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Free tool · no email required for the estimate

Software development cost calculator.

Answer five quick questions and get a realistic cost and timeline range for your MVP, CRM, ERP, SaaS, web or mobile project, based on what we actually charge, not industry averages. The bands the estimate is built from are set out on our pricing page.

Calculator mode

1 · What are you building?
2 · Which platforms?
3 · How big is the first release?
4 · Which features do you need? (user accounts & admin basics are always included)
5 · Design level

Your instant estimate

$6,500 – $16,500

Estimated investment (USD)

6–10 weeks

Timeline to launch

50–70%

vs US/UK agency rates

Startup MVP · web · standard first release · clean UI · no add-on features

  • Senior engineers + tech-lead oversight
  • UI design, QA and delivery management included
  • You own all code and IP from day one
Get an architect-reviewed estimate

Free · response within 24–48 hours · NDA on request. Ranges are indicative and depend on exact scope and integrations.

When it could launch

6–10 weeks from the start date, from the same published ranges as the price. Design level moves the price, not the timeline.

Yearly maintenance after launch

$1,000 – $4,000 a year

Industry rule of thumb · 15–25% of build cost · not a QalbIT price

We do not publish a maintenance percentage. Our own support retainer is priced on the pricing page.

Sources · checked Oct 18, 2026

  • Edana, Jan 3, 2026: “A common rule estimates annual maintenance costs at 15–25 % of the initial development cost.”
  • Mecanik, Aug 24, 2026: “The rule of thumb everyone quotes is 15 to 20 per cent of build cost per year.”
  • CodeStringers, Jul 26, 2026: “Start from the rule of thumb of fifteen to twenty percent of the build cost per year.”

How you pay for it

This range prices a fixed-scope first release. If the scope will keep moving, time and material bills the hours actually worked per sprint, and a continuous roadmap suits a dedicated team billed monthly.

Compare the three engagement models ↓

Which engagement model fits

Fixed scope, time and material or a dedicated team.

The estimate above prices a fixed-scope first release. How you pay for it should follow how much of the work you can already write down.

Benchmarks

Software development cost benchmarks for 2026.

Typical cost and timeline range by project type
Project typeTypical range (USD)TimelineDetails
Startup MVP$6,500 – $16,5006–10 weeksMVP development
Custom business software$9,000 – $28,5008–14 weeksCustom software
Custom CRM$10,500 – $30,0008–14 weeksCRM development
Custom ERP (phase one)$19,000 – $52,50012–20 weeksERP development
SaaS product$13,500 – $41,00010–16 weeksSaaS development
E-commerce platform$11,000 – $34,0008–14 weeksE-commerce
Mobile app$9,000 – $26,5008–14 weeksMobile development

What affects software development cost most

Scope beats everything: the number of user roles, screens and workflows drives 60–70% of any quote. Integrations come second. Every external system adds design, build and testing time. Platform count and custom design round out the big four.

What keeps the number where it is

A senior team that scopes in writing before it prices, so the estimate is not padded against surprises, and AI-assisted tooling that cuts build time on boilerplate, tests and integrations by roughly 20%. Discovery, architecture and QA keep their human hours.

How to keep your budget under control

Phase the build. Launch a lean first release around the core journey, then extend with real user feedback. Fixed-scope phases with agreed budgets prevent the open-ended hourly drift that inflates most software budgets.

FAQs · software development cost

Software development cost: frequently asked questions

Accuracy, India rates, fixed vs hourly, what is included, and what happens after you request a reviewed estimate.

It is an indicative range based on QalbIT delivery data across 120+ engagements. Real quotes follow a short discovery call and depend on exact scope and integrations, but the range is honest, not a lead-bait lowball.
Scope, integrations and timeline, not where the team sits. We price a fixed-scope build the same way regardless of client location: senior engineers, a written scope before work starts, and no markup for pricing to the market we happen to be selling into.
Fixed-scope phases for a defined first release; a monthly dedicated team once the roadmap keeps going. Where the scope will keep moving, time and material bills the hours actually worked per sprint, with timesheets shared and a monthly cap if you want one. We recommend one in the written scope and you decide.
Cut scope, not craft. Fewer roles, fewer screens, fewer integrations in phase one. Everything you defer is cheaper to build once real users have told you what matters.
Yes. UI design, QA and delivery management are inside the range. There is no separate line item that appears after you sign.
A senior engineer reviews your answers and comes back within 24–48 hours with a written scope, an architecture recommendation and a firmer range. NDA on request.
On our published ranges, a mobile app first release costs $9,000 to $26,500 and takes 8 to 14 weeks, and a startup MVP costs $6,500 to $16,500 over 6 to 10 weeks. Building for web and mobile together multiplies both the price and the timeline by 1.35, and payments, real-time features or AI each add to the range. Pick your options in the calculator above for your own number.
A startup MVP costs $6,500 to $16,500 and takes 6 to 10 weeks on our published ranges, for a standard first release on one platform with clean UI. A lean first release, the core journey only, comes to $4,500 to $12,000 in 4 to 7 weeks. Each add-on feature moves the range up.
Switch the calculator to "Start from my budget" and enter a number. It checks every project type at lean, standard and complex scope against our published ranges, shows which fit with their timelines, and lists what would have to be cut, such as a feature, the custom design or the second platform, for a standard release to fit.
A first release takes 6 to 10 weeks for a startup MVP, 8 to 14 weeks for custom business software, a CRM, an e-commerce platform or a mobile app, 10 to 16 weeks for a SaaS product and 12 to 20 weeks for the first phase of an ERP. Lean scope shortens it; web and mobile together or complex scope lengthen it. Design level changes the price, not the timeline.
We do not publish a maintenance percentage, so the calculator shows the industry rule of thumb instead, labelled as such: 15 to 25% of the original build cost per year (Edana, January 2026), with Mecanik and CodeStringers quoting 15 to 20% (2026). You can enter your own percentage. Our support retainer for a live product is priced on our pricing page.

Get the reviewed estimate

Turn the range into a real number.

  • A written scope with the exclusions listed
  • An architecture recommendation, not a sales deck
  • The name of the engineer who would lead it
  • Free, and yours to keep either way

Send me the detailed estimate

We turn the range above into a written scope with the exclusions listed.

Next step

A number you can take to your board.

Send your answers and a senior engineer will come back with a written scope, timeline and firmer range, free, and yours either way.

Get the reviewed estimate

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