Software Project Cost Estimator
Estimate a realistic budget and timeline for a custom software build. Pick a project type, add the features you need, and see the number update instantly.
A typical MVP-scale product with auth, admin, and a couple of integrations lands around $60,000-$100,000 and 3-5 months at U.S. onshore rates. A platform or SaaS product starts at $150,000+, and an enterprise modernization program runs $300,000+. Use the estimator below to size your specific build.
Project scope
$100/hr = NextGen U.S. onshore · $65 = nearshore · $35 = offshore
What this covers
- · Discovery, design, engineering, QA, and deployment
- · A U.S.-based delivery team at the selected rate
- · Standard cloud infra (excludes third-party licenses)
For a fixed-price SOW with named engineers and a locked timeline, we recommend starting with a $1,000 Discovery Sprint.
Lock this estimate into a fixed-price SOW with a paid Discovery Sprint. You'll get a scoped plan, timeline, and named delivery team in one week.
Start a Discovery Sprint →Frequently asked questions
- How accurate is a software project cost estimator?
- A calculator like this gets you inside a ±30% budget band — enough to compare vendor bids and set an internal budget ceiling. For a real number, we run a paid $1,000 Discovery Sprint that produces a scoped SOW with fixed price, timeline, and deliverables.
- What drives cost the most on a custom software build?
- Scope (number of screens, workflows, integrations), non-functional requirements (auth, roles, audit logging, compliance), and third-party integrations. Complexity multiplies faster than scope — a HIPAA-audited platform can be 2-3× the cost of a comparable non-regulated build.
- Why do estimates often go over budget?
- The three biggest reasons: (1) requirements change mid-build without a change-order process, (2) integrations with legacy systems take longer than estimated, and (3) QA and edge cases get compressed. Fixed-scope contracts and a paid Discovery Sprint mitigate all three.
- Do you offer a fixed price after this estimate?
- Yes. After a $1,000 Discovery Sprint (1 week) we quote a fixed price and timeline for the build — POC ($5K), MVP Sprint ($10K), Business Automation ($20K), Digital Transformation ($50K), or Enterprise Initiative ($100K+).
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