What Custom Software Development Actually Costs
Real Numbers · No Quote Request Required
What This Actually Costs
Most software sites make you talk to sales before you learn a single number. Ours are below. Every engagement starts free and the first paid step is fixed at $2,500, so the cost of finding out what your project would take is small and known before you commit to anything larger.
Why can't I just get a ballpark for the whole project right now?
What if the Spec says the project costs more than I expected?
Is the retainer the only way to work with you after the build?
Do these prices change based on tech stack?
The Numbers
| Step | What it is | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free Consultation | A working session with a senior engineer, not a sales rep | $0 |
| System Spec | A product brief, a PRD and a real build estimate, time-boxed | $2,500 fixed |
| Requirements Package | Locked requirements: user flows, edge cases, integrations and acceptance criteria | $2,500 fixed |
| Working MVP | The first buildable version | from $5,000 |
| Production Build | Taking an MVP or existing prototype to something real users depend on | from $10,000 |
| Ongoing Support and Expansion | Monthly retainer with the same senior team | from $1,500/mo |
| Dev Bursts | Fixed-scope short engagements outside a retainer | $1,200/day or $4,500/week |
Two numbers on this table aren’t fixed on purpose: MVP and Production Build carry ranges because a build estimate that means anything has to follow a Spec, not precede one. Quoting a build price before the product is defined is a guess dressed up as a number, and we won’t do that. What is fixed is the cost of getting a real estimate: $2,500, once.
The thing that actually drives cost
Why the First Step Is Fixed and the Rest Isn't
Most software projects don't fail on engineering talent. They fail because the requirements were vague enough that "the build" could mean three different systems depending on who's asked. That ambiguity is what makes a build quote before a Spec worthless, and it's also what makes scope creep possible once work starts.
The Spec is fixed because it's bounded work
The build carries a range because the Spec hasn't happened yet
Every item inside a retainer is estimated and approved before work starts
From $1,500 a month
What a Retainer Actually Includes
Retainers run month to month: thirty days' notice to stop, fifteen to change the budget. Nothing locks you in.
Three layers of testing on every change
You approve every change on staging
An emergency line with its own rate
No blank cheques
The Honest Comparison
Why this isn't the cheapest number you'll see.
If you've been pricing this out, you've probably seen freelance marketplace listings quoting a wide range for a comparable project, sometimes running from a few thousand dollars into five figures depending on scope. Those numbers aren't wrong, they're just pricing a different thing: typically a single developer, no defined process for scope control, and no named senior engineer accountable for the result.
What the numbers on this page buy that a freelance rate alone doesn't: a defined product before a build estimate exists, a level-of-effort approval step before any work starts, three layers of testing on every change, and a document (the Spec) you own outright even if you never proceed to a build. If your project is genuinely simple and well-defined already, a freelancer may be the right call, and we'll tell you that in the free consultation rather than sell past it.
You Own What You Pay For
Once fees are paid, you own the code we write for you. The Spec's product brief and PRD are yours whether or not you proceed to a build. The one exception: AutomaticFFL is Razoyo's own subscription product, not a custom build, and works differently, you license it, you don't own it. Everything on this page above is custom work, and custom work is yours.
Every price here is also on our process page, step by step.
Questions We Get Before the Call
The Spec price doesn't; it's fixed regardless of what you're building. Build and retainer numbers are estimated per project based on the level of effort involved, which is what the System Spec and Requirements Package exist to determine.
Pick your next step
Start With a Conversation. It Costs Nothing.
Every engagement begins the same way, with a free consultation. You'll leave it with an honest recommendation, including the recommendation not to build.
Free consultation
A working session with a senior person, not a sales rep. Always the first step.
Fixed-price System Spec
Defines the product and returns a real build estimate. The first paid decision is a small one.
Read the proof first
Not ready to talk? See what we have actually shipped.