development of a super app differs from traditional app creation. 

What Is a Super App?

A super app is a multi-functional platform that integrates various services and features into a single application.

Super apps allow users to perform tasks such as messaging, shopping, payments, booking, and more, all within one ecosystem. It can be noted that traditionally, all such services are provided within different apps belonging to distinct companies. 

It’s often that businesses try to create a super application out of several, mutually related apps, such as a distinct taxi and a food delivery ap. In other scenarios, businesses may consider creating a multi-product application. The latter is basically several completely different products within the unified environment. 

What are the differences between super apps and traditional apps

Explore the differences between super apps and traditional apps in the infographics below:

Note: I’d like to add to this comparison that many complex applications are incredibly similar to super apps in the way they onboard users, handle data, scale, monetize, etc. Still, as long as they target the same auditory and add only complementary or tightly related features, they remain complex apps. 

Pros and Cons of Super Apps

First, I’d like to share my vision of why and how super apps are superior to traditional apps and the conventional monetization model: 

Pros of super apps:

• Enhanced user convenience. Having multiple services, which complement each other or are related, in one app makes an app a one-stop-shop for users. To many, it’s convenient. 
• Increased user retention. If a super app succeeds in making users utilize one of its functions, there is a chance that, over time, users will start using other features available. Eventually, users may abandon many smaller-scale apps and, by and large, stick with only a handful of super apps. 
• Cross-promotion opportunities among integrated services. Having an established user base makes it easier to promote additional services. When all such services are integrated within a single app, it makes promotion even more effective. An easy example is Instagram promoting Threads, which made Threads, a not-that-unique social platform, the fastest-growing app in history. 
• Cost efficiency by leveraging shared infrastructure and resources. The development of a super app is no less expensive than creating two apps. However, having a uniform infrastructure, team, and operational processes results in cost savings over time. 
• Higher revenue potential through diversified monetization channels. At the end of the day, revenue is a priority for most businesses. When a super app manages to keep its users active with a particularly successful offering, the potential for selling new products and services can grow nearly endlessly. 

And now, let’s proceed with reviewing the cons, or, to be precise, limitations and risks of developing a super app compared to a traditional app. 

Cons of super apps:

• Communicating the need for such an app to users may be difficult. Some target audiences, like elders using fitness apps, are redundant to changes. Making them use a single unfamiliar app instead of one or two applications they got used to may cause rejection. 
• User overload due to the abundance of features. Super apps are always about having at least twofold the scope of features users had previously. That makes user onboarding and intuitive UI/UX critical points since the failure to accommodate users with the super app would lead, once again, to rejection.
• Managing customer support becomes more complex. Developing a super app out of several traditional apps leads to merging the support base. While having two support centers is a possible temporary solution, later on, a business will have to merge customer support. Such a change is challenging from an organizational perspective. 
• Risk of losing users during the transition. In light of the already mentioned risks, some losses of existing users are expected from transitioning from an older app to a new super app. Probably, the loss of 10-15% of the user base is not critical, yet the risks of losing as much as half of the users are real.  
• Increased complexity in maintaining and updating the app. Due to the complexity and the scale of the super app, it’s expensive and difficult to maintain. While maintaining a traditional app can cost 10-20% of the initial development cost, maintaining a super app may be even higher, especially for the first year or two after the release. 

Note. Here, I should emphasize that while development challenges and business risks associated with the development of a super application are significant, you should not perceive them as inadequate. At the end of the day, creating a super app is still a business opportunity many companies are willing to attempt ceasing. Having the right software development agency for such a project is half the battle. So, make sure to choose wisely. 

How to Develop a Super App: Specialized Phases

Here at DashDevs, we have the standard software development process extensively described across our many bits of content. To recap, it’s generally composed of the discovery phase, architecture development. UI/UX design, MVP development, full-scale development, testing, release, and technical support and maintenance. 

You can explore the software development process step-by-step in our corresponding blog post. 

When it comes to the case of super app development, I’d actually love to point out on several phases are specific to super apps. This way, we should be able to understand the technical complexity of superapps. Let’s then proceed. 

#1 Modular Architecture as a Development Model  

In development, we usually stick to one of the two main software design patterns: Monolithic architecture or modular architecture. 

Monolithic architecture is a software design pattern where the entire application is developed as a single, tightly integrated unit. It has a single codebase. 

