:: Services / Custom software development
Custom software development for problems off-the-shelf can’t solve
When spreadsheets, plug-ins and generic SaaS stop fitting how you work, you need software built around your process. We design, build and run custom software for growing companies: internal tools, customer platforms and the integrations that tie them together.
Weekly demos on real data
Your code, your IP
From $5,000
:: What we do
Custom software we build
Most projects fall into one of these. Many combine two or three.
01
Internal tools and portals
Dashboards, approval flows, inventory, scheduling and reporting tools that replace spreadsheets and email chains.
02
Customer-facing platforms
Booking, ordering, membership and self-service platforms your customers log in to every day.
03
Workflow automation
Rules, notifications and background jobs that take repetitive work off your team, with AI where it actually helps.
04
Integrations and APIs
Connect your CRM, ERP, payments and data so information moves between systems without copy and paste.
05
Legacy modernisation
Move old desktop or PHP systems to a modern web stack in stages, without stopping the business.
06
Support and scaling
Monitoring, fixes, performance work and new features after launch, from the team that built it.
:: Custom software examples
Custom software examples, by the problem they solve
Most custom software replaces a spreadsheet, a pile of emails or two systems that do not talk to each other. These blueprints show how each one is planned and built.
CRM
A CRM built around one trade
Leads, site surveys, quotes and installs for a solar installer, where off-the-shelf CRMs did not fit the process.
Read the blueprint
ERP
ERP for a furniture manufacturer
Orders, bills of materials, production scheduling and stock in one system instead of five spreadsheets.
Read the blueprint
Inventory
Multichannel inventory
One stock count across a webshop, marketplaces and a warehouse, so nothing is oversold.
Read the blueprint
Logistics
Warehouse management for a 3PL
Receiving, picking, packing and billing per client, with scanners on the warehouse floor.
Read the blueprint
Field operations
Fleet management
Routes, vehicles, drivers and job proof in one place, for a waste hauling company.
Read the blueprint
Learning
Corporate training platform
Courses, assessments and certificates with reporting by team and region.
Read the blueprint
:: Build vs buy
Build custom software, or buy a tool?
Buying is often the right answer, and we will say so. These are the signs that point each way.
Build custom when
The process is how you win against competitors
Off-the-shelf tools need heavy workarounds
Per-user licences cost more than a build over 3 years
You need to own the data, logic and roadmap
Several systems must work as one
Buy a tool when
A standard product covers about 80% of the need
The process is common, such as payroll or email
You need it running in weeks
Nobody will own the software after launch
Volume is too low to justify a build
:: How it works
How a custom software project runs
You see working software every week, not a status report.
Weeks 1 to 2
Discovery
Workshops with the people who will use it, a clickable prototype and a fixed quote for the first release.
Week 3 onward
Build in sprints
Two-week sprints with a demo at the end of each, on a staging site you can use yourself.
Before launch
Test
Automated tests, manual QA and user acceptance testing with your team.
Launch and after
Run
Go-live, monitoring and a support plan sized to how much the software will change.
:: Before you start
How to write a custom software brief
A clear brief gets you a tighter quote and a better product. You do not need technical language, just these six things.
01
The problem, in one paragraph
What is slow, costly or error-prone today, and who feels it. Numbers help: hours a week, errors a month, orders lost.
02
Who will use it
The roles that will log in, roughly how many people, and whether customers or partners need access too.
03
The three most important tasks
The jobs the software must do well on day one. Everything else can wait for version two.
04
Systems it must connect to
Accounting, CRM, ERP, payment, email or anything else that holds data the new software needs.
05
Constraints
Budget range, deadline, where data must be hosted and any rules such as HIPAA or GDPR.
06
What success looks like
How you will know it worked in six months, such as time saved, fewer errors or more orders handled.
:: Cost and timeline
How much does custom software development cost?
Typical prices for our projects, based on a senior team at $25 to $35 an hour. You get a fixed quote per phase after a short discovery.
Internal tool
$5k – $25k
4 to 8 weeks
A focused tool for one team, such as an approval workflow, a dashboard or a replacement for a key spreadsheet.
Business platform
$25k – $80k
8 to 16 weeks
A multi-role web app with integrations, reporting and a mobile-friendly interface, released in stages.
Enterprise system
$80k – $250k+
4 to 12 months
ERP-style systems, customer platforms or legacy replacements, delivered in phases with their own budgets.
What it costs to run
Hosting, monitoring and backups usually cost tens to a few hundred dollars a month. Budget about 15 to 20 per cent of the build cost a year for support, updates and small improvements.
What moves the price
Number of user roles and screens
Integrations with other systems
Data migration from old tools
Security and compliance needs
Mobile apps on top of the web app
:: Why Sterling
What you can count on
A fixed quote for each release
Code in your repository from day one
Automated tests and a deployment pipeline
Documentation your next developer can follow
A team that stays for support after launch
:: Tools we use
React
Next.js
Node.js
Python
.NET
Laravel
PostgreSQL
AWS
Azure
4.9
Average rating on Clutch · 350+ projects since 2019
:: Questions
How much does custom software development cost?
How long does it take to build custom software?
Who owns the code?
Custom software or an off-the-shelf tool?
Can you take over software another team built?
What is the custom software development process?
What are examples of custom software?
How do you keep a custom software project on budget?
What technology do you use for custom software?
Do you provide support after launch?
:: App cost calculator
Planning an app? Estimate the cost
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:: Related services
Other ways we can help
Send us your brief. We’ll help turn it into reality
A senior engineer replies within one business day with questions or a first plan: approach, team, timeline and estimate.