How Much Does Custom Software Cost?

The first question every business owner asks, and the answer depends entirely on what you are building. A simple website and a fully custom internal tool are two completely different things at completely different price points.

Custom websites

A custom-built website typically runs $2,000-6,000 depending on the number of pages, complexity of design, and whether it needs integrations with other business tools. Ongoing hosting costs are minimal ($0-20 per month on modern platforms). You own it outright.

Compare that to a Squarespace or Wix subscription at $16-50 per month. Over two years you are paying $400-1,200 for something you do not own and cannot fully customize. The custom site costs more upfront but gives you full control and better performance.

Automations and integrations

Connecting your existing tools (CRM to email, forms to spreadsheets, payments to project tracking) typically runs $1,500-5,000 depending on the number of systems involved and the complexity of the logic. Monthly operating costs are usually $20-100 for the automation platforms that run the workflows.

The ROI here is usually the clearest. If your team spends 10 hours a week on manual data entry between systems, and you are paying someone $25/hour for that work, the integration pays for itself in weeks, not months.

Custom software

Internal dashboards, scheduling tools, client portals, inventory trackers. These are the most variable in cost because they are the most variable in scope. A focused internal tool might be $3,000-8,000. A more complex application with multiple user roles, integrations, and custom logic could be $8,000-20,000.

What drives the cost up

• Number of integrations (connecting to your CRM, email, scheduling tool, payment processor)
• Complexity of business logic (simple workflows vs. multi-step decision trees)
• Number of user roles and permission levels
• Compliance requirements (healthcare, legal, financial data handling)

What drives the cost down

• Clear scope (one well-defined problem vs. “do everything”)
• Standard integrations (common tools like Google Workspace, HubSpot, Slack, Stripe)
• Existing process documentation (you already know what needs to happen, it just needs to be built)

How to think about the investment

The better question is how much the problem is costing you right now. If your team spends 15 hours a week on a task that software can handle, that is 15 hours of salary you are paying for work a machine can do. A $5,000 build that saves 10 hours per week at $25/hour pays for itself in 20 weeks.

The sweet spot is usually a focused project that solves one specific problem well. Start narrow, prove the value, then expand.

What I charge

I price projects based on scope, not hours. Every engagement starts with a conversation about what you need, and I quote a fixed price before any work begins. No surprises, no open-ended timelines. If you want to talk specifics, email me at ben@mithryllabs.com.