How Much Does Custom Software Cost — 2026 Real Pricing
Custom software costs between €4,000 and €250,000+ in 2026, paid once, with no per-seat subscription. A small internal tool or MVP for one department starts at €4,000-€18,000 and ships in 4-8 weeks. A mid-market business platform with CRM, inventory, invoicing and 2-3 integrations is €18,000-€60,000 over 3-6 months. An enterprise system with multiple locations, AI modules, native mobile apps and SLA support runs €60,000-€250,000+ over 6-12 months. Final price is driven by scope, number of integrations, AI components and business-logic complexity.
What drives the cost of custom software
Prices below are one-off — you own the code, the database and full rights. No seat subscription, no vendor lock-in. Recurring costs cover hosting, monitoring and backups, typically €50-€400 per month based on load.
- ✓Scope and number of modules — a single sales dashboard is a different project from a platform with CRM, inventory, manufacturing, HR and accounting. Each new module adds roughly €3,000-€12,000.
- ✓Integrations — one modern API (Stripe, Shopify, HubSpot, accounting) adds €800-€3,500. Legacy systems without a public API push that to €2,500-€8,000 due to reverse engineering.
- ✓AI and automation — adding an AI layer (RAG knowledge base, lead scoring, document OCR, AI follow-ups) increases the build by €4,000-€20,000, with €30-€300/month in token cost.
- ✓UX/UI design and branding — a clean shadcn/Tailwind component base is included. Premium custom design with unique motion and branded glass UI is an extra €2,500-€8,000.
- ✓Business-logic complexity — approval flows, multi-location inventory, B2B pricing matrices, license states and regulatory needs (HIPAA, GDPR audit logs) add 20-40% to the estimate.
- ✓Mobile apps — responsive web is included. Native iOS/Android in App Store/Play is an extra €8,000-€25,000 depending on features.
For the service itself see custom software development and business software as a broader category.
Three price tiers for custom software
4-8 weeks. One department, 5-30 users, 3-6 screens. Replaces 1-2 Excel sheets with a real web app — a sales pipeline, a warehouse with barcodes or internal ticketing. Includes roles, forms, basic reports, CSV export and one standard integration.
3-6 months. 2-4 departments, 30-150 users, CRM + inventory + invoicing + dashboards. 3-6 integrations (accounting, couriers, ads, payments, email/SMS). Approval flows, audit logs, responsive mobile UI, basic BI. The most common choice for SMB clients with 20-150 staff.
6-12 months. Multiple locations, 150-1500+ users, production SLA. AI modules (RAG chat on internal docs, AI sales automation, invoice OCR), native mobile apps, multi-tenant architecture, advanced BI, SSO, security audit and 24/7 monitoring. Fits manufacturing, logistics, retail chains and fintech.
How we arrive at an accurate quote
We do not send a blind quote off a single email. Five steps end in a fixed-scope contract, not open-ended T&M where the budget doubles mid-project.
1. Discovery call — free
A 60-90 minute call with the founder or department head. We map the workflows to automate, the user count, key integrations and the outcome to measure (hours, errors, response time). You get a rough price corridor — €X-€Y — not yet a signed quote.
2. Technical scoping — €800-€2,500 (credited back)
One to two weeks to write a detailed SRS: user stories, DB schema, wireframes for core screens, list of API endpoints and integrations. Then a fixed-price quote with +/-10% tolerance. The scoping fee is credited back into the final contract.
3. Sprint-based delivery
Two-week sprints, demo at the end of each. Real progress, no PowerPoint. Payments split 30% kickoff, 40% mid-project (core modules accepted), 30% on production deploy with signed acceptance.
4. UAT and training
2-3 weeks of user acceptance testing with real people from your team. Training sessions in your language, video walkthroughs and SOP docs are included — not extra.
5. Production launch and SLA
Deploy on DigitalOcean, Hetzner or your own infrastructure. First 3 months are warranty — every bug fix is free. After that, an SLA package at €300-€1,500/month covers monitoring, security updates, backups and reserved developer time.
Why Saitami
A Sofia-based team with fixed EUR pricing and real timelines in weeks, not "we'll see". For multi-tenant SaaS products see SaaS platform development, and for on-site work in Bulgaria custom software development Sofia.
Pricing FAQs
What is included in the base price and what is extra?
Base includes SRS docs, UI/UX on a shadcn/Tailwind base, full development, UAT, team training, production deploy and 3 months of free fixes. Extras: native mobile apps (€8,000-€25,000), legacy integrations without a public API (€2,500-€8,000), premium branded design (€2,500-€8,000) and AI modules with monthly token cost.
Why is one project €15,000 and a similar-looking one €45,000?
The difference is almost always in three areas: number of integrations (each adds €800-€3,500), business-logic complexity (approval flows, pricing matrices, multi-location) and user volume with roles (5 vs 80 users means different permission models, validation and edge cases). Identical UI can hide a 3x different backend.
Can we start with a smaller budget and expand?
Yes. "MVP first" is the recommended path for 80% of our clients. Start with €5,000-€10,000 for the single highest-ROI module, ship it, measure for 1-2 months, then add modules in €4,000-€8,000 increments. The architecture is built for that expansion from day one.
What are the monthly costs after launch?
Hosting (DigitalOcean/Hetzner): €30-€200/month. Backup and monitoring: €20-€80/month. SLA support: €300-€1,500/month depending on criticality. AI layer adds €30-€300/month in tokens. Total monthly: €100-€2,000 for SMB, €1,500-€5,000 for enterprise — 5-10x cheaper than per-seat SaaS at 50+ users.
How long from signature to production?
Small tool (€4,000-€18,000): 4-8 weeks. Mid-market (€18,000-€60,000): 3-6 months. Enterprise (€60,000-€250,000+): 6-12 months. Add 1-2 weeks for technical scoping at the start and 2-3 weeks of UAT at the end. First production-ready versions (partial modules) usually ship in 6-10 weeks even on large projects.
Want an accurate custom software quote?
Send a short description of the process to automate, user count and existing systems. Within 48 hours you get a price corridor with line-by-line justification and an invitation to a 60-minute discovery call.
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