Software Development Pricing in Australia

Which tier fits my project?

There are three starting points. What separates them is what is being built, not how carefully it is built: a site people read, a product people log in to, or a piece of work that needs its own scope. Prices are in Australian dollars, and each figure is the lowest a project of that kind starts at.

Starter Website from A$900 suits a business whose site has one job: explain what you offer, look credible on a phone, and turn a visitor into an enquiry. The floor covers a small number of designed pages; a blog, an online catalogue, or many extra pages push it above that.
Web App / MVP from A$2,500 is for something with logged-in users: a booking tool, a customer portal, an internal dashboard, or the first version of a product you plan to sell. The floor assumes one type of user and a short list of features that must work on day one; each extra role or workflow adds to it.
Custom Engagement from A$4,500 is for work that does not fit a tidy box: connecting to systems you already run, rebuilding something that has outgrown its spreadsheet, or continuing development on a product that is already live. It is priced against a scope we write together, not a menu.
Not sure which one you are? Bring the problem, not the label. Sorting that out is part of what the consultation is for.

What moves a quote up or down?

Two projects in the same tier can land on quite different prices, and the reasons are usually visible up front. Below are the factors that matter most when we cost a job, so you can see where a quote comes from and where there is room to move.

Number of distinct screens or pages, and how many of them need their own design rather than a shared layout.
User accounts and roles: a public site has none, a simple app has one type of user, and a marketplace like Near Space has hosts and renters with different permissions.
Integrations with outside systems. Reckonly pushes confirmed receipts into Zoho Books; even a one-way connection like that to accounting, payments, or booking software adds real work and testing.
Content and data: whether you supply finished copy and images or need help producing them, and whether existing records have to be migrated into the new system.
Speed: a genuinely tight deadline can raise the price because it means clearing other work; a flexible one can lower it.
What you already have: an existing brand, a clear written brief, or a product to rebuild all shorten discovery and bring the quote down.

How does fixed-price quoting protect me?

Hourly billing puts the risk of estimation errors on you. If a feature takes twice as long as expected, you pay twice as much. We quote a fixed price for a written scope instead, which means our estimates have to be honest, because we carry the cost when they are wrong.

The quote lists what is in scope in plain language, so you can check it against what you asked for before signing anything.
The price does not change unless the scope does. If you ask for something new mid-project, we tell you what it costs and you decide whether to add it; nothing is slipped in.
Each milestone ends with something you can open and try, so the price you agreed and the product you are getting stay side by side the whole way through.
Payment is tied to those milestones rather than to hours logged, and you can see exactly what each payment bought.
The fixed price is the whole price: no licence fee on the code, no charge to keep using what was built, and no cost to take it to another developer later.

What happens in the free consultation?

The 30-minute call is a working session, not a sales pitch. It runs over video, and its only job is to give us enough to write an accurate quote and give you enough to judge whether going ahead is worth it.

Bring whatever you have: a rough list of what the software must do, examples of tools you like or dislike, and any deadline that matters. A sketch on paper is fine.
We tell you straight away if a cheaper option would do the job, including off-the-shelf tools, or if what you want is not something we should build.
We talk through the tier you are likely to land in and the specific factors above that would push the price up or down for your project.
Afterwards you get the quote and timeline in writing, with no obligation and no follow-up pressure.
Nothing is decided on the call itself. Take the quote away, compare it, and come back when you are ready.

Pricing

Clear starting points — custom quotes for everything else

We publish starting prices so you know what to expect. Every project gets a detailed quote after we understand your needs.

Starter Website

Starting at $900

Get a quote

For businesses that need a clean, professional site that converts.

Custom design (no templates)
Mobile-first, SEO-ready
Contact form & analytics
1 round of revisions
14-day post-launch support

Web App / MVP

How engagements work

Every project starts with a free consultation. We scope the work, agree on timeline and milestones, and send a fixed quote before any work begins. Payment is typically split across milestones — 40% to start, 30% at midpoint, 30% at launch.

Estimate your project

We have built this before

Every product below is live, built and run by this studio. Each case study covers the problem, what we built, and the parts that were genuinely hard.

Perfume formulationScentena: AI that has to respect the safety limits of a real craftAn AI formula generator and manual accord builder for perfumers: structured formulas by theme and concentration, IFRA-aware screening, and gram weights for your batch. Free, no account.

Guides worth reading first

Common questions

Are the prices on this page the final price?

No. Each figure is the lowest a project of that kind starts at. Your own price comes after the consultation, in writing, and holds for the scope it describes.

Why not charge by the hour?

An hourly rate makes the final bill depend on how long things take, which you cannot see or control. A fixed price for a written scope means the number you agree to is the number you pay, and it puts the pressure to estimate well on us rather than on you.

What if I change my mind partway through?

Small adjustments within the agreed scope are expected and included. Anything that adds a new feature or reworks an approved stage is priced separately, in writing, before we do it. You always choose whether to add it.

Do I have to pay everything up front?

No. The payment schedule is written into your quote, so you know what is due and when before you commit. It follows the project's milestones rather than asking for the full amount before any work starts.

Can I get a quote without the consultation?

We can give a rough range from an email if you describe the project, but a fixed price needs the call. Thirty minutes of questions is what lets us commit to a number and stand behind it.

Software development pricing in Australia, without the guesswork