How much does custom software cost
There is no price list, but there is a clear logic behind the number. Here is what makes a project cost more or less, so you can size your case before talking to anyone.
The right question isn't “how much does it cost”, it's “how much does not having it cost”
Before looking at the investment, it's worth measuring what the manual process already costs today: team hours redoing what the software would do on its own, lost orders, rework from typing errors, decisions made on stale numbers.
That cost never arrives as an invoice, which is why almost nobody calculates it. But it's what decides whether the project pays back in months or in years, and it's the first calculation we do with you, before any proposal.
What drives the price up or down
Six factors explain almost all the difference between a short project and a large one.
How many processes are in scope
Software that solves one process costs a fraction of software that covers the whole company. It's the factor that weighs most, and the easiest to control.
How many user roles
Everyone seeing everything is simple. Sales, supervisors and finance with different screens and permissions multiplies the work.
What it needs to talk to
A standalone system is cheaper. Integrating with an ERP, marketplace, bank or machine depends on the quality of the documentation on the other side.
Whether it needs real time
Screens that update on their own, vehicle tracking and sensor data require a different architecture from a standard record-keeping app.
Whether it needs a mobile app
A native app is a project of its own, with app store publishing and its own maintenance. A website that works well on a phone often does the job.
Volume and history
Hundreds of records a day and millions in history call for database work a small project doesn't need.
How we handle the investment
- 1
Initial call, free of charge
Thirty minutes to understand the process. You leave with the problem mapped and a ballpark figure, not a formal proposal.
- 2
Scope of the first phase
We carve out what solves the most expensive problem and fits in a few weeks. You get a fixed price and timeline for that phase.
- 3
Delivery and real use
The system goes into operation. This is where the adjustments no meeting predicted show up.
- 4
You decide the next step
With the first result in hand, you choose to continue, change priorities or stop. No long contract locking the decision in.
Frequently asked questions
- Why don't you publish a price list?
- Because pricing custom software without understanding the process is guesswork, and guesswork tends to run high so the vendor stays safe. We'd rather have a thirty-minute call and give a fixed number we stand behind than put a big figure on the website that scares off someone whose project might have been simple.
- Is a team in Brazil cheaper than one in Europe or the US?
- As a rule, yes: engineering costs in Brazil are below Western European and North American rates, and our hours overlap with the European afternoon and the US East Coast morning. But we don't sell “cheap”: we sell a team with 25 years of manufacturing experience that understands your process. The cost difference is an advantage; the reason to hire is the other one.
- Which currency, and how do we pay?
- We quote in euros or US dollars, per phase, with a fixed price and timeline for each. Payment is by international transfer or through a payment platform, whichever is simpler for your accounting. We sort that out on the first call.
- Do we pay everything up front?
- No. We split the work into phases: the first solves the most expensive problem and goes into use right away; the next ones follow with the system already running. That lowers the initial outlay, and you decide whether to continue based on results instead of signing off on a large project in the dark.
- What's included in the price?
- Process discovery, screen design, development, testing, cloud deployment and support during the first weeks of use. Not included are third-party costs that are yours and that you contract directly: hosting, domain, payment gateway and external services.
- Are there costs after delivery?
- There is maintenance: keeping it online, backups, monitoring, fixing what comes up and evolving the system. It's a monthly amount proportional to the size of what's running, agreed in advance. Software without maintenance ages and becomes a risk.
Describe your process and get an estimate
No meeting required: tell us in writing what's holding operations back today and we'll reply with a ballpark figure within one business day.
Get in touch