The Cost of Custom Software Development Solutions

What Does a Custom Mobile App, Custom Web App, or Custom Software Cost?

When it comes to the cost of custom software development or designing and building custom mobile apps and custom web applications, the devil is in the details. How much time and effort you need to spend on an app or software solution depends entirely on what you need it to do. Simply put… the more the app needs to do, the longer it takes to build.

Pricing for most business apps can range from a $3,000 prototype app, which Swip Systems provides for those who want to present an app idea to investors instead of a pitch deck, to $500,000 or more for very complex software and applications. 

How do you know what your idea will cost to implement? When we explain custom mobile app, web app, and custom software pricing, we often use the example of building a home – the cost will vary depending on each detail and what you want in the end. Since the house is fully customized, the pricing will reflect this.

Your Custom App or Software Budget Establishes What is Possible: Define Your Budget

When you decide to bring your app or software idea to life, you should first establish a budget for your initial product. Your budget establishes a baseline for what you are able to do. It’s most likely the case that your app or software doesn’t need all the bells and whistles in the first iteration. Frankly, it is best practice to not build everything at once. This is called a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) approach. 

With the MVP approach, you can add more features as you go, which keeps scope creep under control, the project within budget and your customers/users coming back for more. But how do you know if you have enough budget, or worse yet, what if you have no idea of what your budget should be?

No worries, budgets come in all sizes and we’re here to help you through the process.

To gain a better understanding of budgets and pricing, let’s look at the custom home-building analogy. Even if you’ve never built a house, it should come as no surprise that there is a cost difference between one-story, two-story, and three-story homes. There is a big cost difference between a 1,000-square-foot ranch, a 2,500-square-foot two-story house, and a 10,000-square-foot mansion. Other features that will change the cost include things like:

• Materials, such as laminate vs. granite countertops
• The number and size of rooms
• Types of flooring
• Number of bathrooms
• Walk-in closets or regular closets
• High-end or builder-grade fixtures
• The number and location of electrical outlets
• A finished or walkout basement
• Decks and outdoor features
• Garage size and number of parking spaces

Think about each room, every feature inside each room, and the details in and around the house. When you build a custom home, your floor plan and the costs associated with the finished product will be unique. This is also the case with a custom web app, mobile app, or software project.

Pricing Factors in the Cost of Custom App & Software Product Development

A custom app idea or software product price is based on many factors, beginning with its core purpose and continuing through to specific sets of user functionality. Details that affect custom app and software pricing include:

• Your product requirements 

• Design complexity

• Number and complexity of features

• Any APIs that are needed

• Integration to other systems 

• Security and encryption requirements

• Depth of automation 

• Type of platform you want to build on (web or mobile)

• Functionality to work on multiple devices

• Speed to market

When you work with Swip Systems to develop a custom mobile app, web app, or web-enabled app, our developers will get a feel for what you’re trying to achieve, help you understand the process and the timing, and quickly arrive at a cost estimate. 

We also offer paid wireframing engagements if you simply want to flesh out your ideas and visualize your product. Here we map out every button, every page or screen, and every piece that will make up your custom mobile app, web app, or software solution. You might be surprised at the effectiveness of this step in rooting out unnecessary functionality in your tech. It can also highlight any inconsistencies in your communication and firm up your MVP concept, saving you money in the long run.

Our Mobile App, Web App, & Software Development Process

How to Stay Within Your App & Software Budget

The cost of your custom mobile app or software product is completely in your control. Creating a solid, fleshed-out MVP early, sticking to that MVP, and communicating will keep the budget in check and keep your project on track. You must have a viable plan and avoid scope creep, nit-picking, and perfectionistic tendencies. 

Nothing will kill a budget faster than never finishing the project because it’s not well-defined, it’s going in too many directions, or you want a completely perfect product before you launch. Apps and software go through different iterations to become exactly what you want them to become, but only over time.

Swip Systems is Your Mobile App, Web App, and Software Solutions Partner

If you’re in the initial idea phase and need direction or if your custom software, web application, or mobile app project is off-track, we’re here to help. With Swip Systems as your development partner, you will understand the costs involved quickly, lower development costs with proven processes, increase your speed to market, achieve greater customer satisfaction, and attain positive revenue faster.

Our mission is to provide value and get you across the finish line with the web or mobile app you need to be profitable, now and in the future. Contact us today for a no-obligation conversation and let’s turn your idea into a reality.  877.377.SWIP