According to Statista, over 83% of UK businesses are online. With so much competition, it’s no wonder that business owners are always on the lookout for ways to stand out in today’s digital landscape. A great way to achieve this? Bespoke software development.
It’s a given that custom software offers more flexibility, scalability and a more personalised experience over its off-the-shelf counterparts, hence why companies are leaning more towards investing in it of late. However, if you’re a business owner looking to make such an investment, you might just be wondering: how much does bespoke software development cost?
The answer to that question is never straightforward. The cost of bespoke software development depends on various factors, from your company’s needs to the type of software you want. This blog discusses the components of custom software development and how these components can impact costs.
What is bespoke software development?
Before tackling this question, let’s define what we mean by ‘software’. These days, ‘software’ can mean anything, from a mobile app that offers luxury food recommendations to a comprehensive client portal for a global aviation company.
Unlike off-the-shelf software like Microsoft Office that caters to a generic userbase, custom software focuses on user-specific requirements. Therefore, a bespoke software development service can offer unique features that address your business needs.
Bespoke software development, however, refers to the process carried out to build your software.
Here at Lightflows, we take pride in our approach to bespoke software development. We carry many steps to ensure the product meets our clients’ needs, from an initial consultation phase to quality assurance testing, and set achievable targets within time and budget to enhance operational efficiency.
There are many benefits of bespoke software development that we’ll also cover in this blog.
Types of custom software
As a bespoke software development agency, we specialise in developing software for the web, iOS and Android using a range of advanced technologies, from frameworks such as Laravel and React Native to content management systems (CMS) like Drupal and Statamic.
Before approaching a software development company like us, it’s good to have a clear idea of what kind of software your business requires so we can provide you with an appropriate quote and guide you in the right direction.
Here are the types of bespoke software development your company might need:
Website development
If your website is starting to look outdated or is running on an older version of Drupal, it’s probably time to invest in a new website. See an example of a website development project we built from scratch on Statamic here.
Software development
If you offer a product that provides education, entertainment, or information relevant to your business, consider software such as a web application. View our software development project for an educational programme here.
App development
Are you an e-commerce business in need of a new way to engage with your customers? In a mobile-first world, your customers will benefit from an easy-to-use mobile app. Check out our mobile app development for a luxury goods reseller here.
Benefits of bespoke software development
Again, compared to an off-the-shelf product that offers the same functionalities to everyone, a bespoke software product is designed to meet your needs.
There are many benefits of bespoke software development, including:
Flexibility and scalability
When building custom software, it’s vital to consider the growth of a company that, in turn, needs a system that can grow with it. A bespoke software solution allows us to update and upgrade your software as you require.
Personalised experience
Bespoke software development means we can build a product that aligns with your business. Whether through design, navigation or lead-generating mechanisms, we can capture all the requirements for your business to succeed.
Long-term maintenance
Once a bespoke software development project is complete, it doesn’t stop there. We offer support and maintenance services to all our clients, meaning we can be on-call whenever you meet any issues with your software.
Price of bespoke software
The price of your custom software depends on various factors. Below are some factors that can impact the cost of your software development project.
Software size
Once we’ve determined what kind of software you need, we can begin to gauge how large the project will be. For example, an entire website such as HomeViews will be comparatively bigger than a minimal viable product (MVP) like HomeViews Streets.
Graphic design
Your product needs more than to be well-built – it needs to look good. At Lightflows, we have a highly-skilled in-house design and development team that will ensure your product looks brilliant and in line with your business goals.
Data migration
While migrating data can be simple, it can take time. Depending on how much data you have to start with, you’ll need to factor in how much writing all the scripts and performing quality testing will impact the price of your overall bespoke software development project.
Member skillsets
Your bespoke software development project will require various team members to deliver it effectively. From project managers and developers to designers and copywriters, our in-house team has a multi-faceted set of skills that all factor into the cost of your product.
Time
The time your custom software will take to be delivered depends on all the components considered above. Nevertheless, with such an experienced team, you know that you’ll be receiving software that is second to none.
Summary
Just like no two projects are the same, the price of a bespoke software development project will never be the same for one company as it is for another. The cost depends on various factors, from the type of software your company needs to the time it takes to develop the software.
If you’re looking to invest in bespoke software development, you’ve come to the right place. Contact us to discuss your ideas, and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding prices and more.