How much does custom software cost?
The honest answer is: it depends. But you deserve more than that. Here are realistic price ranges, the factors that move the number most, and how to read a quote before you sign it.
Custom software cost at a glance
Every project is different, but these entry points give you somewhere to start. They are lower bounds, not ceilings. Where your project actually lands comes down to scope and complexity, which we break down in the next section.
Read the table as a starting line. A landing page and a piece of custom software sit at opposite ends of the range because they solve very different problems: one presents information, the other runs a business process with logic, roles, and data behind it.
| Landing page | from ~EUR 1,490 |
|---|---|
| Business website (3-5 pages) | from ~EUR 2,290 |
| Growth website | from ~EUR 3,990 |
| Custom web application / MVP | from ~EUR 8,900 |
| Custom software | from ~EUR 12,900 |
| Mobile app | from ~EUR 12,900 |
| Website Care | from ~EUR 99 / month |
| Application Support | from ~EUR 299 / month |
Why our entry prices sit lower
Our starting prices come in below what many German agencies quote, and the reason is structural, not a discount. We are a two-person senior studio with no account-manager layers and no agency overhead, and part of delivery runs nearshore from Albania. Same senior quality, lower fixed costs, a fair price. Against pure German agency rates, that typically works out 30-50% cheaper without cutting corners on communication.
One caveat on the mobile row: EUR 12,900 covers a focused app. Once you add a real backend the entry point moves to roughly EUR 19,900, and a complex app with heavy integrations can reach EUR 39,000. App-specific numbers, including store fees, are their own topic, so we keep that detail in the dedicated app guide linked below rather than crowding this overview.
What drives the price
Software quotes vary so widely because a handful of factors can multiply the effort. Once you can name them, you can read any quote and understand where the number comes from.
- Scope and complexity. Five simple forms are quick to build. Roles and permissions, involved business logic, and a long tail of edge cases take far more time. Complexity, not page count, is the real cost driver.
- Integrations. Every connection to an outside system (payment, CRM, ERP, shipping) adds work, especially when the other side has an old or poorly documented interface.
- Design and UX. A standard look is inexpensive. A considered, custom user flow is an investment, and it is usually the one that pays back in conversion and adoption.
- Data migration. Moving existing data across cleanly is routinely underestimated. It is its own block of work, with validation and edge cases of its own.
- Security and GDPR. GDPR-compliant handling and EU hosting are our default. Higher requirements, such as special categories of data, add effort on top.
- Who builds it. Senior engineers cost more per hour but need fewer hours and leave behind fewer follow-up costs. The hourly rate alone tells you very little.
Fixed price vs hourly rate
In Germany, hourly rates for serious development sit roughly between EUR 80 and EUR 180. Large agencies sit at the top, offshore body-shops well below, often with a communication and quality risk attached. Even so, the rate is only half the story, because the number of hours a project actually needs matters just as much.
That is why we work fixed price wherever the scope is clear. After a short conversation you get a written plan with a defined scope and a single number. You know what you will pay before we start, and we carry the risk of estimating well, not you. Only genuinely open-ended, ongoing development is billed by the hour, and even then you set the budget.
How to keep costs down
The biggest savings are decided before any code is written. Four habits keep a project lean without cutting quality.
- Start with an MVP. Build the smallest useful slice first, put it in front of real users, and expand based on feedback instead of guesses. It is the single most effective way to avoid paying for features nobody uses.
- Write clear requirements. The more precisely you know what is needed, the tighter the quote and the fewer expensive changes mid-build. Ambiguity is what makes projects overrun.
- Use standards where you can. Not every detail needs to be custom-built. We tell you where bespoke work pays off and where a proven off-the-shelf piece does the job for less.
- Invest in maintainability. Clean, documented code costs marginally more in the first round and noticeably less in every round after. Your code is yours, handed over with docs, so you are never locked in.
Most projects move forward as custom software development or a lean first release. If your build is specifically a mobile or web app, our guide on the cost to build an app breaks down the app-specific numbers, and if you want to start small and prove the idea first, the MVP development cost guide shows what a first slice runs. Not sure what your project should cost? We will price it transparently in a free intro call.