What Does Custom Software Cost for a Small Company?

The most common question in a first call is also the one most developers answer most vaguely: "It depends." That's true, but it doesn't help you decide. So here are the numbers I work with.

The first step: four figures

Custom software for a small company doesn't start with a big project. It starts with a clearly scoped first step: the one list that costs the most time, or the one process that runs by hand every week. That step is typically in the four-figure euro range, somewhere between a few thousand and just under ten thousand euros, and it's in use within a few weeks.

Why so small? Because after the first step you know what the software does for you. You work with it, see what's missing, and then decide whether and what comes next. A specification covering everything you might ever need costs more and is usually wrong.

What drives the price

How much data has to come together. A customer list with jobs is manageable. Customers, jobs, contracts, invoices and documents that all relate to each other are a bigger step.

How many programs are connected. If the software has to talk to your accounting, your mailbox or a supplier portal, each integration takes time. It pays for itself quickly, though, because nobody retypes anything afterwards.

How clean your existing data is. A well-kept spreadsheet is imported in an afternoon. Twelve years of grown lists with inconsistent spellings, duplicates and notes in number fields need a clean-up. That's work, but it only happens once.

How many people use it. Roles, permissions and approvals are quick to build when it's clear who may do what. Unclear responsibilities cost more than the technology.

What comes after the first step

Companies change, and the software grows with them. Most of my clients keep developing after the first step, sometimes a day a month, sometimes a week at a stretch, depending on what's coming up. There's no minimum term and no contract that ties you in. Every step is discussed beforehand and billed afterwards.

Running costs for the software itself, meaning servers and maintenance, are typically in the low double digits per month for a small company. There are no per-user licences, because the software belongs to you.

Where you save money

You don't pay for features you don't use. Standard software costs per user per month, no matter how much of it you need. Custom software has exactly the features your company needs.

No lock-in. I use proven, widely used technology, and the source code belongs to you. Any other developer can take the software forward. That keeps the price honest, because you could leave at any time.

The time saved is real. If three people each spend two hours a week gathering and retyping, that's around 300 hours a year. Multiply that by your hourly rate and you know what the first step may cost.

What you need for the first call

Nothing but an honest description of where things get stuck. No requirements list, no specification. In the call I'll tell you whether custom software is worth it in your case or whether an existing tool will do, and what a first step would cost. The call takes about 30 minutes and is free.