Free tool · hours × rate

Software development cost calculator

Estimate what it costs to build custom software — a mobile app, web app, SaaS product, CRM or ERP — the way agencies actually quote it: development hours × a blended hourly rate. Pick your project type, set the scope, and see a real price range across MVP, growth and scale phases in seconds. Free, no signup, grounded in patterns from 2,000+ delivered projects — not a random number.

What are you building?

Phases to include

Complexity

Platforms

Design

Key features to include

Tap the capabilities your build needs — each one adds engineering hours. Core UI, database and hosting are already in the base scope.

Delivery speed

Compressing the timeline means a larger team in parallel plus some overtime. That coordination overhead adds hours and cost, the real price of shipping sooner.

Team & blended rate $65/hr

Drag for a custom rate, or pick a team tier. The blended rate averages every role on the project.

Estimated total investment

Where the hours go

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How this calculator works

Custom software is priced from effort, not a flat rate. The formula is simple and it’s the same one agencies quote from:

Cost = development hours × blended hourly rate

Hours come from four things: the base scope of the system you pick (per phase), how complex the logic is, how many platforms it runs on, and how many third-party integrations it needs. Each software type has a researched base-hours figure per phase, calibrated against real delivery: an MVP CRM near 700 hours, a full ERP across all three phases well past 5,000. The blended rate averages every role, design, frontend, backend, QA and project management, into one number, which is why offshore, nearshore and US-senior teams land so far apart on the same hours.

The three phases map to how real products ship. MVP is the smallest version real users can rely on. Growth adds the features and polish that come after launch feedback. Scale is the enterprise layer, heavier integrations, roles, reporting and load. You rarely pay for all three at once; you fund the next phase once the last one earns its keep.

See the detailed, per-system numbers in our cost & pricing guides, the build vs buy breakdown, or all buyer guides.

How much does software development cost in 2026?

Every honest software development cost estimate comes down to one equation: development hours multiplied by a blended hourly rate. That's why the figures below span so wide, a focused MVP and a full multi-phase build are different amounts of work, and who writes the code (offshore, hybrid, or US-senior) swings the rate from roughly $30 to $150 per hour. The ranges here use a blended $65/hr as the middle-ground default, the same starting point behind the calculator above. Use them to sanity-check a budget for an app, a SaaS product, a CRM or ERP, an e-commerce store, or any custom platform, then run your own feature list through the tool for a number you can defend.

How much does it cost to build a custom software platform?

A focused MVP of bespoke software typically lands around $51k, while a full multi-phase build averages roughly $210k at a blended $65/hr, anywhere from about $97k with an offshore team up to $485k with US-senior engineers. Because the platform is built to your exact workflow rather than bent around off-the-shelf features, the range is driven almost entirely by scope: how many roles, integrations, and edge cases the software has to handle. If you want a number grounded in your own feature list, it's worth running your requirements through the calculator before committing to a budget.

How much does it cost to build an ERP system?

ERP is the heaviest of these builds, expect around $83k for an MVP and roughly $395k for a full multi-phase implementation at a blended $65/hr, spanning about $180k offshore to $905k with US-senior talent. The cost climbs because you're not building one product but several interlocking modules, finance, inventory, orders, each with its own logic and role-based permissions. The more of your operation you fold into a single system, the more that integration and testing effort dominates the total.

How much does it cost to build a CRM?

A custom CRM usually starts near $51k for an MVP and reaches about $230k for a full multi-phase build at a blended $65/hr, from roughly $105k offshore to $530k US-senior. What moves the number is how much automation and reporting you layer on top of the basics, pipeline stages, contact management, workflow triggers, and dashboards all add engineering depth. A lean pipeline tool is a very different project from a system that scores leads and routes them automatically.

How much does it cost to build a SaaS product?

A SaaS product typically runs about $64k for an MVP and around $290k for a full multi-phase build at a blended $65/hr, ranging from roughly $135k offshore to $665k with US-senior engineers. The premium over a single-tenant app comes from the plumbing users never see: multi-tenant architecture, billing and subscription logic, an admin layer, and self-serve onboarding all have to be right before the first paying customer arrives. That foundational work is what separates a real product from a prototype.

