How much does custom software cost for a trade business?
A custom web app starts at $7,500 for the build, with a $550 per month base rate covering hosting, maintenance, and support. Costs beyond that come from scope, not markup.
What the one-time build fee covers
The build fee covers the work of designing and building the screens your crew uses, start to launch.
That's sitting in on your day, mapping how a job moves from call to close, shaping the screens with you, building them, and going live together. The number moves with how much there is to build. A dispatch board and job records is one size. Add estimates with your own pricing formulas, payroll-ready time tracking, and inventory, and it's another.
What the monthly rate covers
The $550 per month base rate covers hosting, maintenance, support, and ongoing improvements, at any crew size.
The software stays running, stays current, and keeps getting adjusted as your business changes. When something needs to change, you talk to the person who built it. Adding a tech stays at the same base rate.
Why per-seat software gets more expensive as you grow
Per-seat platforms charge for every person you hire, so your software bill grows at the same speed your crew does.
Three techs is manageable. Twelve is a line item you notice every month, and the features you actually wanted often sit in a higher tier on top of that. A base rate works the other way: the price is the price whether you run four trucks or fourteen, so growth stays a payroll decision instead of a software decision.
How to get an accurate number for your business
The honest number comes out of a conversation about how your jobs run, not a form.
Walk us through a normal week, where the work gets stuck, and what your crew is re-typing. We'll tell you what it takes to build, what it would cost, and whether a build makes sense for you at all. Schedule a call and we'll price it plainly.
Straight answers.
Is there a cheaper starting point?
Yes. Websites start at $4,500. If what you need right now is a site that brings in calls, that's the place to start, and software can come later.
Do variable costs like SMS or payment fees get marked up?
No. Things like text messaging and payment processing are passed through at actual cost. You pay what the provider charges.
What determines the final price?
Scope. How many screens your crew touches, how your pricing and payroll work, and what has to connect to what. That gets decided in a real conversation about your business.