SERVICES & PRICING

Bespoke Software Development Services for UK SMEs

Our bespoke software development services start at £2,000 for technical consultancy and range up to £80,000+ for complete bespoke platform builds. Every engagement is fixed-price, you own the source code, and we tell you when off-the-shelf software is the better answer. Custom software development UK pricing is transparent - no hidden costs.

Bespoke software development services for UK SMEs from ajairu.dev include system integration from £8,000, bespoke platforms from £25,000, ERP and SaaS replacement from £30,000, AI automation from £8,000, technical consultancy from £2,000, and ongoing support from £350 per month. All fixed-price with full source code ownership.

Bespoke Software Development Services UK: Pricing Guide

Transparent pricing for bespoke software development services. Each engagement is self-contained. You can start with integration and stop there, or continue to a full bespoke platform. No lock-in. Our pricing is fixed - you know the total cost before we start.

Tier 1, Connect Your Systems

System Integration & Automation

Stop copying data between systems manually. We connect your CRM, accounting, ERP, e-commerce, and job management tools with custom APIs and automated workflows.

£8,000-£30,000
4-8 weeks
  • Custom API integrations between your systems
  • Automated data sync and routing
  • AI-powered workflow automation
  • Real-time dashboards and reporting
  • Error handling and monitoring built in
  • Documentation and team training
System Integration Services UK
Tier 3, Stop Renting

SaaS / ERP Replacement

Replace expensive SaaS subscriptions with bespoke software you own outright. The build cost is now roughly one year of subscription fees. Break-even in 12-18 months.

£30,000-£80,000+
12-20 weeks
  • Replace CRM, ERP, job management, or all three
  • Full data migration from existing systems
  • No more licence fees or vendor lock-in
  • Team training and change management
  • 30-day post-launch support included
  • You own the source code outright
ERP Replacement UK
Spend less on licences, own your stack

Our Services, In Detail

Each core service has a dedicated page with detailed pricing, FAQs, and process. Explore the specific service that matches where you are today.

ERP replacement UK service
Most Popular

SaaS / ERP Replacement: Stop Renting Your Business

Replace expensive SaaS subscriptions with bespoke software you own outright. The build cost is now roughly one year of subscription fees, so you cut licence costs for good and your stack finally works the way your business works. Full data migration, team training, and zero vendor lock-in.

  • From £30,000: replaces £30,000 to £80,000 a year in subscriptions
  • Break-even in 12-18 months, then no more licence fees
  • You own the source code outright from day one
ERP Replacement UK
System integration UK service

System Integration & Automation

Kill spreadsheet chaos. Connect your CRM, accounting, ERP, e-commerce, and job management tools with custom APIs and automated data sync.

From £8,000
Bespoke CRM development UK service

Bespoke CRM Development

A CRM built around your sales process, not a vendor's template. Your team stops fighting the tool and starts closing deals.

From £25,000
AI automation UK service

AI Automation

Invoice processing, document classification, and data extraction built into your systems. Manual admin work disappears.

From £8,000
Custom API development UK service

Custom API Development

Reliable interfaces between your systems so data flows automatically. Fewer errors, fewer manual exports, one source of truth.

From £8,000
Fractional CTO UK service

Fractional CTO

Senior technology leadership without the £150,000+ salary. Strategy, architecture decisions, and board reporting, part-time.

From £2,000/month
Custom web portal UK service

Custom Web Portals

Self-service portals for your customers, suppliers, or team. Orders, bookings, and requests handled without phone calls.

From £25,000
Workflow automation UK service

Workflow Automation

Automated routing, approvals, and notifications across your systems. Work moves itself instead of waiting on inboxes.

From £8,000
Legacy modernisation UK service

Legacy Modernisation

Cut maintenance costs on ageing systems. Re-platform or incrementally modernise without a risky big-bang rewrite.

From £15,000
Cloud migration UK service

Cloud Migration

Move off ageing on-premise hardware to UK-resident cloud infrastructure with monitoring and alerting built in.

Cloud Migration UK
Database development UK service

Database Development

Schema design, reporting, and data quality work so every decision runs on numbers you can trust.

Database Development UK
Mobile app development UK service

Mobile App Development

Field and customer apps that work offline and sync automatically, built for the devices your team already carries.

Mobile App Development UK

AI Automation Services UK

AI-powered workflow automation built into your custom software. Not chatbots - real workflow automation that eliminates manual admin work. Pricing from £8,000 for a single AI workflow.

Single AI Workflow

from £8,000
4-6 weeks

One AI-powered automation - invoice processing, document classification, or data extraction. Built into your existing systems with human-in-the-loop exception handling.

