Most software cost content is written to avoid answering the question. The honest version is that price follows functionality, not ambition: how many user roles, how many workflows, how many outside systems, how much of it is genuinely custom. Scope those, and the number stops being mysterious.
Every published number in one table
These are our own fixed-scope, fixed-price starting points, sized by how much distinct functionality a project needs rather than how many screens it has.
| Project type | Focused | Standard | Substantial |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web application | From $3,000 · ~2 weeks | From $5,000 · ~3 weeks | From $9,000 · ~5 weeks |
| Mobile app (iOS + Android) | From $6,000 · ~3 weeks | From $11,000 · ~5 weeks | From $18,000 · ~8 weeks |
| AI chatbot | From $3,000 · ~2 weeks | From $5,000 · ~3 weeks | From $9,000 · ~5 weeks |
Focused: a single user role or flow with one or two core workflows. Standard: multiple roles or flows with a couple of third-party integrations. Substantial: complex permissions, several integrations, offline sync or custom reporting. AI automation and agent work is custom-scoped on the same fixed-price terms.
Why these look low next to agency quotes
A comparable traditional build, same scope, same review bar, typically runs six to nine times longer and costs roughly ten times as much. That is not a discount; it is a different delivery model. Fewer handoffs, AI-accelerated development, and a fixed scope agreed upfront instead of an hourly meter running through months of meetings.
What moves a project up a tier
- Compliance requirements. HIPAA, SOC 2 or similar constraints add process and review overhead beyond the build itself.
- Fully bespoke design. A custom interface costs more than building on an established design system.
- Data migration. Moving existing data into a new system is its own project, not a line item.
- Fully native mobile. Separate Swift and Kotlin codebases are close to double the engineering of one cross-platform build.
- Real-time or offline features. Live collaboration, chat, or offline-first sync add architecture a standard app does not need.
How to keep the cost down without regretting it
Scope the first version around one workflow that matters instead of everything the product might someday do. Use standard integrations for payments, auth and email rather than custom plumbing. And get a fixed price in writing before work starts, because the cheapest quote on an hourly meter is routinely the most expensive project by the end.
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