What budget to plan for custom software

“How much will it cost?” is the first question in any project, and the most legitimate one. Custom software has no catalog price, but it does have reliable ranges, which depend on the type of tool and the features you need. Here is my public price list, what moves the price, and the costs to plan around development.

Ranges by type of project

These amounts exclude VAT and cover a first version running in production. The quote becomes fixed after scoping.

The $6,800 (€6,000)excl. VAT floor for a business app is not arbitrary: it is the minimum for a reliable tool, with user accounts, access rights, a clean database and screens designed for your teams. The full service description is on the business apps page.

The features that push the price up

On top of the core, each feature adds a fairly predictable amount. These are the building blocks used in my estimator, excluding VAT.

Some factors multiply the total: 10 to 50 users, ×1.1; over 50, ×1.2; premium design ×1.15; an urgent deadline ×1.2. An existing prototype that has already validated the need lowers the total (×0.85).

An illustrative example: a portal where your customers check their orders, with accounts and roles, a back office, a customer portal, payment and a connection to your ERP, adds up to $10,700 (€9,500)excl. VAT in building blocks before multipliers. For 30 users, ×1.1 applies, bringing the building blocks to $11,700 (€10,450)excl. VAT, on top of the project’s base price. The estimator runs this calculation for you in one minute.

The costs around development

A complete budget does not stop at the provider’s quote. Also plan for:

• hosting, in your name: from a few tens to a few hundred euros a year;
• third-party services billed by usage: email sending, text messages, e-signature, AI API calls;
• maintenance and new features after the three months of included support, covered in the cost of app maintenance;
• your team’s time: scoping workshops, mockup reviews, testing each batch;
• training if several teams or sites need it (from $1,700 (€1,500)excl. VAT).

How to set your budget

I recommend working through it in this order:

1. Start from the expected gain. What the tool saves or earns each year sets a reasonable budget. The method is in calculating the ROI of a business tool.
2. Define a first version. The features you need on day one, not the full wish list.
3. Keep a 10 to 15% margin for adjustments discovered during testing.
4. Compare over 3 years with the subscriptions the tool replaces.

Sharing a budget range with a provider from the first conversation is not a weakness: it lets them propose the most useful scope for that amount, instead of a quote that misses the mark.

When custom software is not the right investment

I prefer to be clear: custom software is not always the right spend.

• If an off-the-shelf product covers your needs well for a reasonable subscription, keep it.
• If your budget is below $6,800 (€6,000)excl. VAT and the need is real, it is better to configure an existing tool or start with an audit ($660 (€589)excl. VAT for an express audit) that will tell you where to begin.
• If the process is not yet stable, wait: you can only build well what you can describe.

How a project works

1. A free 30-minute discovery call to understand your needs and give you a first order of magnitude.
2. Scoping (1 to 2 weeks): requirements document, fixed quote, schedule.
3. Clickable mockups (1 to 3 weeks), approved before development starts.
4. Development in batches, each tested by your team.
5. Go-live, data migration, onboarding, then three months of included support.

Prices are fixed, with a 50% deposit at the start. The source code and rights are transferred to you once the project is paid in full. Everything is detailed on the pricing page.