How much does it cost to build a mobile app?

A mobile app generally costs around $57k for an MVP and roughly $210k for a full multi-phase build at a blended $65/hr, from about $97k offshore up to $485k US-senior. The figure reflects that a serious app is really two builds in one, a polished iOS/Android client plus the backend that powers it, and supporting both platforms well adds real effort. Native performance, offline handling, and app-store requirements are the details that quietly move the estimate.

How much does it cost to build a web app?

A web application is usually the most economical of these projects, starting around $47k for an MVP and about $190k for a full multi-phase build at a blended $65/hr, roughly $88k offshore to $440k US-senior. Because it runs in the browser and skips native app-store constraints, a dashboard-style tool tends to move faster than its mobile equivalent. Data complexity, real-time features, and the number of user roles are what ultimately shape the price, and our product engineering services can help scope those before you commit.

How much does it cost to build a website?

A focused marketing-site MVP typically lands around $16k, while a full multi-phase build with a CMS and SEO-ready foundations runs closer to $78k at a blended $65/hr. The wide spread you'll see elsewhere, from roughly $36k with an offshore team up to $180k with US-senior engineers, comes down almost entirely to who writes the code rather than the site itself. What actually moves your number is the depth of the CMS, how much custom design work is involved, and how many templates and integrations the content team needs.

How much does it cost to build an e-commerce store?

A launch-ready store MVP is around $28k; a full multi-phase build with checkout, custom apps, and tailored flows sits near $150k at a blended $65/hr. Depending on the team, the same scope ranges from about $69k offshore to $345k with US-senior talent. The cost drivers here are the checkout and payment logic, plus every custom flow, since bespoke cart, fulfillment, and subscription behavior is where the hours accumulate fast.

How much does it cost to build a custom WordPress site?

A custom WordPress MVP comes in around $18k, and a full multi-phase build with a bespoke theme, custom plugins, and WooCommerce runs about $90k at a blended $65/hr. Sourcing shifts that from roughly $42k offshore to $210k with US-senior developers. Off-the-shelf themes keep things cheap, but the moment you need custom plugins and commerce logic, the engineering effort, not the platform, sets the price.

How much does it cost to build a POS system?

A workable POS MVP starts around $51k, while a full multi-phase build with checkout, offline mode, and multi-location support reaches about $225k at a blended $65/hr, ranging from roughly $105k offshore to $515k US-senior. These numbers sit higher than most retail software because reliable offline operation and syncing state across locations are genuinely hard engineering problems. If you want to sanity-check where your own scope would land, the cost calculator is the fastest way to get a grounded estimate.

How much does it cost to build an inventory management system?

An inventory MVP is roughly $44k, and a full multi-phase build covering stock tracking, multiple locations, barcodes, and purchasing lands near $205k at a blended $65/hr, from about $94k offshore to $470k US-senior. What drives the number is the real-time accuracy your operation demands, since keeping stock counts correct across locations and purchase orders is far more involved than a simple database of items.

How much does it cost to build a warehouse management system (WMS)?

A WMS MVP begins around $57k, with a full multi-phase build handling pick/pack/ship, barcode scanning, and slotting reaching about $270k at a blended $65/hr, spanning roughly $125k offshore to $620k US-senior. This is the most demanding of the group because the software has to mirror the physical movement of goods in real time, and the logic behind efficient picking and slotting is where the deep engineering work lives. If you're weighing a build like this, it's worth reviewing our cost and pricing guides before committing to a direction.

How much does it cost to build an accounting platform?

A working MVP that handles the core ledger, invoicing, and basic reporting typically lands around $57k, while a full multi-phase build covering tax logic and richer reporting runs about $265k at a blended $65/hr. The wide swing you'll see quoted elsewhere, roughly $120k with an offshore team up to $605k for US-senior talent, comes down almost entirely to who writes the code. What pushes accounting work toward the top end is the unforgiving nature of double-entry ledgers and tax compliance, where a rounding error isn't a bug, it's an audit finding.

