Why nobody can name a price yet
Ask a hundred developers what an app costs and you will get a hundred answers, because "an app" can be a booking page with a payment button or a platform with roles, approvals, reports and a dozen connections to other systems. Any figure given before the scope is known is a guess. What you can do is understand what moves the price, so that the quotes you collect are about the same thing.
A rule of thumb that holds
More features, more roles, more connections and more platforms each add work. Anything that is unclear at the start becomes either a question now or a change request later.
What moves the price
These are the things a competent developer will ask about before they quote.
| Factor | Why it moves the price |
|---|---|
| Scope | Every screen, report and rule is work to design, build and test. Ten features are not ten times one, because they affect each other. |
| Who uses it | A tool for one team is simpler than a system with customers, staff, managers and administrators, each seeing different things. |
| Connections to other systems | M-Pesa, cards, accounting, SMS, email, maps and government or partner systems each have their own rules and ways of failing. |
| Platforms | A web application, an Android app and an iPhone app are three products to build and test, even when they share parts. |
| Design | A standard look is quicker than a brand-specific design with its own components and user testing. |
| Existing data | Moving records from spreadsheets or an old system means cleaning and checking them, and is often underestimated. |
| Security and compliance | Handling personal data, money or health records adds checks, controls and review that a simple tool does not need. |
| Speed | A shorter timetable needs a larger team working at once, which costs more to coordinate. |
| Who builds it | Experience costs more per day and often costs less per result. |
| What happens after launch | Hosting, monitoring, fixes and changes continue for as long as it is used. |
Three ways projects are priced
How a project is priced changes who carries the risk of the unknown.
| Model | How it works | Works when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed price | An agreed price for an agreed scope. | The scope is small and clear, and you can describe it fully. | Changes cost extra, so every unclear point becomes an argument. A low price may mean a thin scope. |
| Time and materials | You pay for the time spent, usually with an estimate and a cap. | The scope will change as you learn, and you want to steer. | Without regular demos and a budget alarm, the total drifts. |
| Dedicated team | A team works for you for a monthly fee, over a long period. | You have a continuing flow of work and want it to be built by people who know your system. | You pay whether or not you have the work ready. You need someone to direct them. |
How to get quotes you can compare
Three quotes that describe three different projects are no use. Make them describe the same one.
-
Write a one-page brief
Who uses it, what each of them does, what must connect to it, what must never go wrong, and what "done" means. Plain sentences are enough.
-
Ask for the same breakdown from each
Discovery and design, building, testing, moving data, launch, and the first period of support, each priced apart.
-
Ask for the assumptions
What each company has assumed about scope, users and connections. The differences between quotes are usually in the assumptions.
-
Split it into phases
Ask for the price of the smallest useful first release, then the rest. You learn more from the first release than from any document.
-
Consider paying for discovery first
A short, paid discovery step produces a clearer brief and a firmer estimate. You can take it to another company if you wish.
Costs people forget
These are rarely in the first quote, and all of them are real.
- Hosting, backups and monitoring, every month for as long as it runs.
- Domain names, certificates and the accounts that the app runs in.
- Developer accounts for the app stores, if you publish a mobile app.
- SMS, email and payment charges, which grow with use.
- Licences for any third-party services the app depends on.
- Fixes and updates when phones, browsers or payment services change.
- Your own time: decisions, testing, training and moving data.
- Changes you will want after you see it working.
What a low quote can leave out
A low price is not a fault, but it is a question.
- Testing, by people and by automatic checks.
- Security work, such as protecting accounts and personal data.
- Documentation and a proper handover.
- Setting up the servers, backups and monitoring.
- A period of support after launch.
- Anything that is not written into the scope, which then costs extra.
Ask what the price does not include
Ask each company to list what is not in the price. A company that cannot say has not thought about it, and you will find out when it is built.
Questions to ask a software company
These help you compare the people as well as the price.
- Who will work on it, and how experienced are they? Can we meet them?
- Can we see something working every couple of weeks?
- Who owns the code, the data and the accounts it runs in?
- How do you handle changes to the scope, and how are they priced?
- How is it tested, and by whom?
- Where will it be hosted, and who looks after it after launch?
- Can we speak to someone you built something similar for?
Keep reading
- Custom software: Web, mobile and back-office systems built around your process.
- Custom software or off-the-shelf: how to decide: Should you build custom software or buy a ready-made product? How to decide, the signs that each has stopped working, and how to cut the risk of building.
- How to choose a software company in Nakuru, Kenya: How to choose a software development company in Nakuru or anywhere in Kenya: what to check, contract terms, questions to ask and red flags.
- Talk to us about your project
Common questions
How much does it cost to build an app in Kenya?
It depends on what the app does, who uses it, what it connects to and which platforms it runs on. A simple tool and a platform with payments, roles and reports are very different projects, so any figure before the scope is known is a guess. A fair process is a short discovery step, then an estimate for a first release.
What affects the cost of software development?
Scope, the number of kinds of users, connections to other systems such as M-Pesa and accounting, how many platforms it runs on, design, moving existing data, security needs, the timetable and who builds it, plus the cost of running and maintaining it after launch.
Should I choose a fixed price or time and materials?
A fixed price suits a small, clear scope. Time and materials suits work whose scope will change as you learn, as long as you see working software often and have a cap. A dedicated team suits a continuing flow of work.
What are the hidden costs of custom software?
Hosting and backups, domains and certificates, app store accounts, SMS and payment charges, third-party licences, fixes and updates after launch, and your own time for decisions, testing and moving data.
How do I compare software development quotes?
Give every company the same one-page brief, ask for the same breakdown of discovery, building, testing, data and support, and ask each to list its assumptions and what the price does not include.
Is a cheaper quote a worse quote?
Not always, but it is a question. Ask what it leaves out: testing, security, documentation, a handover, hosting set-up and support after launch are the usual things.
Want a clearer idea for your project?
Describe what you need and what it must connect to. We will tell you what we would ask next and how we would break it into phases.