Custom Software Cost Calculator
A realistic planning range for your project in about 30 seconds, based on what Chicago-area small and mid-size business projects actually cost. No email required.
Describe your project
Baseline for an internal tool with no integrations.
The real number comes from a free assessment call. Bring this estimate; we will tell you where your project lands in the range and why. (630) 548-5614
How this calculator works
These ranges come from the fixed-scope project work we have done for small and mid-size businesses since 1997, sanity-checked against what other consultancies publish. They are planning numbers, not quotes. Every project gets its real number from an assessment, because two projects that sound identical in a dropdown can differ by 2x once the details surface.
The base ranges
Internal tools and workflow apps typically start around $8,000 and run to $25,000. Customer portals and web applications usually land between $20,000 and $60,000. Integration projects run $6,000 to $30,000 depending on how many systems and how messy the data flows are. CRM migrations run $5,000 to $35,000, driven mostly by history volume and customization. Database modernization projects, such as moving Access to SQL Server, run $8,000 to $40,000. Full legacy rebuilds start around $30,000 and large ones exceed $120,000.
What moves the number most
Three things, in order. First, integrations: every system you connect adds discovery, mapping, error handling, and testing. Second, data migration: clean data in one source is cheap to move, while decades of records with custom fields need cleanup work that is often a third of the project. Third, the number and variety of users: software for five trained staff needs less interface polish and permission logic than software facing fifty employees or the public.
Why Chicago-area pricing?
Local boutique consultancies in the Chicago market typically bill in the $100 to $200 per hour range. National agencies bill higher and offshore teams bill lower, with tradeoffs in communication and rework either way. Our ranges assume senior local people doing fixed-scope work, which is how we operate.
Read the full 2026 cost guide for line-item detail, or jump straight to the services: custom software development, system integration, database consulting, and GoldMine CRM migration.
Estimates update instantly as you change answers. Nothing you select here is sent anywhere until you choose to contact us.