It's the first question we get and the hardest to answer in one sentence. We're not dodging it: custom software isn't an off-the-shelf product. It is designed for your operation, and its cost changes with what you need. In this post we explain what it depends on, so you reach a quote with the right information. We don't give figures or ranges, because any number without knowing your project would be a guess.
Why there is no single price
Two projects that look the same from the outside can be very different inside. An app with three screens and one type of user is nothing like a system with roles, reports and integrations with other programs. That's why the cost is worked out from the real work to be done, not from a fixed list.
The factors that weigh most
- Functional scope. How many features you need and how complex they are. Recording data is simple. Calculating, approving, notifying and generating reports in a chain takes more work.
- User types and permissions. A system for one person is different from one where managers, operators and customers see different information.
- Integrations. Connecting your software to another system you already use (accounting, invoicing, a CRM, WhatsApp) means understanding how that other system works and testing that both talk to each other well.
- Experience design. An internal tool can be plain. A product your customers will use calls for more care in design and in testing with real users.
- Target platforms. A web app, a mobile app or both. Each has its own build and testing work.
- Existing data. If you have information in spreadsheets or another system and want to move it to the new one, it has to be reviewed, cleaned and migrated.
- Security and personal data handling. If the software handles people's data, there are legal and technical requirements that are designed in from the start.
- Time available. A very close deadline may force us to reorganize the team or split the project into stages.
- Rollout and support. Putting the software into use, training your team and supporting it afterward are also part of the work.
How to reduce uncertainty
The best way to get closer to a clear cost is to start with a small, useful version, which many call an MVP (minimum viable product): the minimum you need to solve the main problem. You build it, test it with your team and decide with evidence what comes next. That way you don't pay for features you may never use.
It also helps to split the project into stages with deliverables you can see and try. Each stage can be reviewed before moving on to the next.
What information to prepare before asking for a quote
You don't need a technical document. With these questions answered, we can understand your project in a first conversation:
- What problem do you want to solve, and who lives with it today?
- Who will use the software, and what should each person be able to do?
- Which systems or tools should it connect to?
- Do you have information we should bring into the new system?
- Is there an important date you want to meet?
- Does something similar already exist, on the market or inside your company, that can serve as a reference?
Be wary of instant answers
If someone gives you a fixed price without asking you questions, the scope is probably unclear and surprises will show up later. A good quote starts from understanding your operation, defines what is in and what is out, and puts in writing how changes that come up along the way are handled.
If you're not sure whether to build something from scratch or use an existing tool, also read Custom software or a ready-made platform: how to decide.
The next step
Tell us what you want to build. We listen to your case, ask the questions that are missing and send you a proposal made to measure.
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