Short answer: with an experienced offshore team, a business website costs about US$2,000 to US$5,000, a web application or portal US$15,000 to US$75,000, a mobile app MVP US$15,000 to US$35,000, a mid-complexity app US$35,000 to US$80,000, and enterprise or AI-enabled platforms usually start around US$80,000. US onshore agencies typically charge two to three times these figures. The rest of this guide explains why the range is so wide and how to budget for it.
Custom software development cost by project type
| Project | Typical range (USD) | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Landing page | US$500 - 1,500 | 1-2 weeks |
| Business website, 5-10 pages | US$2,000 - 5,000 | 4-8 weeks |
| E-commerce store | US$5,000 - 20,000+ | 6-12 weeks |
| Web application or portal | US$15,000 - 75,000 | 3-6 months |
| Mobile app MVP | US$15,000 - 35,000 | 3-4 months |
| Mid-complexity app | US$35,000 - 80,000 | 4-8 months |
| Enterprise or AI platform | US$80,000+ | 6-12 months |
Does offshore or hybrid delivery lower the cost?
Offshore and hybrid delivery lowers the blended rate without lowering the standard, provided the partner uses senior engineers, overlaps your working hours and puts the code in your name.
What drives the cost of a software project?
- Scope: the number of screens, user roles and workflows.
- Integrations: each connection to a CRM, ERP, payment provider or data source adds build and test time.
- Design: a template restyled to your brand costs far less than a bespoke design system.
- Compliance: HIPAA, PCI DSS and GDPR add security and documentation work.
- Timeline: rushed work costs more because it displaces other work; flexible timing costs less.
- Data migration: moving years of records from legacy systems is often underestimated.
Fixed price, time and materials, or a dedicated team?
Fixed price suits well-defined scopes such as a website or an MVP. Time and materials suits evolving products. A dedicated team suits long-running product development, with our published rates at US$3,000 a month for a mid-level developer and US$4,500 for a senior developer (up to 160 hours each).
How to avoid overpaying
- Write down the outcome you need, not a feature list.
- Build an MVP first and let real usage decide phase two.
- Insist on automated testing from the first sprint; bugs found late cost the most.
- Make sure repositories and cloud accounts are in your name from day one.
- Compare total cost of ownership, including hosting, licences and maintenance, not just the build.
Our Estimate calculator applies these factors to our published US-dollar price list and returns a low, likely and high range for your scope.