At the same time:

Modular architecture divides an application into smaller, independent modules or components, each responsible for specific functionality. These modules interact with each other through defined interfaces or APIs.

The choice between them depends on the type of application. Monolithic architecture is rigid. It has little room for scaling and adding functionalities and therefore presents a bad pick for super apps. At the same time, with a modular architecture, development requires more time and effort. However, scaling and updating become much easier.

You can discover more details on modular architecture in development, including usage intricacies and real-life applications in another our blog post. 

In the majority of cases, super apps are either fully modular architecture-based apps, or apps created when shifting from monolithic to a modular architecture. So, the big idea here is simple. Stick to modular architecture, should you be looking for superapp development. 

#2 Dedicated Design System 

As mentioned, super apps often present a mix of two or even more already existing applications, each with its own design. Often, the design doesn’t comply with a particular brand book. It also may differ because of the app platform chosen, e.g., iOS or Android. The only way to combat this issue is to create a desiccated design system.

A dedicated design system is a set of standardized design guidelines, reusable components, and visual elements that ensure consistency across all interfaces and platforms within an application or product ecosystem.

Here you have two options on how to approach the creation of a dedicated design system:

1. Incorporate UI/UX design system from one existing application. Then you just apply it universally across all super app modules, adding more elements as per the existing brandbook.
2. Create a UI/UX design system from scratch. Here, you basically create a completely new design system, which will serve as a guide for creating all the custom elements for a super app. 

The choice is strictly a business decision. Usually, one or other technical constraints don’t significantly impact decision-making here.

#3 How to merge existing apps

Much like with the merge and unification of the UI/UX design system, we have difficulties with the architecture of a super app. It’s usually incredibly centered around a certain way an app works. Changing it to something completely different and naturally more complex can cause issues and errors. Here are two options how to approach the merging of apps:

1. Rework the architecture of one app and make it a basis for a super app. This way, both apps should be prepared from the perspective of how they look, feel, and operate. Then, one can be integrated on top of another. 
2. Create a super app architecture from scratch. Here we should prepare a completely new modular architecture system. Then, it’s necessary to add functionalities from apps we intend to merge on top of this newly created architecture. Lots of rework and redevelopment are expected here. 

In the taxi and express delivery super app success story, to which I’ll get in greater detail in the following section, DashDevs actually showcases how we can combat issues with UI/UX design and the merge of two apps. There, we conducted rebranding and created a new dedicated design system from scratch. As for the architecture of the super app, we added express delivery app functionalities on top of the existing taxi delivery software. That’s how two apps were merged into one super app. 

#4 Unification of authorization and onboarding flow

Separate apps, even ones belonging to the same company, have different authorization and onboarding flows. At the same time, when merging two apps, they should become one. For this, we again may choose either the unification route or the developing from scratch route. Anyway, we should achieve the following:

• Super app authorization should be uniform and usable for users of both legacy applications. Ideally, users authorized in one app, should be able to login into super app with their existing logic and password details.
• User databases should be united. However, user permission is required for this to happen legally. 
• The new onboarding flow should be able to introduce a product of another level of complexity. Usually, it’s created from scratch regardless of the development approach.

That’s all for new super app development phases. Aside from the necessity to merge apps in one way or another, and some restrictions imposed on the choice of architecture pattern, super app development is technically no different from building regular software. 

Real-World Examples of Super Apps

Let’s make the picture complete. Here are several examples of different, real-world super apps:

Super Taxi and Delivery App (NDA)

Super Taxi and Delivery App developed with DashDevs involvement, is a unified software solution with a modular architecture and a suite of essential integrations behind it. With this super app, the DashDevs’ customer centers all their services available into one product to raise the bar for customer service even higher. 

Functionalities:

• Ride-hailing
• Food delivery
• Order delivery
• Geolocation
• In-app payments
• Promotions

Evolution:

Super taxi and delivery app is a consolidation of separate taxi and food delivery applications belonging to the same business. The DashDevs team added delivery services on top of the taxi application merging databases and unifying the digital environment to produce this super app. 

Explore super taxi and delivery app success story

WeChat

Released by Tencent in 2011, WeChat is one of the Chinese super apps examples. It offers messaging, social media, and payment services. It evolved by integrating services like e-commerce, ride-hailing, and mini-programs, making it a one-stop solution for daily activities.

