Bespoke Software
Bespoke software development costs and timescales in the UK
The short answer
Bespoke software in the UK typically costs £15,000 to £120,000, with most SME projects landing between £25,000 and £60,000 and taking three to six months from kick-off to launch. A focused internal tool replacing a spreadsheet process can be built for £8,000 to £20,000 in six to ten weeks. Ongoing costs are normally 15–20% of the build per year for hosting, support and iteration.
Indicative price ranges
Focused tool
£8,000 – £20,000
One process, one team. Replaces a spreadsheet or a manual workflow. Live in 6–10 weeks.
Business platform
£25,000 – £60,000
Multiple user types, a customer portal, payments or bookings, integrations and reporting. Three to five months.
Complex / multi-sided
£60,000 – £120,000+
Marketplaces, SaaS products, heavy compliance, mobile apps, real-time features. Six months upwards, usually phased.
These are indicative UK ranges based on projects we have actually delivered. Scope drives the number, not the sales conversation — we quote a fixed price after a scoping session, and we will tell you if an off-the-shelf tool is the cheaper answer.
Typical timescales
- 2–3 weeks
Discovery and definition
Process mapping, user stories, risk list and a fixed scope for phase one.
- 2–4 weeks
Design and prototype
Clickable screens you can test with real users before a line of production code.
- 6–20 weeks
Build
Two-week increments, each ending in something you can use.
- 2–4 weeks
Testing, data and launch
UAT, migration, training and a supported go-live.
Who this suits
- Processes that are a genuine competitive advantage and do not exist in off-the-shelf form.
- Businesses running critical operations on spreadsheets that only one person understands.
- Companies paying commission or per-seat fees that scale painfully with growth.
- Organisations needing to give customers a self-service portal.
Who it does not suit
- Problems that a £40-a-month SaaS product already solves well.
- Businesses with no internal decision-maker available weekly during the build.
- Anyone who needs a fixed, unchangeable specification signed in advance and delivered untouched — that approach reliably produces software nobody wants.
- Companies unwilling to budget for the year after launch. Software is not a one-off purchase.
What actually drives the cost
Number of user types
Admin, staff, customer and supplier each mean their own screens, permissions and testing.
Integrations
Modern APIs are days. Legacy systems, CSV exchanges and undocumented endpoints are weeks.
Payments and compliance
Taking money adds PCI considerations, reconciliation, refunds and edge cases most estimates ignore.
Mobile
A responsive web app is included. Native iOS and Android apps are a separate build and a separate release process.
Scope discipline
The largest cost driver by far. Every “while we are in there” request has a price.
Why estimates vary so wildly
Two suppliers can quote £18,000 and £70,000 for what sounds like the same brief, and both can be honest. The difference is usually what is assumed: how much discovery is included, whether design is real or a template, how testing is handled, whether migration is in scope, and whether support after launch is included or billed later.
When you compare quotes, compare those five things rather than the headline number. Ask specifically what is excluded — that answer is more informative than the price.
How we keep projects on budget
Phase it. Phase one is the smallest thing that delivers real value. It goes live, it earns its keep, and it funds phase two. We would rather deliver a working £20,000 system in ten weeks than a £70,000 promise in a year.
Fixed price per phase. You get a number and a date for a defined scope. Changes are priced openly, not absorbed into a vague day-rate drift.
Build against outcomes. Every feature has to answer: what does this save, earn or prevent? Features that cannot answer get cut, and that is where the real savings come from.
What happens after launch
Budget 15–20% of the build cost annually. That covers hosting, security patching, dependency updates, backups and a sensible allowance for improvements. Software that is not maintained does not stay still — it decays, and the bill arrives later and larger.
Two real examples
LOQI needed a platform that could handle international complexity that no off-the-shelf option covered properly. Hartswood Holiday Park replaced a brochure site with a direct-booking engine that removed OTA commission entirely and let them undercut the channel by 10% — the software pays for itself out of commission that is no longer leaving the business.
That is the test worth applying to any bespoke build: what does it save or earn every month once it is running? If you cannot answer that, do not start.
Proof
Where we have done this
Common questions
How much does bespoke software cost in the UK?
Most SME projects fall between £25,000 and £60,000. Focused internal tools start around £8,000, and complex multi-sided platforms run past £120,000. The variable is scope, not the technology.
How long does a typical build take?
Three to six months for a business platform, six to ten weeks for a focused tool. Phased delivery means you are usually using something real within the first two months.
Do we own the code?
Yes. Code, database and hosting accounts transfer to you on completion. No licence, no lock-in.
Can you work to a fixed price?
Yes, per phase, after discovery. Fixed-pricing an undefined scope helps nobody — discovery is what makes a reliable fixed price possible.
What if our requirements change mid-build?
They will, and that is normal. Working in two-week increments means changes are absorbed at the next planning point with a transparent price, rather than derailing the project.