How much does custom software cost in the UK?
The custom software cost for a small UK business comes down to what the first version has to do, plus a monthly fee for hosting and upkeep once it is live. At Spindle, projects start from £10,000, with a fixed price for the first version agreed before the build starts, and the monthly fee starts at £500.
What drives custom software cost
The biggest driver is how much the first version has to do. Every screen, rule and report is something that has to be designed, built and tested. These are the things that move the number most:
- The number of jobs it does. A system that handles bookings alone is smaller than one that handles bookings, quotes, rotas and a client portal.
- Who uses it and what they can see. Office staff, people in the field and your own clients each need their own views and permissions.
- What it connects to. Sending invoices to Xero or QuickBooks, taking card payments or sending email each adds work.
- The data you bring with you. Moving years of records out of spreadsheets and old apps takes time, especially when the data is messy.
- How unusual your process is. Software that copies a standard process is quicker to build than software that captures rules only your business has.
A clear list of what the first version must do is the most useful thing you can bring to a first call.
How to read a custom software cost quote
Compare what the price covers, and how it is fixed, before you compare the number.
- Scope: does the quote say in plain words what version one does and doesn’t do?
- Price type: a fixed price for an agreed scope means the risk of the work taking longer sits with the builder. A day rate or hourly estimate means it sits with you.
- What is included: discovery, design, testing, moving your data and training your team are all real work and should be named in the quote, not added later.
- Running cost: what you pay each month once it is live, and what that covers.
- Ownership: whether you get the code if you leave.
Be careful with a quote that is only hours multiplied by a rate. It tells you how long someone expects to be busy, not what you will end up with, and it leaves you carrying the cost if the work runs over.
What Spindle charges for a custom build
At Spindle, projects start from £10,000 (Spindle Studios). The first version gets a fixed price based on what it needs to do, agreed before the build starts, so you are paying for an agreed system, not for hours.
It starts with a short paid discovery phase. I learn how your business works, map the process and give you a fixed price for the first version. If you go ahead with the build, the discovery fee comes off the build price.
The build then runs in versions, which you can read about in how it works:
- v0.1: discovery and a fixed price for version one.
- v0.X: you see working versions during the build while your old tools keep running.
- v1.0: you start cancelling the old subscriptions, one at a time.
- v1.1 and on: small changes are covered by the monthly fee, and larger ones get a fixed price first.
You own the code. If you ever leave, you get the full code, its dependencies and documentation, and because it is built on TypeScript, React, Node and PostgreSQL, any competent developer can pick it up.
The running costs after the build
Software needs looking after once it is live. Someone has to host it, watch for errors, apply security updates and fix things when they break. When you compare quotes, ask who does each of these and what it costs each month.
At Spindle this is a care plan from £500 a month, scaled to the size of the system and the number of people using it. It is a fixed monthly fee that covers hosting, monitoring, security updates, support and a set amount of improvement time (Spindle Studios).
Custom software cost against your SaaS bill
Custom software costs more up front than a subscription and can cost less over time. To see whether that holds for you, add up what you pay now and set it against the build plus the monthly fee.
Here is the example from our FAQ. It is an illustration with example numbers, not a promise:
| Per year | |
|---|---|
| A 15-person team paying £1,200 a month across seven apps | £14,400 |
| One system on a £500 a month care plan | £6,000 |
| Difference | £8,400 |
On those assumptions the difference is £8,400 a year, and that is the figure to set the build price against. Your numbers will be different. Per-seat prices go up as you hire, some apps will stay (your accounting software, for one), and some of the work you do around the gaps between apps never shows up on a bill. Run the sum with your own invoices.
Custom software isn’t always the right answer. If one off-the-shelf product already fits how you work, it is usually cheaper to keep paying for it. Spindle doesn’t replace accounting, payroll or tax software either: tools like Xero or QuickBooks stay.
How to keep custom software cost down
Spend the first version on the work that costs you most today.
- Start with the spreadsheet or the stack of apps that causes the most manual work, and build that first.
- Leave reports and dashboards you might use one day for v1.1.
- Run old and new tools side by side, and cancel each old tool only once the new system does its job.
- Bring sample exports from your current tools to discovery, so the estimate is based on your real data.
- Leave out any app that already does its job well for what it costs.
Questions to ask before you get a quote
- Is the price fixed, and what exactly does it cover?
- What happens if the scope changes during the build?
- What will I pay each month once it is live, and what does that include?
- Who owns the code, and what do I get if I leave?
- Can I see it working before it replaces my current tools?
If you want a price for your own system, book a free call. Tell me which apps and spreadsheets you use now and what you would fix first, and I’ll reply within one business day.