What does it cost to build a web application?

The question everyone asks but no one dares to Google. Because you're afraid of the answer. Or you're afraid you can't do anything with it because “it depends”. Let me try to give an honest answer.

First: what do we mean by web application?

A website shows information. A web application does something.

Think about:

• A portal where customers log in and manage their data
• A dashboard where your team sees real-time figures
• A system where dealers place orders
• An asset library where partners download files

There is a database behind it. There is user management. Something happens to the data that comes in.

This is fundamentally different from a five-page website with a contact form.

The traditional route

When you go to a development agency for a custom application, you can count on:

• Discovery and specs: 5,000 to 15,000 euros
• Design: 10,000 to 30,000 euros
• Development: 30,000 to 150,000 euros
• Testing and delivery: 5,000 to 20,000 euros

Total? Somewhere between 50,000 and 200,000 euros. Lead time? Three to twelve months. And that's not counting maintenance, hosting or further development. These are not exaggerated numbers. Here's what companies pay for serious applications. Rightly so, because there is a lot of work involved. But it makes it unreachable for many organizations.

The no-code route

Here's where it gets interesting. With tools such as Webflow, Wized and Xano, we build the same functionality. But faster. And therefore cheaper. An indication:

• Simple portal (login, view content, basic user management): 8,000 to 15,000 euros
• Average application (multiple user roles, forms, dashboard, integrations): 15,000 to 35,000 euros
• Complex application (advanced search, workflows, analytics, comprehensive rights management): 35,000 to 60,000 euros

Lead time? Four to twelve weeks.

Why the difference?

Three reasons.

Don't write code. The tools we use are visual. What takes hours in traditional development, we do in minutes. That saves a lot of time.

Do not set up an infrastructure. Servers, databases, deployment pipelines. In traditional development, all of that has to be built and managed. For us, it's built into the tools.

Reusable cartridges. We don't build a login system over and over again. We have patterns that we adapt to your situation. Faster than from scratch.

What influences the price?

The honest “it depends” factors:

Number of user roles. A portal where everyone sees the same thing is simpler than a system with admins, managers and end users who all have different rights.

Integrations. Does the application need to talk to your CRM? Your bookkeeping? Your inventory system? Each pairing takes time.

Complexity of the data. A flat list of products is simple. Products with variants, price scales, inventory levels and supplier information are complex.

Design. A functional design based on existing components is faster than a fully custom design with animations and micro-interactions.

Search functionality. Simple filtering is different than advanced searching with Algolia across thousands of items.

What do you get for that money?

With us, you get a working application that:

• Looks professional and works well
• Loads fast and scales well
• Is secure (data in Europe, SSL, user authentication)
• Managing your team is after delivery
• Easy to expand as your needs grow

Plus documentation, training, and support during and after the project.

How do I know what I need?

You often don't know that. And that's fine. We start each project with a conversation. What do you want to achieve? What problem are you solving? Who's going to use it? From there, we make a proposal. Not a big thirty-page quote that you don't read. A clear document with what we are going to build, what it costs and how long it will take. Sometimes the answer is: this can be simpler than you think. Sometimes the answer is: this is more complex than you'd hope. But you know where you stand before you start anything.

Shall we see what your application would cost?

Send a message with a brief description of what you have in mind. Within a few days, you'll hear from us whether it's realistic, what the rough direction is in terms of budget, and whether it makes sense to continue talking. No obligations. No surprises.