What custom software actually costs in 2026.
Almost nobody in this industry publishes a price. Here is the real market, with numbers, and how I price my own work.
The market, honestly
Traditional agencies quote roughly $10,000 to $250,000 per project across 3 to 9 months, and most will not say a number until you sit through discovery. Fast fixed-price shops cluster between $5,000 and $15,000 per build. AI app builders run free to about $1,000, and work until your app has to talk to the rest of your business.
I checked 30 competitors currently advertising in this market: only 3 publish any price at all. The quote-after-discovery model exists because it prices by your budget, not by the work.
What AI actually changed
AI writing the first draft of code made the build phase dramatically faster. It did not change the hard parts: understanding your business, connecting real systems, security, and being accountable when something breaks. Pricing should reflect that split: cheaper than the old $50k quotes, more than a prompt subscription.
How I price a build
Each build gets its own scope and price, agreed after the first conversation and before any work starts. Ongoing work is a monthly arrangement. A working first version usually takes days, and you own the code, data, and accounts from day one.
One clear number before you commit, in plain English, so you decide on facts instead of on a sales pitch.
I can build this for your business.
Tell me how your team works today. You get a clear scope and price before any work starts, and you own everything I build.
Why do agencies refuse to publish prices?
Because unpublished pricing can flex to your budget. Discovery calls are partly scoping and partly pricing you. A published number removes that game, which is exactly why so few publish one.
What do I get if I keep you on each month?
New builds, fixes and improvements every month, from one person who knows your business. You get a shared chat and a regular check-in call, and you decide what comes next.
What if we only need one thing built?
Then we scope that one build, I build it, and you keep everything. That is normal. Software you own does not stop working when you stop paying me.
Keep reading
- Custom software vs off-the-shelf: an honest guide I sell custom software, and I still tell some owners to buy the SaaS. Here is the actual decision, without the sales pitch.
- Build vs buy software: a 10-question checklist Answer these honestly and the decision usually makes itself. I am a builder, and on plenty of calls the right answer is still "buy the SaaS".
- Custom CRM development for small business Generic CRMs make your business fit their pipeline. A custom CRM fits yours: your stages, your follow-up rules, your reports, no per-user rent.
- Custom software for roofing companies Roofing runs on speed. The first company to call a lead back usually wins the job. I build the software that makes your office as fast as your crews.
- See the work Client systems, agency work and my own products, named for what they do.