How Much Does a Custom Business App Cost in South Africa?
Pricing for custom software is often vague. Here is what drives the cost, the two pricing models you will come across, and what is included in Drivatic’s R7,500/month.
"It depends" is the most common answer to what custom software costs. It is true, but not helpful. This guide explains what it depends on, so you can compare quotes properly.
What drives the cost
- Number of processes or modules (e.g. CRM, jobs, timesheets, approvals).
- Complexity of business rules and calculations.
- Integrations with other systems, such as accounting or ERP.
- Mobile and offline needs for field staff.
- Reporting and dashboard requirements.
- How much is built from scratch versus from proven foundations.
The two pricing models
Once-off project pricing
You pay for the build as a project, then separately for hosting, a database, maintenance, support and every change after go-live. The headline number can look clear, but the running costs are often left out of the comparison.
Monthly subscription
You pay one monthly fee that covers the build and the ongoing running of the system. There is no large upfront payment, and the supplier stays accountable because they need you to keep finding value every month.
What Drivatic’s R7,500/month includes
- Your custom business app, built around your process
- Hosting and cloud compute
- A managed SQL database with backups
- Maintenance and bug fixes
- Support
- 3 hours of changes and improvements every month
- No per-user fees
The per-user comparison
Many businesses compare a custom app with the subscription tools they already pay for. As an illustration: a tool at R300 per user per month for 25 users is R7,500 a month — for one function. Add a second and third tool and the total keeps climbing with every hire. A flat-fee custom system stays the same as your team grows. More on this in custom CRM vs per-user licences.
Questions to ask any supplier
- What is included after go-live, and what costs extra?
- Who hosts it, and who is responsible when it goes down?
- How are changes priced?
- Can we export our data?
- How long until we have something working?
See the full pricing on our homepage, or read when custom software makes sense.
Questions
Is there a setup fee?
Drivatic’s model is a monthly subscription from R7,500, which includes development. Larger or more complex systems are scoped and priced accordingly.
Do you charge per user?
No. Pricing is flat, so adding staff does not increase your monthly fee.
What happens if we need more changes than the included hours?
Additional work can be scoped and agreed upfront, so there are no surprise invoices.
About the author
Juan Kotzee
Founder & Managing Director — Drivatic
Juan Kotzee is the Founder and Managing Director of Drivatic, a South African software company specialising in custom business applications, analytics, automation and AI.
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