How much does custom software cost in Australia (2026)

The published price bands

National Digital publishes a price band for each type of custom software it builds. Each band covers a first production release that real work runs through. Every price National Digital publishes is in Australian dollars and excludes GST. The figures below are the 2026 bands, and each prints from the pricing library.

• A custom web application takes 15 – 40 team days and costs $22,425 – $59,800 (Custom web application).
• A customer portal takes 25 – 60 team days and costs $37,375 – $89,700 (Customer portal).
• A booking platform takes 40 – 95 team days and costs $59,800 – $142,025 (Custom booking and scheduling platform).
• An internal tool takes 20 – 60 team days and costs $29,900 – $89,700 (Internal tools and business systems).

A price range from National Digital is an indication and is not a quote. The rate card lists the hourly rates behind work outside a fixed-fee build. The cost of building a mobile app is on its own page, app development cost.

How a band is worked out

Every band is a team-day range priced at the one-day tier of the Product Support retainer, which is $1,495 (Product Support retainer (entry tier, per month)) a team day. Multiplying the lowest team-day count of a band by that rate gives the bottom of the range, and multiplying the highest count gives the top. For a custom web application the two ends are $22,425 (Custom web application) and $59,800 (Custom web application).

An illustrative worked example

This example is built only from the published figures. It is an illustration, and it describes no client delivery and no quote.

A business replaces a spreadsheet with a custom web application. The work runs in three steps.

1. The business buys the Product Development Plan, a fixed fee of $3,950 (Product Development Plan). The plan produces the scope, the architecture and an estimate for the build. The fee is credited against the first build invoice when the build proceeds.
2. The build is estimated inside the custom web application band of 15 – 40 team days. At $1,495 (Product Support retainer (entry tier, per month)) a team day, that is $22,425 – $59,800 (Custom web application). Where the project sits in the range depends on the factors in the next section.
3. After handover, running the application is a Product Support retainer. The entry tier is $1,495 (Product Support retainer (entry tier, per month)) a month for one committed team day.

What moves the price

Each band lists the lines it is made of and the assumptions it rests on. A project moves inside its band, or outside it, when it differs from those assumptions.

• A custom web application band covers process and requirements discovery, the architecture and delivery plan, the core application, and data migration and cutover. It assumes one production release and existing data in an extractable form. A second release is a separate estimate.
• A customer portal band covers the access and permissions model, the integration inventory, the authenticated portal and the administration tooling. It assumes one identity provider, one customer type and systems of record that offer a usable API or an agreed integration approach. Each added customer type is estimated separately.
• A booking platform band covers requirements and process mapping, architecture and the data model, the core booking and payment flow, and the operator console. It assumes the client supplies content, branding and access to the systems being integrated.
• An internal tool band covers workflow and data mapping, roles, permissions and audit design, queues, approvals and dashboards, and testing, rollout and handover. It assumes one tool for one team and data that can be imported. Hosting and third-party licences are billed by the provider.

Scope is settled at the end of planning in every band. Changes after that point are estimated separately.

From a range to a fixed quote

The Product Development Plan is the step that turns a range into a fixed quote. It costs $3,950 (Product Development Plan) and produces the scope, the architecture, the integration inventory and the delivery plan. The estimate for the build comes in MVP and full options. The pack belongs to the client, whoever builds it. The estimate tool gives a range before that step.