When You Need Custom Software
Off-the-shelf software solves general problems. Custom software solves your specific problem: the workflow that does not quite fit into any existing tool, the data model that requires compromises every time you use a standard platform, the process that your team has been automating with spreadsheets because nothing else matches how you actually work.
Custom software development is the right answer when the cost of working around a general tool exceeds the cost of building something specific. That calculation tips faster than most people expect, especially for core business operations where the workaround tax compounds over time in manual hours, integration complexity, and organizational frustration.
We are a small, focused custom software development agency. We have shipped nine production software products of our own and built client systems across accounting automation, compliance tracking, payroll processing, studio management, analytics, and developer tooling. We know what it takes to build software that works in production for years, not just demos well in a presentation.
What We Build
Business operations software. The tools your team uses every day to run the business: workflow management, approval systems, data entry and validation, reporting, and the internal platforms that replace the spreadsheets your operations team has outgrown.
Customer-facing web applications. Client portals, partner platforms, booking and scheduling systems, and any software that sits between your business and your customers. These need to be reliable, well-designed, and maintainable without specialized expertise.
Data and integration platforms. Pulling data from disparate systems into a unified structure, automating the handoffs between software that does not talk to each other, and building the pipelines that give your business a coherent view of its own operations.
Vertical SaaS. Custom software built to be sold to other businesses in your industry, starting from your own deep knowledge of the domain. This is how several of our products started: a problem we encountered in the real world, validated by people who had the same problem, turned into a productized software business.
Custom APIs and integrations. Building or consuming APIs that connect your systems to external platforms, third-party data sources, or the software your customers are already using.
How We Work
Discovery before development. We do a paid discovery engagement (two to four weeks) before any code is written. This produces a scope document that specifies exactly what is being built, a technology recommendation that fits the problem, and a fixed-price bid for the full development phase. Projects that skip discovery almost always go over budget. Projects that do discovery well almost never do.
Fixed-price builds. After discovery, all development is priced at a fixed rate with a locked scope. If the scope changes, we price the change before implementing it. There are no surprise invoices.
Weekly working demos. Every week you see the product as it actually exists, not a design mockup or a status update percentage. This is how problems get caught early.
Technologies you can hire for. We build in Python and Django for backends, React or HTML for front-end interfaces, and PostgreSQL for databases. These are not the most exciting choices, but they have large talent pools, long support horizons, and extensive documentation. When you bring development in-house or hire additional contractors, you will not struggle to find people who can work in the codebase.
Common Questions
How long does a custom software project take? Simple internal tools with a single workflow: 8 to 12 weeks. Mid-complexity systems with multiple user roles and integrations: 12 to 20 weeks. Complex platforms with multi-tenant architecture and heavy third-party integrations: 5 to 9 months. The discovery phase produces a timeline specific to your project.
What does custom software development cost? Simple tools run $20,000 to $60,000. Mid-complexity systems run $60,000 to $130,000. Complex platforms start at $130,000. These are ballpark ranges. The fixed-price quote from discovery is the number that actually matters.
Do we own the code? Yes. Your repository, your infrastructure, your data. We hand over everything at launch.
Will we be able to maintain it after you hand it off? Yes, with reasonable developer resources. We build to be maintained, not to create dependency on our specific team. We deliver documentation, deployment runbooks, and a transition period. If you hire a developer after launch, they will be able to work in the codebase on day one.
If you have a project in mind, get in touch or get a free estimate.