Free tool · Custom software
Custom Software Cost Calculator
Everyone asks what custom software costs; almost nobody publishes numbers. Pick what you're building and this calculator gives you a directional cost range — plus the phases, the architecture, and the monthly infrastructure bill that come with it. All the constants are stated below so you can check the math.
What are you building?
Web + mobile means one shared backend with both a web app and a phone app.
Owner, manager, technician, customer… each role beyond the first adds screens and rules.
How many people will use it?
Total accounts, not concurrent users. Most internal tools are Under 100.
How custom is the logic?
Standard screens are forms and lists. Heavy custom logic encodes how your business actually works.
QuickBooks, Stripe, Twilio, a supplier catalog — each one is a system you don't control.
Features
Tap to add or remove. Each chip shows exactly what it adds to the subtotal.
Verdict
A focused build — the sweet spot
This scope is achievable and quotable. Map the workflow, cut anything that doesn't earn its line item, and get a fixed price before anyone writes code.
Estimated build cost
$21,500–$32,000
Midpoint $25,550; low is ×0.85, high is ×1.25, both rounded to the nearest $500.
Phases · project size
3 · Medium
Three phases by default; payments, real-time, or AI adds one, and data migration adds one. Five max.
Suggested architecture
React (Next.js) + Node API + PostgreSQL
The stack we'd reach for at this scope — proven, hireable, boring on purpose.
Estimated infrastructure cost
$30–$60/mo
Hosting, database, and third-party services after launch. Spread is ×0.7 to ×1.6 around the base estimate, rounded to $10.
How the math works
Every constant, in the open.
The subtotal starts from a base cost by project type: $12,000 for an internal tool, $18,000 for a web app, $24,000 for a mobile app, $32,000 for web + mobile. Each user role beyond the first adds $1,800. Each external API integration adds $3,250. Each feature chip adds exactly the price printed on it — from $2,500 for sign-in to $8,000 for AI features.
The subtotal is then multiplied by a user-count factor (×1.0 under 100 users, ×1.1 to 1,000, ×1.25 to 10,000, ×1.4 beyond) and a logic factor (×0.85 mostly standard screens, ×1.0 some custom logic, ×1.3 heavy custom logic). The range you see is that total ×0.85 on the low end and ×1.25 on the high end, rounded to the nearest $500. Phases start at three; payments, real-time, or AI adds one, data migration adds one, five max. Infrastructure is $40/month base, plus $0/$40/$150/$400 by user band, $30 for real-time, and $50 for AI — shown as a ×0.7 to ×1.6 spread rounded to $10.
These are directional estimates, not quotes. Two projects with the same checkboxes can cost very different amounts once the real workflow is on the table — which is why we quote fixed prices only after mapping it. The $250 Workflow Map does exactly that, and it credits toward the build.
What to do with the number
A range is a starting point. Here's how to get to a real number.
Number feel high?
It might be. The $250 Workflow Map documents the workflow before anyone writes code, and it usually shrinks the scope. Then we quote a fixed price — and the $250 credits toward the build.
Map the workflow firstSee what shipped builds look like
Calculators are abstractions. JNC Suite, FlightDetector, Kalamna, and TimeStop are real fixed-price builds you can read about — the scope, the decisions, and what happened after launch.
Browse the workSmall-business sized project?
Most of our clients aren't buying $90k programs. We wrote up how we scope, phase, and price software for small businesses that can't afford a project going sideways.
Software for small businessFrequently asked questions
Asked before the calculator, usually.
How accurate is this calculator?
It's directional, not a quote. The constants come from our own fixed-price builds, but two projects with identical checkboxes can differ meaningfully once the real workflow is on the table. We quote fixed prices only after mapping the workflow — that's what the $250 Workflow Map is for, and it credits toward the build.
What drives custom software cost the most?
Complexity of the logic, not the number of screens. A standard form-and-list screen is cheap; a screen that encodes how your business actually schedules, prices, or approves things is where the budget goes. Integrations are the second driver — every external API is a system you don't control, which is why this calculator prices each one at $3,250.
Why does the calculator sometimes tell me not to build?
Because a small custom build bought too early is the most common way small businesses waste money on software. If your total lands under $15,000, an off-the-shelf tool or a tightened spreadsheet usually gets you most of the value for a fraction of the cost. We'd rather tell you that now than invoice you for it later.
How does Jiss Tech actually price a project?
Fixed price, always — we quote a number and it doesn't move. Focused custom CRM builds typically land between $30k and $80k, phased so working software ships early instead of everything arriving at once. Every quote starts with a $250 Workflow Map, which credits toward the build if we do it.
Go deeper: how much a custom CRM costs, what business process automation costs, our custom software development services, and all free tools.
Want a fixed number instead of a range?
Tell us what you're building in a sentence or two. We'll say honestly whether custom software is the right move — and if it is, quote a fixed price after mapping the workflow.