One-week buildJuly 2026 · 6 min read

How to Build a CRM App with AI

Salesforce is overkill for a realtor, recruiter, or freelance salesperson working from a phone. Contacts, a simple pipeline, and ruthless follow-up reminders — the mobile-first "who do I call today" tool is a persistently underserved B2B niche.

What a simple CRM app needs

  • Contacts with interaction history
  • Pipeline stages (customizable)
  • Follow-up reminders ("ping in 2 weeks")
  • Notes and call logging
  • Today view: who to contact

The screens

ScreenWhat it does
TodayDue follow-ups — the money screen
PipelineContacts by stage, drag to move
Contact DetailHistory, notes, next follow-up
Add InteractionLog call/meeting + set next ping
SettingsStages, import, subscription

The data model

  • Contact: name, company, phone, stage, nextFollowUp
  • Interaction: contactId, date, type, note
  • Stage: name, order

The build prompt (copy this)

Paste this into ShipNative and it becomes a working React Native app with these screens, navigable in a live preview, in about two minutes:

A simple CRM for real estate agents. Contacts with pipeline stages (lead/viewing/offer/closed), interaction logging with automatic next-follow-up prompts, Today view of due follow-ups, notes. Screens: Today, Pipeline board, Contact Detail, Add Interaction, Settings with custom stages. Subscription per seat.

Then iterate with small, screen-specific prompts (“make the primary button bigger”, “add an empty state”), preview on your own phone, and export the full Expo project whenever you want. The full method: how to build an app with AI.

How it makes money

B2B per-seat ($10–25/mo). Vertical versions (realtors, recruiters, insurance) beat generic — same engine, different stage names and copy.

Implementation and the revenue math for every model: how to make money from an app. When you’re ready to ship: App Store and Google Play publishing guides.

Build it now

The prompt above is free to run at shipnative.dev — working simple CRM app on your phone today, full code export, no credit card.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a mobile CRM different from Salesforce?

The Today screen. Solo sellers need "who do I contact today," not dashboards. Follow-up discipline is the entire product.

How do users get contacts in?

Phone-contacts import plus quick manual add. CSV import for switchers. Prompt for contacts-permission import explicitly.

How to Build a Habit Tracker App

Build a habit tracker app in an afternoon with AI — screens, streak logic, reminders, and …

See build plan →

How to Build a Workout Tracker App

Build a workout tracker app with AI — exercise logging, routines, progress charts, and res…

See build plan →

Ship a real React Native app today

Describe, preview, and export Expo code — free to start.

Build with ShipNative →