About York Apps

York Apps is a UK software agency that has helped smaller businesses get more from technology since 2000. We build the working software behind a business – bespoke applications, custom databases, websites and, increasingly, AI – and we run these tools on our own operations, not just build them for other people.

What we do

For 25 years we have specialised in the software that off-the-shelf products can’t quite handle: custom databases, bespoke software development and web design. That same discipline now underpins our AI development services – AI agents, integration and automation – built to work with the systems and data you already have.

How we work

We start with the problem, not the technology. Most engagements begin with a short, fixed-fee consultancy that identifies where AI or software will genuinely pay back, checks what your data and systems can support, and produces a costed plan you own – with no obligation to proceed.

When we build, we keep a person in the loop where it matters, we hand over software you own outright (code, prompts and configuration – no lock-in), and we deploy gradually so the software earns trust before it runs on its own. It is a deliberately unflashy way to work, and it is why our clients stay with us for years.

Why York Apps

  • 25 years of integration experience. The hard part of AI is rarely the model – it is connecting it safely to real, messy, existing systems. That is exactly what we have done since 2000.
  • We run AI on our own operations. Self-hosted automation handles parts of our own admin and follow-up, so we can show you how a pattern behaves in practice, not just in a demo.
  • UK-based, and built for UK businesses. We work with UK GDPR and self-hosted options where data must stay in-house.
  • Engineering-led. Our work is grounded in real systems and manufacturing-management background, not marketing hype.

Who runs York Apps

Austen Jones, Managing Director at York Apps

Austen Jones

Managing Director, York Apps

Austen is a Chartered Engineer (C.Eng) with an M.Eng in Manufacturing & Management from UMIST and a PhD in manufacturing-systems implementation. He founded the company in 2000 to help smaller UK businesses become more competitive through technology, and has spent 25+ years delivering ERP, production and supply-chain systems, bespoke software and SEO. He now leads York Apps’ AI development work – the agents, integration and automation the firm also runs on its own operations.

Memberships: Institute of Operations Management (MIOM), Chartered Management Institute (MCMI), Institution of Engineering and Technology (MIET).

Talk to us

If you are weighing up where AI or bespoke software could help your business, the best first step is a short, fixed-fee AI consultancy – a costed roadmap, no obligation. We are based in York and work with businesses across the UK.