At SIMPLY CODE SOLUTIONS, custom software costs CHF 3'000 – 4'500 for an automation that connects two systems, CHF 30'000 – 45'000 for a business application for one area of the company or CHF 80'000 – 120'000 for replacing a legacy system including data migration. Add-ons such as integrations or reports come on top. These are guide prices. You receive the binding quote after we talk.
The price range is wide because custom software covers everything from a small interface to replacing the central company system. There is no template here. Concept, testing, security and operations drive the price, and each of them grows with the number of processes and exceptions. All amounts are in our overview of custom software prices and add-ons.
The three packages explained
- Automation, CHF 3'000 – 4'500: connects two systems and automates one process, for example transferring shop orders into accounting.
- Business application, CHF 30'000 – 45'000: your own tool for one business area, such as shift planning, order management or inspection records.
- Legacy system replacement, CHF 80'000 – 120'000: replaces existing software nobody wants to touch any more. Migration of existing data is included.
There is a big jump between automation and business application. An automation runs in the background and hardly needs a user interface. People use a business application every day, so an interface, permissions and clear error messages come on top.
Add-ons for custom software
- Simple integration, for example accounting or shipping: CHF 1'500 – 2'300
- Integration with ERP or industry software: CHF 9'000 – 13'500
- Migration of existing data: CHF 2'500 – 3'800, included in the replacement package
- Additional roles and permissions: CHF 2'500 – 3'800
- Reports and export: CHF 2'500 – 3'800
- Live data in real time: CHF 8'000 – 12'000
The other system decides whether an integration is simple or demanding. If it offers a documented interface, the simple integration is enough. If documentation is missing or the data is inconsistent, it becomes the integration with ERP or industry software.
Three model cases
These are model cases using the figures above, none of them a client project. The project assistant works out the total for your selection.
Example 1: orders flow into accounting automatically
A trader retypes every web shop order into the accounting software by hand, about an hour a day. Both programs offer documented interfaces. In future, an automation transfers the orders every night.
- Package: automation, CHF 3'000 – 4'500
- Add-ons: none needed
Example 2: shift planning for a cleaning company
A cleaning company with 30 staff plans its shifts in a spreadsheet only the operations manager understands. In future, team leaders see their sites, dispatch plans the shifts, and management receives a monthly report of hours per site.
- Package: business application, CHF 30'000 – 45'000
- Add-ons: additional roles and permissions, CHF 2'500 – 3'800, and reports and export, CHF 2'500 – 3'800
Example 3: replacing a home-grown order system
A manufacturing company works with order software from the 2000s. The developer has retired and updates are no longer possible. The new software takes over the orders of the last ten years, reproduces the current process and reads master data from the ERP system, whose interface is patchily documented.
- Package: legacy system replacement, CHF 80'000 – 120'000
- Included: migration of existing data
- Add-on: integration with ERP or industry software, CHF 9'000 – 13'500
We plan a replacement like this in stages. Part of the process moves across, and the old system keeps running until the new part works reliably. A single switch-over date for everything would be riskier.
What moves the amount within the price range
- How many exceptions the process has. Partial invoices, stand-in rules and other special cases make up most of the work.
- How precisely you can describe the process. The clearer the special cases are before we start, the more accurate the quote.
- How clean the old data is. Duplicate customers, empty fields and free-typed units have to be cleaned up before migration.
- How many people use the software. Ten trained staff need less help text than a hundred occasional users.
What does custom software cost per month?
After launch, your own software needs hosting, updates, backups and monitoring. There may also be a domain and subscriptions for third-party services, such as email delivery. You receive the software with documentation and run it yourself, or you hand operations to us. Application care costs CHF 400 – 650 per month, small changes included. If an outage stops your business, there is operations with response times for CHF 1'500 – 2'300 per month. There is more on the page operations and support for your software.
When something else fits better
- If a standard product covers your process, use the standard product. The article Custom software or off-the-shelf? shows how to check.
- If your customers should get something done online themselves, a customer portal as a web app is the better starting point. The amounts are in the article How much does a web app cost in Switzerland?.
- If the software is already running and all that is missing is someone to look after it, our operations and support service is enough.
How to get your own figure
In the project assistant for custom software you choose a package and add-ons and get an estimate straight away, with a price range and timeframe. We usually reply within 1 to 2 working days. We name a binding figure once we have seen the process, and we recommend the smallest solution that does the job. How we work is on the page custom software development.