A Guide to Software Development Prices
Software development prices are determined by a number of factors:
- Whether your require software from scratch, or the customising of your existing programming;
- The level of programming sophistication involved (do you need a simple coding solution, or something more complex?);
- Whether you require a bespoke (custom) software solution, or one that is created using an ‘off the shelf’ package;
- How many programmers will be working on writing the software;
- The number of development stages towards final completion; and
- The urgency of your project!
All this makes software development pricing difficult to estimate, of course. So, to get a greater appreciation of the task facing a software development company (or software development consultant), let’s take a look at how they work, and what developing software for businesses and organisations is all about. Then we can understand better how the cost of software development is worked out.
What’s involved in developing software?
Software developers employed as team members at software development companies are usually highly-trained, certified programmers with several years’ programming experience under their belts (unless they are a trainee programmer, of course). Because of this, they will each have their own individual way of working – an approach that works best for them.
Although each programmer’s method for designing and writing software can differ hugely, they are all ultimately working towards the same goal: to create the perfect software solution for you, the client – a software program that best suits your needs.
A software developer’s typical process:
- Take the brief
- Estimate a software development price
- Assign a project manager
- Start with the problem
- Create a data flow diagram on paper (sequential steps towards a programming solution!)
- Convert the chart into onscreen diagrams
- Decide which programming language(s) will be required from start-to-finish
- Assign different tasks to individual personnel (according to their programming specialties and strengths)
- Begin the writing process (setting milestones to work towards in order to meet the overall deadline)
- With the first phase of the coding completed (the ‘first draft’), test it in-house
- Tweak (if/where necessary)
- Test again, before showcasing it to the client (at this stage you will be invited to offer feedback. Based on this, further adjustments and amendments can be made before the code is finally ready to ‘go live’)
In the UK, the average hourly rate for software development is £50. So, how many hours will all the aforementioned process stages take! Hundreds? (We hear you gasp). Don’t worry; when setting software development prices, software development companies realise they have to charge competitively, as there are so many good software companies out there who will be more than ready to take on the project if another company’s fees seem too much.
When it comes to software development pricing, as a ballpark figure, the cost of a simple software solution will generally be around £5,000. For customising an existing system, you can expect to pay around half that.
Will I have to pay for an estimate?
Generally speaking, no. After taking a project brief and analysing your specific requirements, most software development companies will give you a free ‘no obligation to buy’ estimate.
Finding an available Software Developer is easy with Quote Bean! Simply complete our online Quote Form and receive up to 6 customised, no-obligation quotes absolutely free from our approved Software Development Directory.
