What drives the cost
- Scope. How many parts of the work the app covers on day one.
- Connections. Each outside tool to link, such as accounting or storage.
- Documents. Generated call sheets, quotes and reports.
- Data to move. How much history must come over, and how clean it is.
- Users and roles. How finely access has to be controlled.
What AI-assisted development changed
Much of the routine code of an application is now written with AI tools and reviewed by developers. Work that took months takes weeks. This is why custom software has become realistic for companies of ten or twenty people, not only large ones.
Start from something that exists
Starting from a working application such as CrewDesk costs far less than starting from a blank page. You pay for the differences between the base and your process, not for the login screen.
Compare over three years
A subscription looks cheap per month and adds up per user, per year, with price rises you do not control. A custom app has a higher first cost, then hosting and maintenance. Put both on a three-year line with your real number of users before deciding.
Keep the first version small
List everything you want, then build the part that removes the most pain. Use it for a month. The second phase will be better specified and cheaper than if you had guessed it all at the start.
Get a real number
TECHMA gives prices on quote after a free call, for each of the three ways to get CrewDesk: source code, custom build or managed.
Questions to ask any developer
- Who owns the code at the end?
- Where is it hosted, and in whose account?
- What happens after launch: fixes, changes, support?
- Can we see something working before we sign? For CrewDesk, the answer is the live demo.