How much does it cost to build an HR platform?

Expect roughly $51k for an MVP that covers onboarding, leave, and basic records, and about $225k for a full multi-phase build with payroll at a blended $65/hr. Depending on team seniority and location, comparable systems range from around $105k offshore to $515k with US-senior engineers. Payroll is the cost driver here, since it ties into tax rules and pay cycles that vary by jurisdiction and leave little room for approximation.

How much does it cost to build a booking and scheduling system?

These are among the more contained builds, with an MVP near $31k and a full multi-phase version around $150k at a blended $65/hr, ranging from about $69k offshore to $345k for US-senior teams. Calendars, payment capture, and automated reminders are well-trodden ground, so most of the budget goes into handling edge cases like double-bookings, time zones, and cancellations gracefully. If you're weighing this against an off-the-shelf tool, our build-vs-buy guide is a sensible place to start.

How much does it cost to build a learning platform (LMS)?

A functional LMS MVP with courses, quizzes, and progress tracking sits around $51k, while a full multi-phase build with SCORM support and richer assessment runs about $245k at a blended $65/hr. The realistic range spans roughly $110k offshore to $560k for US-senior teams. SCORM and content interoperability standards are the quiet cost driver, since supporting them properly means accommodating years of legacy course formats rather than just serving video.

How much does it cost to build BI dashboards?

A dashboard MVP with live charts typically comes in near $38k, and a full multi-phase build with production-grade data pipelines runs about $185k at a blended $65/hr, or roughly $85k offshore up to $425k with US-senior engineers. Most people underestimate this one because the charts are the easy part; the real work is the pipelines feeding them, where data has to arrive clean, fresh, and fast enough to keep real-time views honest.

How much does it cost to build field service software?

Budget around $51k for an MVP covering dispatch and work orders, and about $225k for a full multi-phase build at a blended $65/hr, with real-world quotes landing between roughly $105k offshore and $515k for US-senior teams. The mobile and offline requirements are what separate this from a simple web app, since technicians in the field need the software to keep working when the signal doesn't, and syncing that data back without conflicts is genuinely hard.

How much does it cost to build a helpdesk or ticketing system?

A helpdesk MVP with tickets and a knowledge base runs about $38k, while a full multi-phase build adding SLA tracking and automation comes to roughly $180k at a blended $65/hr, ranging from around $82k offshore to $410k for US-senior talent. SLAs are the deceptively expensive piece, because enforcing response and resolution deadlines reliably means building a rules and escalation engine that behaves correctly under every edge case.

How much does it cost to build supply chain software?

This is the heaviest build on the list, with an MVP near $70k and a full multi-phase system around $335k at a blended $65/hr, spanning roughly $155k offshore to $770k for US-senior teams. The cost reflects the breadth of the problem: demand planning, supplier coordination, and shipment tracking all have to stay in sync, and the ERP integrations that tie it together are where timelines and budgets quietly expand. If a project of this size is on your roadmap, it's worth running your own estimate to pressure-test the scope.

How much does it cost to build project management software?

A capable MVP with tasks and time tracking lands around $44k, and a full multi-phase build adding Gantt views and resource planning runs about $205k at a blended $65/hr, or roughly $94k offshore up to $470k for US-senior teams. Tasks and lists are straightforward; the budget climbs once you add dependency-aware Gantt scheduling and resourcing, where the logic connecting people, time, and workload has to hold together as plans shift.

How much does it cost to build internal tools?

Internal tools are typically the most economical thing you can commission, with an MVP around $31k and a full multi-phase build near $140k at a blended $65/hr, ranging from about $64k offshore to $320k for US-senior teams. Because admin panels and operational dashboards serve a known, internal audience, you can skip much of the polish and edge-case handling that consumer-facing products demand, which keeps the number down without cutting into the value they deliver.

Software development cost — frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to develop software in 2026?

