Updated 2026-09-10. Christopher Gilliland, ZynVoss LLC, Fort Pierce, FL. Ranges are typical 2026 US professional-services work, not a bid.
The one-line number is a trap
People ask “what does an app cost?” the way they ask “what does a truck cost?” A truck has a window sticker. Software has a daily loop, a Monday exception, and a list of tools you already pay for. A useful estimate names those. A useless estimate names a round number and a go-live month that assumes nobody is on vacation.
Line items we actually write
- The daily loop. Estimate → inspect → invoice, or intake → schedule → show-up. If this sentence is fuzzy, discovery is not optional.
- The Monday exception. Saturday rates. A customer who is also a vendor. The report the board wants every week. These are the expensive parts.
- What you already own. QuickBooks, Stripe, Jobber, Microsoft 365. We integrate or we leave them. We do not silently replace them.
- Discovery. Usually 10–15% of a first build. Written. You approve it. This is how you avoid buying the wrong product.
- Auth and roles. Who can see money. Who can delete a job. Who is a customer. If this is missing, the estimate is a demo.
- Staging URL. A place you can click that is not production. If they will “put it on your laptop,” keep walking.
- v1 cut list. What we will not build until the loop works. Reports from 2019 wait.
- Hosting and backups. Usually a separate monthly line. We restore a backup at least once on purpose.
- Third-party fees. Stripe, SMS, domains, app stores. We do not bury them in labor.
- Handoff. Source, docs, who owns the keys. If you cannot get the keys, you rented a hostage.
Ranges we will say in public
Narrow internal tool: often $8k–$25k if v1 is ruthless. Portal with admin: $20k–$60k. Field platform: $40k–$120k. Multi-tenant SaaS with billing: higher, because you are now a vendor. Full table: custom software cost in 2026. Deposits are earned when work starts. Defects in the signed scope get repaired; taste changes do not. See returns and cancellations.
What we will not put in an estimate
“SEO domination.” “Guaranteed rankings.” “HIPAA certified” (we are not). “Uber by Friday.” A native app for a loop that only three people will use on Wi-Fi. A second accounting system. A Gmail clone. That list is longer in when not to build.
How to send us work
Email the daily loop to [email protected] or call (772) 971-4448. Headquarters: 6515 Spanish Lakes Blvd, Fort Pierce, FL 34951. We reply with buy / build / no. If it is build, you get the line items above, not a mood board.
Process: how a job runs. Prototype vs production: MVP vs prototype.