Custom software development
Custom software development for your business, from a first SaaS release to the internal platform your operations run on. You use working software every week or two, and we keep it running after launch.
Custom software services
- SaaS productsB2B SaaS with tenancy, SSO and billing in place from the first release.
- Internal toolsReplace fragile spreadsheets with tools your operations team wants to use.
- Customer portalsSelf-service portals where customers onboard, share documents and track progress.
- Web applicationsBrowser software for staff and customers, connected to the systems you already run.
- Mobile appsiOS and Android apps for staff and customers, from one React Native codebase.
What custom software is.
Custom software is designed and built for one organisation's processes, data and users, while off-the-shelf software is built for many companies at once. It can be a SaaS product you sell, an internal tool your staff use every day, a customer portal or an app. Because it is built for you, it can change whenever your business does.
Custom or off-the-shelf software.
| Question | Off-the-shelf software | Custom software |
|---|---|---|
| Is the process standard in your sector? | Usually the better fit | Rarely worth the build |
| Is the process part of how you compete? | Forces workarounds | Fits how you work |
| Do licence costs grow with every new user? | Costs rise with headcount | No per-seat licence fees |
| Does the data sit across several systems? | Connectors where the vendor offers them | Integrations built for your systems |
| Who decides what changes next? | The vendor's roadmap | You |
We often recommend a mix: standard software for standard processes, and custom software around the parts that set you apart. The build or buy guide walks through the decision step by step.
What drives the cost of custom software.
We quote every project after discovery and do not publish prices. These are the factors that move an estimate most:
- Each user role with its own screens, permissions and approvals adds design and testing.
- Every system the software connects to adds work, and more so when its API or documentation is poor.
- Data from spreadsheets or an old system has to be moved and cleaned, including the exceptions nobody wrote down.
- Checks, exceptions and approval screens take time to build, and they are what make software safe to use on real work.
- Single sign-on, audit logs, data residency and compliance evidence add scope in regulated organisations.
- After launch, someone monitors, updates and extends the software, whether that is us or your own team.
How to choose a software development company.
Whoever you hire, ask these questions before you sign:
- Will the repositories, cloud accounts and app store accounts be in our name from the first day?
- Who writes the code, and does the team change after we sign?
- How often can we use what has been built so far?
- What would another team receive if it took over tomorrow, in tests and documentation?
- Which work do coding agents do, and who reviews it before it is merged?
- Who monitors the software after launch, fixes problems and keeps it up to date?
How we work on it
Scoped and built by the same people
The people who scope your software are the people who build it. There is no hand-off to a junior team after the sale.
Working software early and often
You review a running product every week or two, so you can change priorities early.
Agentic engineering with human review
Coding agents speed up well-scoped work, and a person reviews every change before it reaches your codebase.
EU hosting or your own cloud
Your software can run in EU regions or inside your own cloud account, with access scoped per role.
Related work
Built with
All technologiesFurther reading
When custom software beats off-the-shelf
A practical way to decide between off-the-shelf software and custom development, covering total cost of ownership, integrations and risk.
5 min read
Agentic engineering: how we ship SaaS with Claude Code and Codex
How experienced developers use coding agents to build SaaS while keeping control of architecture, quality and security.
4 min read
Common questions
Build when the software is part of how you compete, when no product fits your process without heavy workarounds, or when licence costs grow faster than your business. Buy when the process is standard and a good product exists. We often recommend a mix.
We start with a short discovery phase to define users, workflows, integrations and risks. From there we estimate the first release in detail and later phases in ranges, and we agree the timeline after discovery.
Yes. Once invoices are paid, you own the code and intellectual property. Repositories and cloud accounts are set up in your name from the start.
Yes. We regularly work inside existing teams, follow your conventions and review process, and pair with your developers so knowledge stays in-house when the project ends.
We offer ongoing support covering monitoring, security updates, bug fixes and new features. If you prefer to take over, we hand over with documentation and a transition period.
There is none. Bespoke is the usual word in the UK and custom the usual word elsewhere. Both mean software designed and built for one organisation.