If you've ever searched "how much does custom software cost," you've probably found a lot of articles that say the same thing: it depends.
That's not helpful. You're a business owner trying to work out whether custom software is even realistic for your budget. You need numbers, not waffle.
So here are real numbers. These are based on the kind of projects we actually build at JMS Dev Lab — tools for small and medium businesses in Ireland and the UK, not Silicon Valley startups raising millions.
Most agencies and freelancers dodge the pricing question because they want to get you on a call first. Others genuinely can't give you a number because they charge by the hour and have no idea how long something will take.
Both of those should worry you.
Hourly billing means you carry all the risk. If the project takes longer than expected — and they almost always do — you pay more. The developer has no incentive to be efficient. You end up watching the clock instead of focusing on what you actually need built.
We work differently. We quote a fixed price before any work begins. You know the total cost upfront. If we underestimate, that's our problem, not yours.
Here's what custom software typically costs for the kind of projects small businesses actually need. All prices are in euro and include design, development, and deployment.
You've got a spreadsheet that's grown into a monster. Multiple tabs, complex formulas, several people editing it, constant errors. You need it turned into a proper system with a clean interface, validation, and multi-user access.
This is the most common starting point for small businesses. It's also the project with the fastest payback — if your team is losing even a few hours a week to spreadsheet headaches, a €4,000 tool pays for itself within months.
Your customers or clients need to log in and see their information — order status, project progress, documents, invoices. Or your team needs an internal dashboard that pulls data from multiple sources into one clear view.
This costs more because it involves user authentication, roles and permissions, and usually some kind of integration with your existing systems.
A full application built around your specific workflow. This might be a booking system, a job management tool, a commission tracker, a repair ticketing system — something that doesn't exist off the shelf because your business does things differently.
This is a bigger investment, but it's also the category where custom software delivers the biggest advantage. You're not bending your business to fit someone else's software. The software fits you.
Those ranges are wide because not all projects are the same. Here's what pushes a project towards the higher end:
The build cost is the big number, but it's not the only number. Be aware of these before you start:
Your software needs to live somewhere. For most small business tools, cloud hosting costs between €5 and €50 a month depending on usage. This is comparable to what you'd pay for a SaaS subscription anyway.
Software isn't "done" once it's deployed. Browsers update, security patches need applying, and you'll inevitably want changes once you start using it. Budget roughly 10–15% of the original build cost per year for ongoing maintenance. On a €6,000 project, that's €600–900 a year.
Good software should be intuitive enough that training is minimal. But you'll still need to walk your team through it. We include basic training and documentation with every project, but if you have a large team or high staff turnover, factor in time for onboarding.
A common question: why not just use a no-code tool like Airtable, Bubble, or Retool?
For very small teams (under 5 people), no-code can be a good fit. It's fast to set up and cheap to start. But the costs scale differently.
No-code platforms charge per user, per month. At 10 or more users, the maths changes dramatically. Here's a rough comparison over three years:
At 10 or more users, custom software is typically cheaper over three years — and you end up with something that fits your business exactly, not a compromise built on someone else's platform.
If your business is based in Ireland, there's a grant that may cut your costs significantly. The Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Grow Digital Voucher can cover 50% of eligible digital project costs, up to €5,000.
That means a €10,000 project could cost you €5,000 out of pocket. A €6,000 spreadsheet replacement could drop to €3,000.
Eligibility requirements include having 1–50 employees, trading for at least 6 months, and completing a Digital for Business programme beforehand. We can help you understand if your project qualifies.
Honesty cuts both ways. Custom software isn't always the right answer. Here's when you should probably use something off the shelf instead:
If you've read this far and you're thinking "this might actually be realistic for us," here's how it works:
Most projects go from first conversation to live software in 4–8 weeks.
Ready to find out what your project would cost?
Get in touch for a free, no-obligation conversation or see our services.