Scope and data model
How many screens, roles and edge cases have to work reliably? A member list is built quickly — family fees, discounts and year-end departures are the hours that end up on the invoice.
Guide
What does custom software cost?
Prices, cost drivers and the routes on the market — written down honestly.
The short answer: from a few thousand euros for a small tool to well into six figures for a complex application. The long answer is on this page — with the figures agencies and developers publish themselves, the running costs that quotes tend to leave out, and the reason it is this way.
What really drives the price
It is not the idea that sets the price, but the work that follows from it. Four factors decide almost every quote.
Integrations
Every external system you connect — accounting, calendars, payments — brings its own failure modes. Integrations are among the most common reasons projects end up over budget.
Quality and obligations
GDPR, data security, auditability: what is mandatory costs money with every provider — the only difference is whether it is in the quote or billed later.
Operations and maintenance
The purchase price is not the final price. Hosting, updates and security care recur every year — leave them out of a comparison and you are comparing half the bill.
What the routes on the market cost
The same application, four routes, four very different bills. The ranges come from what providers in Germany publish themselves.
Agency
from ~€20,000, often €40,000–120,000
Custom web applications at agencies start in the low five figures; mid-market projects typically run between €40,000 and €120,000, complex systems above that. An MVP is usually quoted from around €15,000.
Freelancer
~€80–120 per hour
Smaller tools are feasible from a few thousand euros. The weak spot is rarely the build but what comes after: holidays, workload and operations all hang on one person.
Toolkit / site builder
usually double digits per month
The plan is small, but it buys a finished shape: your workflow adapts to the software, not the other way round. What the plan does not show are the workarounds that bend to the toolkit's logic — month after month.
AI platform
the new route
The price of the classic routes is mostly manual work: every screen, every change is hours times hourly rate. On an AI platform like FRIDGARD, the platform takes over that manual work — you describe, Verja builds, a verification chain checks the result.
Three of the sources the ranges come from: freelancermap, Freelancer-Kompass 2025 (average hourly rate €104, in IT typically €80–120 depending on profile) · GECKO Software, “Was kostet eine Individualsoftware?” (agency hourly rates €120–180, web application ≈ €50,000, complex systems from €100,000) · XMETHOD, “Softwareentwicklung Kosten” (project ranges €5,000 to €600,000, maintenance 15–20% of the project price per year).
The costs after launch
As a rule of thumb, providers quote 15 to 20 percent of the project price for maintenance and support — per year. Invest €60,000 and you should plan for €9,000 to €12,000 annually on top.
Hosting and operations
Servers, domain, certificates, backups. Small per month, but permanent — and someone has to be responsible when something fails at night.
Updates and security
Software that is not maintained does not get cheaper — it gets less secure. Security updates are not optional, least of all where personal data is involved.
Changes
The most expensive sentence after launch is: “Could we also …?” With manual work, every change is a new small project. Ask every quote: what does year two cost?
What changes with FRIDGARD
Custom software costs four to six figures on the market because every hour is manual work. That is exactly where noalen starts: the platform takes over the manual work — you describe in a conversation how you work, Verja builds your application from it, a mechanical verification chain checks it, and operation on our own hardware in Germany is part of it rather than a second quote.
A pricing model for FRIDGARD has not been set yet — it is being built, and figures that may still change do not belong here. What is fixed is the standard noalen must be measured against: the difference the platform makes should reach you.
Join the waitlistFrequently asked questions about cost
What does it cost to have custom software developed?
At agencies, custom web applications start in the low five figures; mid-market projects typically run between €40,000 and €120,000, complex systems above that. Freelancers usually charge €80 to €120 per hour. Add running costs for operations and maintenance — as a rule of thumb, 15 to 20 percent of the project price per year.
Why is custom software so expensive?
Because almost everything is manual work: every screen, every role, every edge case and every later change is hours times hourly rate. Add obligations like GDPR and data security, which mean real work with every serious provider — in the quote or billed later.
Which running costs come after launch?
Hosting, backups, updates, security care and changes. As a rule of thumb, providers quote 15 to 20 percent of the project price per year. Ask every provider explicitly what year two costs.
What does an MVP cost?
In classic development, an MVP is usually quoted from around €15,000, considerably more depending on scope. For startups, noalen has a dedicated page — with a live, usable example of a product launch.
What does FRIDGARD cost?
A pricing model has not been set yet — it is being built, and noalen does not promise figures that may still change. What is fixed is the standard: the manual work that makes custom software cost four to six figures on the market is taken over by the platform, and that difference should reach you. Join the waitlist to hear it first.
Do I own the source code of my application?
Yes. The source code of the applications belongs to the customers and can be provided on request. That is the difference to a toolkit, where you remain a tenant of the shape.
Do the maths for your own line of work
What the price means in practice depends on your work. These pages go into detail — each with a live, usable example.
For clubs and associations
Members, fees, treasury, club life.
For makers and small shops
Range, provenance, orders, courses.
For startups
Product launch, pre-orders, the application behind it.
And once the price is settled, the second question before any commission: Is it GDPR-compliant? — the guide with the questions to ask.
The waitlist
FRIDGARD opens in waves.
Sign up — you will hear from us as soon as your wave is up.