“For your software, count on €30,000 and six months.” You hang up. You look at your Excel file, your notebook, your three apps that do not talk to each other. You tell yourself custom software is for big companies.
Not necessarily. But you need to know what you are talking about. The price of custom software for an SME is a real question with a real answer: the price depends on what you ask for, not on the size of your company.
This article gives you the market ranges (with their sources), the three options available to you, and the questions to ask before signing anything.
How much does custom software cost for an SME?
Here are benchmarks published for France, in 2026, excluding tax. According to Fenxi:
- Small scope (first usable product): €10,000 to €30,000.
- Business application (several user profiles, workflows, integrations): €30,000 to €80,000.
- Full ecosystem (web and mobile, several integrations, client portal): €60,000 to €150,000 and more.
- Under €5,000: the same article says this generally falls under no-code or an improved script, not a structured application.
These are orders of magnitude from a single provider's site. They give an idea, not a price list. Another provider will give you other figures, because they count differently.
Why is it expensive? Because a developer is paid by the day. According to lefreelance.fr, the average rate of a freelance developer in France is around €450 to €500 excl. VAT per day in 2026, with junior profiles from €300 and experts above €750. A project of 60 working days is €27,000 to €30,000 before even counting project management, testing and hosting.
Add maintenance. Fenxi estimates it at 10 to 20% of the initial cost per year. On a €30,000 project, that means roughly €3,000 to €6,000 every year, for fixes, security and updates.
The 3 options: off-the-shelf software, traditional development, scoped tool
Before asking for a quote, look at the three routes.
1. Off-the-shelf software
This is the cheapest and fastest option, if software exists for your trade. For construction, for example, you can find quote and invoicing tools between €0 and €109 excl. VAT per month, according to the Shine comparison (Costructor with a free plan, Obat from €25 to €109, EBP Bâtiment from €29.25 to €69).
Advantages: no development, updates included, you can test beforehand. Limits: you adapt to the tool, you pay every month with no end, and you do not control how it evolves.
If off-the-shelf software covers 80% of your need, take it. Seriously. It will be cheaper and simpler. Custom only makes sense for what is missing.
2. Traditional development (agency or freelancer)
This is the route of the ranges above: €10,000 to €80,000 and more. It suits you if you have a broad, complex need, with many users, strict security rules or a product to resell. The price reflects this work: analysis, development, testing, project management.
If your need is that size, it is the right choice, and you have to pay for it. Compare at least two written quotes, based on the same requirements document.
3. A scoped tool at a posted price
Between the two, there is the need that many business owners really have: a quote calculator, a tracking form, a schedule, a small database with accounts for the team. Not an ERP. A tool that does one thing, or a few things, well.
This is the territory of Fiddes Apps. Prices are posted:
| Plan | Price | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Simple tool | €790 | 1 function (quote calculator, tracking form, schedule), up to 3 users |
| Business tool | €1,490 | several screens, database, user accounts, PDF/Excel export |
| Custom | from €2,900 | integrations (accounting, calendar, CRM), more than 10 users |
Hosting and maintenance: €149 per month, 12-month commitment (fixes, backups, small updates of up to 1 hour per month, additional updates quoted separately).
Why such a price gap? (€790 vs. €30,000)
This is the question you are asking yourself, and you are right to ask it. The gap comes from the scope, not from magic.
A €30,000 quote generally covers many things you may not have asked for: several user profiles with different rights, approval workflows, connections with other software, a mobile interface, documentation, training.
A scoped tool at €790 or €1,490 does less. And that is intentional. It does one function, or several screens around a database, with accounts and an export. If what you need fits in that description, you have no reason to pay the price of a full application.
Conversely, let's be clear: if you need a client portal, a mobile app, dozens of cross-referenced business rules or a large number of users, a €790 tool will not be enough. Our custom option from €2,900 covers integrations (accounting, calendar, CRM) and more than 10 users. Beyond that scope, we will tell you before you pay, and a traditional agency will be a better fit.
The 5 questions to ask before signing a software quote
Whether you choose Fiddes or another provider, ask them.
- What exactly is included? Screens, accounts, exports, integrations: ask for the list.
- Who hosts it, and how much does it cost per month? Software without hosting does not run.
- Who fixes things when there is a problem, and how fast? Maintenance must be in writing, not promised verbally.
- What happens if I want to change something afterward? How much does a change cost?
- Can I get my data back? Your data belongs to you. Ask how to export it.
A provider who answers these five questions clearly is generally serious. One who dodges is not.
Can you build software yourself with AI?
Many articles claim so. The honest answer: for a personal test, yes, it works better and better. Some tools can generate a small program from a description of what you want.
But between a prototype and a tool your team uses every day, there is hosting, password-protected accounts, backups, fixes when something breaks. This is what is called the “last mile”, and it is often the one that takes the most time. If you like to tinker and have time, try it. If you want a tool that works on Monday morning, delegate.
What budget should you plan, in practice?
Here is a simple way to think about it, without jargon.
- Under €1,000 and a single task to automate (calculating a quote, tracking requests, keeping a schedule): a simple tool, or off-the-shelf software if one exists.
- €1,000 to €3,000, several screens, your data kept, accounts for the team: a business tool.
- More than €10,000: real development. Take the time to compare several providers, and demand a written requirements document.
In all cases, add maintenance. At Fiddes it is fixed: €149 per month, over 12 months. It is posted from the start, you see it before ordering.
How we work
A posted price, a promised turnaround. No free mockup, no work before payment: you pay, we build. Simple tool and Business tool are paid at order. Custom is paid 50% at order, 50% on delivery. Money-back guarantee, 2 revisions included.
You stay in control. You know exactly what you get, what it costs, and what it will cost every month.
