Independent market estimate
What does software really cost?
App or website, agency or freelancer: the calculator estimates your project from DACH market data. Rates from freelancer studies and agency listings, hours from calibrated scope archetypes. No vendor pricing, no sales agenda.
DACH market bands 2026
- German agency, senior hour
- EUR95-160 /h
- Senior freelancer, hour
- EUR80-120 /h
- Maintenance per year
- 15-20 % of build cost
Sources: freelancermap Kompass 2026, agency listings, published project ranges. Details below.
Software cost calculator 2026
German market data, no vendor pricing
Estimated effort
50-100h
German agency
€4,800-€16,000
EUR95-160/h. PM, QA, and German contract partner included.
Senior freelancer
€4,000-€12,000
EUR80-120/h. You carry PM, QA, and coordination yourself.
Yearly upkeep after launch
€700-€3,200 / year
Hosting, updates, small fixes: 15-20% of build cost per year.
Where these numbers come from
Hours come from scope archetypes calibrated against published project totals (ihp media Website-Kosten 2026, Frankfurt and Berlin market guides). Rates are DACH market bands: agencies EUR95-160/h, senior freelancers EUR80-120/h (freelancermap Kompass 2026, agency listings). Planning-grade ranges, not quotes.
Independent market estimate for orientation only. Lean fixed-price builds can land below these bands; regulated or multi-market products land above.
Hourly rates: Agency EUR95-160/h · Freelancer EUR80-120/h · Maintenance 15-20% /yr
Methodology
Hours times rate. Both sourced.
Every estimate is hours times rate. Hours come from scope archetypes calibrated against published project totals. Rates are bands from the German market, not single quotes.
Last updated: September 2026. Machine-readable pricing (Markdown)
01
Pick an archetype
Seven project types with hour bands from real project sizes, from small website to platform.
02
Add scope
Integrations, accounts, payments, multilingual: each addition adds sourced hours.
03
Multiply by market band
Agency EUR95-160/h, freelancer EUR80-120/h. Low times low, high times high.
04
Plan maintenance
15-20% of build cost per year for hosting, updates, and small fixes after launch.
| Figure | Band | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Agency rate Germany | EUR95-160/h | Edvido 2025, ScaleupAlly |
| Freelancer rate senior | EUR80-120/h | freelancermap Kompass 2026 |
| Small website, agency | EUR5,000-12,000 | ihp media Website-Kosten 2026 |
| Ecommerce / custom | EUR5,000-20,000 | Creatif Frankfurt 2026 |
| Maintenance per year | 15-20% | Industry guides 2026 |
Keep reading: cost guides
The calculator gives the number. The guides explain what sits behind it: hidden line items, vendor comparison, and the agency vs freelancer call.
Get in touch
Get your scope sense-checked
Send your outline or spec. We will count the flows with you and say honestly which line items your project carries, whichever vendor you end up choosing.
Fixed scope, weekly demos
Your product factory for custom software. We diagnose your bottleneck first, then ship in fixed, weekly-demoed steps.
Shared working hours
Shared hours with Germany and the US East Coast, synchronous when it matters.
From MVP to scale-up
One partner across AI, web, mobile, and UX — through every stage of your product.
Email us
admin@solutionplus.io
Response time
Within one business day