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Building software and MVPs 5 guides for UK businesses.

These guides are for anyone buying software rather than a subscription: a founder building a first product, or a business replacing spreadsheets with a system of its own. They cover what an MVP or a custom app costs in the UK, how long it takes, fixed price against day rate, and who owns the code and the data. Augustova builds MVPs, SaaS products and bespoke software in London at fixed prices, and runs two products of its own, Onrolo and GoRizzume, so the advice includes what it is like to operate the software after launch.

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8 August 2026 · 12 min read

How Much Does Custom Software Cost in the UK? (2026 Survey)

UK price ranges for custom software, from a single automated process up to a full platform.

  • Single process or integration
    £3,000 to £10,000
  • Business application
    £12,000 to £80,000
  • Measured developer day rate
    £525 median (IT Jobs Watch)
  • Maintenance
    15 to 25 per cent of build a year
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8 August 2026 · 11 min read

How Long Does a Business App Take to Build? UK Timelines 2026

Build times from one week to a year, and why decisions and approvals take longer than engineering.

  • Single process
    One to ten weeks
  • Business application
    Four weeks to six months
  • Industry average (Clutch)
    About eleven months
  • Apple review
    90 per cent within 24 hours
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8 August 2026 · 12 min read

Off the Shelf or Custom Software? UK Cost Framework 2026

Most firms should buy rather than build, and custom only wins in a few specific situations.

  • Default answer
    Buy, then make custom earn it
  • Five-year stack, 20 staff
    Under £21,000 at published prices
  • Business application, built
    £10,000 to £20,000, fixed
  • Swing factor
    Hours spent rekeying between tools
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8 August 2026 · 12 min read

Fixed Price or Day Rate for Software Projects? UK Rates 2026

A fixed price puts the estimating risk on the supplier, and a day rate puts it on you.

  • Developer, UK median
    £525 a day (ITJobsWatch)
  • Agency day rate, published
    £600 to £1,500
  • Overrun under T&M
    15 to 25 per cent (Helium42)
  • Fixed price needs
    A written scope and an exclusions list
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8 August 2026 · 13 min read

Questions to Ask a Software Partner: UK Due Diligence Checklist

The checks and four written guarantees to get before you sign with a UK software supplier.

  • Free checks
    Companies House and the ICO register
  • Copyright default
    Stays with the author unless assigned in writing
  • ICO fee tiers
    £52, £78 or £3,763 a year
  • Source code escrow
    From about £1,600 a year
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