Multi-Workflow Automation

£15,000-£30,000
6-10 weeks

Multiple AI workflows across your systems. Automated routing, decision-making, and real-time dashboards. The most common engagement for SMEs ready to automate at scale.

Full AI Platform

£25,000-£30,000+
8-12 weeks

Full AI automation platform with custom models, RAG pipelines, and enterprise-grade monitoring. Full GDPR compliance and UK data residency.

Learn More About AI Automation Services UK

Consultancy & Support Services

Beyond project-based work, we offer technical consultancy and ongoing support to keep your software running. Pricing is transparent and fixed.

Technical Consultancy

£2,000-£10,000
1-3 weeks, Fixed scope

Not sure whether to build or buy? Need an architecture review or tech stack assessment? We provide honest, vendor-neutral technical advice to help you make the right decision before you commit to a build.

  • Architecture review and tech stack selection
  • Build vs buy analysis for your specific needs
  • Technical due diligence for software projects
  • Code review and quality assessment
  • Cloud migration strategy
  • API design and integration planning
Enquire about Consultancy

Ongoing Support & Maintenance

from £350 /month
Ongoing, Flexible commitment

Software needs maintenance. APIs change, dependencies update, edge cases emerge. Our support retainer keeps your software running smoothly with monitoring, updates, and enhancements as your business evolves.

  • Monitoring and alerting setup
  • Security patches and dependency updates
  • Bug fixes and performance optimisation
  • Small feature enhancements
  • Monthly health check reports
  • Flexible, scale up or down month to month
Enquire about Support

Fractional CTO

from £2,000 /month
Part-time, 4-15 days per month

Senior technology leadership without the £150,000+ full-time salary. Strategy, architecture decisions, team mentoring, vendor evaluation, and board reporting. Embedded in your leadership team, not a consultant who delivers a report and leaves.

  • Technology strategy and roadmap
  • Architecture decisions and tech stack selection
  • Developer team mentoring and management
  • Vendor evaluation and contract review
  • Board reporting and risk management
  • Can also scope and oversee software builds
Learn about Fractional CTO

Code Audit & Technical Due Diligence

£2,500-£7,500
1-2 weeks, Fixed scope

Buying a company with a codebase? Inherited software from a departed developer? Considering open-sourcing or re-platforming? We audit the code, architecture, security, and documentation so you know exactly what you are getting into before you commit.

  • Code quality and maintainability assessment
  • Security vulnerabilities and GDPR compliance check
  • Architecture review and technical debt inventory
  • Documentation and knowledge transfer gaps
  • Infrastructure and deployment review
  • Clear risk rating and remediation roadmap
Enquire about Code Audit

Bespoke Software Development for SMEs

Why custom software development UK makes financial sense for small and medium-sized businesses now - and why it did not five years ago.

The Old Economics

Five years ago, bespoke software development was only viable for enterprises with six-figure budgets. A custom platform cost £300,000-£700,000 and took 12-18 months to build. SMEs were stuck with off-the-shelf SaaS tools that fit at 60-70% and cost £30,000-£80,000 per year in subscriptions - forever. There was no realistic alternative.

The pricing gap between bespoke and SaaS was too wide. The build timelines were too long. The risk was too high. So SMEs rented software they would never own, adapted their processes to fit vendor templates, and accepted annual price increases as an unavoidable cost of doing business.

The New Economics

AI-accelerated development has changed everything. Build costs have dropped 60-70%. What cost £300,000 now costs £80,000. What took 12 months now takes 8-16 weeks. The break-even point against SaaS subscriptions has collapsed from 6-14 years to 12-18 months.

For the first time, bespoke software development for SMEs is a rational financial decision, not a luxury. Our pricing reflects this new reality. A custom platform that replaces £50,000/year in SaaS subscriptions costs roughly £50,000 to build. After year one, you own it outright. The pricing math works.

This is why SMEs are the fastest-growing segment of the custom software development UK market, growing at 20.15% CAGR - outpacing enterprise for the first time.

What's Different About Our Approach to Bespoke Software Development

We are engineers, not a report factory. Every engagement delivers working software you can actually use. As your bespoke software development partner, we focus on outcomes, not slideware. Our pricing includes everything you need - no surprise add-ons.

ROI in Every Project

Every build includes estimated time saved, cost reduction, or revenue impact. You make decisions based on numbers, not hype. The build-vs-buy calculation is done before we start, and our pricing reflects the expected ROI.

Your Tech Stack, Enhanced

We start with what you already have. No rip-and-replace, no forcing you onto a platform you do not use. We integrate, extend, and build on top of your existing systems - whether that is system integration or a full ERP replacement.

Compliance Built-In

GDPR, UK data residency, and security best practices are part of every build, not an expensive add-on. Your data stays in the UK. No third-party model training on your data. Our pricing includes compliance from day one.

