Custom software is worth it for a small business when a specific task takes up hours every week and no off-the-shelf program can handle it without workarounds, or when it pays for several tools that don't talk to each other. If an affordable off-the-shelf program already does what you need, stick with it. With us, custom software starts at €9,000 + VAT, with a fixed price before we start.
This guide is for anyone who runs or manages a small business and feels that the tools they use no longer meet their needs. You’ll see what custom software is and isn’t, the signs that it’s time to consider it, what businesses typically build, what the process looks like, and what to ask before hiring someone.
What custom software is and isn’t
Custom software is a program built for your business, with your workflows and your names for everything, instead of an off-the-shelf product. It could be a CRM, an ERP, a web application for an internal process, a customer portal, or an app for your field team.
Some things are sold as custom software but aren’t really custom:
- Adding fields to a subscription CRM. It’s still that CRM, with its per-user fee and limitations.
- Installing plugins on a website. It’s useful, but it means configuring something that already exists.
- Buying software for your industry and changing four screens. It’s still someone else’s product.
The practical difference comes down to who decides how it works and who owns the data. With custom software, the logic is built for you and the data is yours.
Signs it makes sense for you
It usually makes sense when you recognize two or more of these situations:
- You pay for subscriptions that you only partially use, and the important information still lives in Excel because none of them handle it well.
- Your per-user licensing costs are growing faster than the business.
- You have a way of working that sets you apart and no off-the-shelf program understands it.
- You copy data manually between several tools every week.
- Your team works outside the office and fills out forms on paper or in scattered messages.
- You want your customers to do things on their own, like place requests, check information, or sign documents, but right now they have to call you.
Signs it’s not time yet
You’ll save money if you recognize it in time:
- The process still isn’t clear. A program built around a disorganized process will be disorganized too. Organize it first, even if it’s on paper.
- An inexpensive off-the-shelf program already does what you need. Use it and revisit the decision when it no longer meets your needs.
- You need to solve it next week. Development takes time.
- The budget only covers building it, not maintaining it. Software without maintenance falls behind as soon as something it connects to changes.
If you're torn between the two lists, start with the task that takes up the most hours and see whether off-the-shelf software can handle it. If not, you already know where to start.
What a small business typically builds
These are common software solutions in a small business, ordered from least to most work:
- Work reports on mobile, with photos and the customer's signature, sent to the office right away.
- Quotes that generate automatically using your rates and line items.
- A portal where your customers can view their orders, documents, or the status of their project.
- Bookings or appointments connected to your calendar, with notifications.
- A dashboard with the numbers you currently pull manually from three places.
- A CRM to manage customers and quotes, or an ERP for inventory, purchasing, and invoices.
You can find the starting prices for each type at how much custom software costs. If you need inventory and invoicing, compare custom ERP or SaaS first.
What the process looks like
Designing custom software starts long before programming. This is how we do it, in four steps:
- We understand your work. We look at what you do today, which tools you use, and where time is being lost.
- We propose the screens, with a fixed price, before we start. This is the step where you decide.
- We build it in stages. You test it as it progresses, and we make corrections along the way.
- You put it to work. We transfer your data and show your team how to use it.
Your part matters too. You'll need someone on your team who knows the task well and can dedicate a few hours to explaining it, testing it, and pointing out what's wrong. Without that person, even the best provider is building blindly.
How to choose who will build it
Choosing the wrong provider is the most expensive mistake. These questions quickly separate a serious provider from one that's making it up as they go:
- Is the price fixed or hourly? If it's fixed, what's the scope in writing?
- Will I see the progress while it's being built, or only at the end?
- Are data migration and training included?
- How much does maintenance cost per month, and what does it include?
- How do I take my data with me if I change providers one day?
- Who will do the work, and can I talk to that person?
Be wary of two answers: a fixed price with no defined scope, and a "we'll see" when you ask about your data.
What happens after delivery
Custom software isn't finished the day you start using it. During the first few months, things that nobody saw on paper come up: a missing field, an unnecessary step, or a report someone requests.
That's what maintenance is for. It covers backups, updates, fixes, and small changes. With us, it's separate from development, there's no per-user fee, and we spell it out in the quote.
Major changes, such as a new module, are quoted separately, just like the initial project: with a fixed price before we start.
And your data remains yours. You can export it whenever you want, including if you decide to switch providers one day.
Mistakes that cost money
- Starting to code without understanding the work. Then you have to redo it.
- Designing it without the people who will use it. The result is software that nobody opens.
- Wanting everything from day one. It’s better to do it in stages, starting with what people use most.
- Forgetting about the data. Moving dirty data brings the same old mess into the new software.
- Not factoring maintenance in from the start.
- Switching providers halfway through. It costs more than correcting course with the provider you have.
If you fit the first list, the custom software page explains what's included and how we work. We respond Monday through Friday, from 9:00 to 19:00, in less than 2 hours.
Work orders are written by hand, quotes are sent over WhatsApp, and nobody knows which cars are waiting for a part.
Each car comes in with its work order and the quote the customer approved. The mechanic logs the hours and parts used on their phone. The customer gets a notification when their car is ready, and the invoice is generated from the work order.
from€9,000
