Fixed-Price Custom Software: No Hourly Meter
Software development pricing usually means an hourly rate and an open-ended estimate. Ours means one figure, agreed before work starts, for a scope you approved in writing. This page explains how the model works, what our packages include, and what moves the number up or down.
How Fixed-Price Development Works
Three commitments, in this order, before any code is written:
- Scope is fixed upfront. A scoping call turns your request into a written scope: screens, workflows, integrations, languages, and acceptance criteria. You approve it (or correct it) before anything else happens.
- Price is fixed before work starts. The quote is one figure against that scope, with a delivery date. It does not move mid-project. If you change the scope, we quote the change explicitly and you decide before any cost is incurred.
- You own the code. Handover includes the full source code, the repository, deployment configuration, and documentation. No licenses, no per-seat fees, no dependency on us to keep running.
Why Fixed Beats Hourly for You
Traditional agencies bill $100–200 per hour against an open-ended scope. Every misunderstanding, every revision, every "quick question" runs the meter, and the risk of a slow build sits entirely on your budget.
Fixed price reverses that:
- The delivery risk is ours. If a build takes longer than we scoped, we absorb it. Hourly billing pays the agency more for being slow; fixed pricing pays us for being right about scope.
- You can actually budget. One figure, approved before work starts, survives contact with your CFO. "Roughly 400–600 hours at $150" does not.
- Scope discussions happen upfront, when they are cheap, not at invoice time, when they are arguments.
AI-assisted development is what makes this economical for us: engineers direct AI coding tools to generate the software, then review, test, and harden everything. The build phase compresses from months to weeks, so we can price the outcome instead of the hours. The full delivery model is described on our custom software development services page.
Packages
Three fixed-price packages cover most of what we build. Every package includes scoping, human review of all code, deployment, documentation, and full code ownership.
Workflow Automation
For the manual process that eats hours every week: document assembly, data re-keying between systems, approval chains, scheduled reports.
- One automated workflow, end to end
- Up to two system integrations (API or file exchange)
- Error handling, retries, logging, and monitoring included
- Typical delivery: 2–3 weeks from approved scope
€1,500–4,000
Custom Web App
For the tool your team currently forces into spreadsheets or an almost-right SaaS: portals, booking systems, quoting tools, dashboards, admin panels.
- Full web application with authentication and role-based permissions
- Responsive interface plus an admin area
- Up to two integrations with your existing systems
- Typical delivery: 3–6 weeks from approved scope
€4,000–12,000
Multilingual Platform
For customer- or partner-facing software that must work in more than one language: our specialty, built on 20 years in the translation industry.
- Everything in Custom Web App, engineered i18n-first
- Localized interfaces in the languages your users speak
- Translation pipeline connected to professional translators
- Multi-currency, locale-aware dates and formats
- Typical delivery: 5–8 weeks from approved scope
€9,000–25,000
Need something between packages, or bigger? Every quote is custom anyway; the packages exist so you can calibrate. Request a fixed-price quote and we reply with a concrete figure and date.
What Moves the Price
Three factors drive most of the variance between quotes:
- Integrations. Each system your software must talk to (ERP, CRM, carrier network, payment gateway) adds scope. Clean, documented APIs cost less to integrate than legacy formats like EDI or file drops.
- Localization. Languages multiply content and testing, not architecture. Because we build i18n-first, adding languages is a linear cost with us rather than the retrofit project it becomes elsewhere.
- Compliance. GDPR data handling, PCI DSS scope control on payments, audit-trail requirements: each is buildable, each is scoped and priced explicitly rather than discovered mid-project.
User roles, data migration volume, and offline-first mobile requirements also move the number. All of it is visible in the written scope before you commit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why fixed price instead of hourly?
Because hourly billing puts the delivery risk on you: every revision and misunderstanding runs the meter at $100–200 per hour. A fixed price against a written scope puts that risk on us: we only price work we know how to deliver on a date.
What happens if the scope changes mid-project?
We re-quote the change explicitly. You see the added cost and schedule impact in writing and decide before any extra cost is incurred. The original quote never silently grows. That discipline is the whole point of fixed pricing.
What are the payment terms?
Payment is split 50% on scope approval and 50% on delivery, stated in your quote. The split is fixed in writing, so there are no surprise invoices.
Is there a maintenance plan?
Optional care plans cover hosting, monitoring, and small changes for a fixed monthly fee. They are never required: you own the code, so the software keeps running whether or not you take one, and you can move maintenance in-house at any time.
How do I get an exact number?
Tell us what you need built. We reply with clarifying questions or a scoping-call slot, and after a 30-minute call you receive a written scope, one fixed price, and a delivery date. The quote is free and carries no obligation.
One Figure, One Date, No Meter
Describe the tool, automation, or integration you need. We reply with a fixed scope, a fixed price, and a delivery date measured in weeks.