01
A tool or add-on
1–3 weeks
One focused piece that does one job well, on its own or added to your website or systems.
- Payment or lease calculator
- Quote or booking builder
- Online application form
- Customer portal add-on
Custom software · an honest guide
What does custom software cost?
Two “CRM” projects can differ tenfold in effort, so a price list would mislead you. Here’s what actually drives the cost, how long projects take, and how we keep the bill predictable.
Three sizes of project
How big is what you need?
Most projects fall into one of these. The time is from signed scope to launch.
02
A system for one part of the business
2–4 months
Software that runs a whole department or process — sales, inspections, the shop, onboarding.
- CRM & sales pipeline
- Inspections & e-signature
- Maintenance & work orders
- Credit applications & onboarding
We’ve built: Leadwise, Walkaround, Torque, Onramp
03
A platform that runs the business
Under 6 months
Billing, accounting, operations, a customer portal and integrations in one system — live in under six months, delivered phase by phase.
- Rental & leasing platform
- Accounting & reporting
- Multi-role operations system
- Customer & partner portals
We’ve built: FleetForge, AccountiX
What drives the cost
Seven things that make a project bigger.
Knowing these helps you decide what belongs in the first version — and what can wait.
Roles & permissions
One user type is simple. Office staff, managers, accountants, field techs and customers — each seeing different things — adds design and testing.
Integrations
Every connection — QuickBooks, payments, GPS, e-signature, email — needs its own setup, error handling and testing.
Moving your data
Bringing customers, units and history out of spreadsheets or an old system takes careful mapping and checking.
Reporting & accounting depth
A dashboard is quick. Double-entry books, tax, period close and audit-ready reports take real engineering.
Phones & offline use
Screens that work on a phone are standard. Working with no signal and syncing later is a bigger job.
Security & compliance
Two-factor sign-in, audit logs and strict data rules (finance, health) add build and review time.
Polish & white-label
A clean, consistent interface is included. Your own brand system, white-labelling for resale, or animation adds design work.
Not sure where you land?
Describe it in a few sentences and we’ll map it to a size and a plan.
Plan your project →Keeping it lean
Spend where it counts.
The cheapest feature is the one you didn’t need. Four ways we keep projects tight.
-
01
Start with a first version
Launch the parts you use every day, learn from real use, then add the rest. You see value in weeks, not months.
-
02
Reuse what already exists
We’ve built billing, accounting, CRM, inspections and portals before. Proven modules cut time without cutting corners.
-
03
Use off-the-shelf where it fits
Payroll, email and payments rarely need to be custom. We connect to the tools you already trust.
-
04
Phase the work
Each phase has its own scope, price and launch — so the budget follows results instead of a single big bet.
Build, license or buy
Sometimes the honest answer is “don’t build”.
Buy off the shelf
Best when
Your process is standard and the software already does 90% of it.
We’ll say so — and help you set it up well.
License FleetForge
Best when
You rent, lease or run a fleet and want a proven platform in your brand, without building from scratch.
Licensed, white-labelled and deployed for you.
See licensing →Build custom
Best when
Your process is your edge, off-the-shelf tools fight it, or you’re stitching five apps together.
Built around how you work — and you own the code.
Plan your project →How we quote
A clear scope, then a clear price.
Fixed price per phase when the scope is clear, hourly for open-ended work — agreed before anything is built.
You own the code.
On custom builds, everything we write for you is yours. Our own products, like FleetForge, are licensed instead.
- 1 Discovery call What the business does, where the time and money leak today, and what “done” looks like.
- 2 Written scope Screens, roles, integrations and data in plain English — so we price the same thing you picture.
- 3 Your quote A fixed price per phase when the scope is clear, or hourly for open-ended and ongoing work.
- 4 Build in milestones Working software you can click through at every milestone, not a big reveal at the end.
- 5 Launch & support Data moved, team trained, then a support plan so it keeps improving after launch.
Questions
Straight answers.
Why don’t you publish prices?
Because two projects with the same name can differ tenfold in effort. A price list would be wrong for most people who read it. Tell us what you need and we’ll come back with a ballpark for your project.
Do you quote a fixed price or by the hour?
Both. When the scope is clear, we quote a fixed price for each phase, so you know the cost before work starts. Open-ended work — ongoing improvements, research, support — is billed hourly.
How long until we have something we can use?
A focused tool or add-on is usually live in 1–3 weeks. A system for one part of the business takes about 2–4 months. Even a platform that runs the whole business goes live in under six months — delivered in phases, so parts of it are in use before the whole platform is finished.
Who owns the code?
On custom builds, you do — the code is yours. Our own products, like FleetForge, are licensed instead: you get the platform in your brand without paying to build it from scratch.
Can you take over or replace an existing system?
Often, yes. We start by reviewing the code, hosting and data, then tell you honestly whether to improve what you have or rebuild it.
What happens after launch?
We move your data, train your team and stay on with a support plan — fixes, updates and new features as the business changes.
Get a ballpark for your project.
Describe what you need in a few sentences. We’ll come back with the size, a timeline and a ballpark for your project.