You Own the Result

Full source code, documentation, and deployment rights. When the engagement ends, your team can run and extend everything independently. No dependency on us. No ongoing licence fees. The pricing is for the build - ownership is included.

Pricing Transparency: What You Pay and What You Get

We believe in transparent pricing. Here is exactly what our bespoke software development services cost and what is included.

What Our Pricing Includes

  • Discovery and scoping - we map your requirements before quoting
  • Design and architecture - you approve the design before building
  • Full development - AI-accelerated build with weekly demos
  • Data migration - from existing systems, with validation
  • Testing and QA - against your real data in staging
  • Deployment - to production with monitoring and alerting
  • Documentation - full technical docs and user guides
  • Team training - your team can run and extend the software
  • 30-day post-launch support - included in every project
  • Source code ownership - you own everything, outright

What Our Pricing Does Not Include

  • No day-rate billing - fixed prices only, agreed before we start
  • No ongoing licence fees - you own the software after build
  • No vendor lock-in - any developer can maintain the code
  • No hidden costs - the price we quote is the price you pay
  • No surprise scope changes - we agree scope changes in writing first
  • No per-user pricing - unlimited users, no per-seat charges
  • No per-transaction fees - no usage-based pricing, ever
  • No mandatory support contracts - support is optional from £350/month
  • No IP retention - your intellectual property, not ours
  • No exit fees - walk away with everything at any time

Our pricing is designed to be honest and transparent. If you want a detailed quote for your specific needs, book a free discovery call.

Pricing & Engagement FAQs

Straight answers about our bespoke software development pricing and engagement model.

Why are your prices fixed and not day-rate? +

Day-rate billing creates a perverse incentive: the longer it takes, the more the developer earns. Fixed-price engagements align our interests with yours: we are rewarded for efficiency, not for dragging things out. You know the total cost before we start. AI-accelerated development means we deliver faster, and you benefit from the time savings. Our pricing is transparent - no hidden costs, no surprise invoices.

What determines where I fall within a price range? +

It depends on your business size, the complexity of your operations, the number of systems involved, and the depth of the integration or build. The free discovery call helps us understand your needs and give you a precise quote before anything starts. Our pricing reflects the scope of work, not an arbitrary number. There are no surprise costs.

How can bespoke software be cheaper than SaaS? +

The build cost is now roughly equivalent to one year of SaaS subscription fees. If you are spending £50,000/year on software subscriptions, a bespoke replacement costs approximately £50,000 to build. After year one, you own it outright with no more licence fees. The break-even is 12-18 months, and you own the asset forever. Our pricing makes bespoke software development accessible to UK SMEs.

Do we have to migrate all our data? +

Not necessarily. We can start with integration - connecting your existing systems - before considering a full replacement. Data migration is always included in replacement projects, and we do it carefully with validation and rollback procedures. You never lose data during a transition.

What if we already have an in-house developer? +

We complement in-house teams, not replace them. We handle the heavy lifting of architecture, complex integrations, and new builds while your in-house team focuses on day-to-day maintenance and feature work. We hand over with full documentation so your team can extend what we build. Our pricing is for the project scope only - no ongoing dependency.

Try Our Free Tools First

Not sure which service is right for you? Start with a free tool. No email needed to see your results.

Build vs Buy Calculator

Should you buy off-the-shelf or build custom? Get a clear recommendation with a 3-year cost comparison.

Start Calculator

Tech Debt Calculator

How much is your legacy software costing you? Get your tech debt score and estimated annual cost.

Check My Tech Debt

Integration Health Check

How well-connected is your tech stack? Find out if your systems are holding you back.

Check My Integration

Replace Your Current SaaS Tools

We build bespoke replacements for the most common SaaS platforms UK SMEs use. Own your software outright, pay once, no more licence fees.

Replace Salesforce

Bespoke CRM built around your sales process. From £25,000.

Replace HubSpot

Custom marketing and CRM platform. No per-seat pricing. From £20,000.

Replace Monday.com

Bespoke project management built for your workflow. From £15,000.

Replace Xero

Custom accounting and financial reporting integration. From £18,000.

Replace Sage

Bespoke ERP and finance platform. From £30,000.

Replace Zendesk

Custom helpdesk and support platform. From £15,000.

Replace Pipedrive

Custom sales pipeline and CRM. From £18,000.

Replace Asana

Bespoke task and project management. From £12,000.

Replace Any SaaS Tool

Not listed? We build replacements for any SaaS platform.

Cut Your Software Costs and Ship Faster

That is exactly what the free discovery call is for. We will talk through your situation and recommend the right starting point, even if that is off-the-shelf software instead of a bespoke build. Our pricing is transparent - you will know the cost before we start.

Book a Free Discovery Call See How It Works