Software cost comes down to one equation: development hours multiplied by your blended hourly rate. At the calculator's default blended rate of $65 per hour, a small tool of a few hundred hours might land in the low tens of thousands, while a large system running past 5,000 hours can exceed $325,000. Because the hours drive everything, the honest answer to 'how much' is 'it depends on scope', so estimate the hours first, then apply a rate you can defend.

How much does it cost to build an app?

Most apps start life as an MVP, which typically runs 300 to 1,200 hours depending on how many features you ship on day one. At the default blended rate of $65 per hour, that puts a lean MVP around $19,500 and a feature-rich one closer to $78,000. Shift the rate and the number moves with it: the same 600-hour app is roughly $18,000 offshore at $30/hr but around $90,000 with a US-senior team at $150/hr.

How is software development cost calculated?

The calculation is deliberately simple: total cost equals estimated development hours times a blended hourly rate. You break the product into features, estimate the hours each takes to design, build, and test, sum them into a total, then multiply by the rate that reflects who is doing the work. This is why the calculator asks for hours and a rate rather than a single magic price, the two inputs together are what produce a number you can actually trust.

What is a blended hourly rate?

A blended hourly rate is a single average rate that stands in for a whole team of mixed seniority, designers, junior developers, senior engineers, QA, and a project manager, rather than billing each role separately. Instead of tracking a $150/hr architect and a $40/hr junior individually, you apply one weighted average across all the hours. The calculator defaults to $65 per hour, which reflects a balanced team; a senior-heavy US team pushes that toward $150/hr, while an offshore team pulls it down near $30/hr.

How many hours does an MVP take to build?

A minimum viable product usually falls between 300 and 1,200 hours. The low end covers a focused product with one core workflow, basic authentication, and a clean interface, while the high end includes payments, multiple user roles, integrations, and more polish. The single biggest lever on that range is scope discipline, every extra feature you insist on shipping at launch pushes you from the 300-hour end toward the 1,200-hour end.

Offshore vs US development cost, what's the real difference?

The gap is almost entirely in the rate, not the hours, since a 600-hour build is 600 hours wherever it runs. At roughly $30/hr offshore versus about $150/hr for a US-senior team, the same project can differ by 5x on paper, that 600-hour build is around $18,000 versus $90,000. The default blended $65/hr sits between these poles and often reflects the real-world mix teams use: US-based leadership on strategy with offshore or hybrid delivery for execution.

How long does it take to build software?

Timeline follows from hours and team size. A 600-hour MVP with two full-time developers is roughly 8 to 10 weeks of calendar time, while a large 5,000-plus-hour system spans many months to over a year even with a full team. Adding people shortens the calendar somewhat but not linearly, since coordination overhead grows, so the reliable way to read a timeline is to divide the estimated hours across the people who can genuinely work in parallel.

How much does it cost to build an ERP or full enterprise system?

Full enterprise builds are the top of the range, an ERP-class system routinely runs past 5,000 hours once you account for inventory, accounting, HR, reporting, and integrations. At the default $65/hr blended rate that starts above $325,000, and a senior-heavy team at $150/hr can push it well past $750,000. These projects are usually delivered in phases rather than one lump sum, so you can validate the core modules before committing hours to the long tail of features.

Does a lower hourly rate actually make software cheaper?

A lower rate reduces the cost of each hour, but it only lowers total cost if the hours stay the same. In practice a $30/hr team that needs 900 hours to deliver what a $65/hr team does in 500 hours ends up at $27,000 versus $32,500, close enough that rate alone is a poor proxy for value. The number that matters is hours multiplied by rate together, so weigh delivery speed and rework risk, not just the sticker rate.

What does the default $65 per hour blended rate represent?

The $65/hr default represents a balanced, mixed-seniority team rather than any single developer's wage. It blends the higher cost of senior engineers and design leadership with the lower cost of junior developers and offshore or hybrid delivery into one weighted average. It sits deliberately between the roughly $30/hr offshore floor and the $150/hr US-senior ceiling, giving you a realistic middle-ground estimate before you adjust the rate to match the team you actually plan to hire.