Functionalities:

• Messaging (text, voice, video)
• Social media (Moments, Channels)
• Mobile payments (WeChat Pay)
• Mini-programs for third-party apps
• Ride-hailing and food delivery
• Utility services (bill payments, ticket booking)

Evolution:

WeChat became a super app by integrating mini-programs and third-party services into its ecosystem. This eliminated the need for many external standalone apps.

Microsoft Teams

Released by Microsoft in 2017, Microsoft Teams is an enterprise communication app combining messaging, video conferencing, and collaborative tools. It integrates with Office 365 and other services, evolving into a super app designed to boost workplace productivity.

Functionalities:

• Chat and video conferencing
• File sharing and co-editing (integrated with Office 365)
• Task and project management tools
• App integrations (e.g., Trello, Jira)
• Enterprise-grade security and compliance

Evolution:

Microsoft Teams consolidated functionalities from Skype for Business and SharePoint, creating an all-in-one collaboration tool for organizations.

Technical and Business Challenges in Developing a Super App

I’ve been mentioning repeatedly that super app development is a complex initiative. Aside from regular development challenges, it presents a suite of specific difficulties to address. Here I gathered them all, based on my experience with such projects:

• Unifying user flow and data models. Services within a super app often come from different domains, which necessitates alignment in workflows and data structures. For example, combining e-commerce, messaging, and payments means integrating user profiles across these services. Misaligned flows can lead to errors, such as inconsistent user data or failed transactions. 
• Creating a simplified and intuitive UI/UX design. A super app hosts numerous features. That’s why Poor design could overwhelm users and lead to high user churn. For example, a cluttered homepage with multiple unrelated options can confuse users. 

Explore how to create a user-friendly UI/UX design in another blog post by DashDevs. 

• Implementing a consistent design system in code. When combining several apps, developers and designers are usually stuck with buttons, icons, and other elements that look and feel different. Fixing that, from a technical perspective, requires a unified design library implemented in the app’s codebase.
• Coordinating the development across multiple development teams. Super apps are typically developed by multiple teams working on independent modules. In such a scenario, miscommunication can cause integration delays or misaligned features. 
• Choose a proper module architecture and achieve seamless integration. A super app’s architecture is typically modular, created by usign dedicated framework of a customer and a tech team’s choosing. Making a perfect choice of tech stack is already a difficulty. At the same time, making sure all of the modules as well as many integration super app needs, work consistently and error-free is even more challenging.
• Ensure correct implementation of push notifications. Poor implementation of notifications leads to spam or irrelevant alerts. For instance, a payment reminder meant for one service showing up for another creates confusion. In the case of super apps, granular notification rules are used.
• Accurate handling of DeepLinks. DeepLinks allows users to navigate directly to specific app sections. Incorrect handling can result in broken links or users landing on irrelevant pages. For instance, a promotional link for an e-commerce deal should open the exact product page, not the generic homepage. This aspect is deeply related to the logic of how the app actually works. This matter is challenging, in the first place, from a UI/UX design perspective. 

Best Way to Avoid Costly Errors in Developing a Super App

Unfortunately, there’s no single solution to address the concern of errors in a development project. Super app development is a complex technical and business initiative that should be approached by experienced engineers only. From the very start to finish, only the highest level of expertise ensures that no substantial mistakes are allowed.

I already mentioned some challenges, pointing to the direction of their resolution. However, what I really want to advise here is to find a trusted tech partner for your super app project.

Here are DashDevs, we have a proven track record of working with both complex apps and super apps. With more than 14 years of experience and a total of more than 500 projects successfully delivered across industries, we can maximize the value of your investment in a super app. Here’s what we can offer in that regard:

• Super app development consulting
• Product discovery, including requirement testing and assistance with tech stack choosing
• Super app solution architecture development
• End-to-end development of a super app
• Super app UI/UX design services
• QA testing
• DevOps and deployment
• Technical support and maintenance

Don’t hesitate to reach out to DashDevs should you need advice and assistance with your super app project. 

Final Take

Superapp development is redefining digital experiences by integrating diverse functionalities into unified ecosystems. From enhanced user convenience to expanded monetization channels, super apps present vast opportunities for businesses. However, challenges like complex architecture or UI/UX design system discrepancies and user onboarding require careful planning and expert execution. 

When it comes to complex projects, having the right tech partner is half the battle. Consider reaching out to DashDevs to obtain assistance with your super app project. With more than 14 years of experience and over 500 projects under our belt, we can execute the necessary development end-to-end with flying colors.

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