How much does custom software cost for a company of 20-250 people?

I hear this question more often than any other in a first conversation. Before I founded GoIDEA, I spent years buying software for my own companies - so I know both sides of the table. Below I explain what really drives the cost and how I work it out myself, so you go into the conversation with a clear head.

What the price really depends on

The cost grows with the scope you take on straight away. Five things have the biggest effect: how broad a process we tackle first (one department or the whole company), how many screens and roles need to be covered, how many integrations with other systems (API, email, payments, accounting), how much data we migrate from Excel and how unusual the process itself is. A simple, well-structured module for one department is one price band; a system tying production to the warehouse, sales and reporting is another entirely.

Why big roll-outs scare you with numbers

The figures circulating online can put you off: an ERP system for a small company is quickly quoted at 10 000-30 000 € and 6-24 months, and an MES system at around 35 000 € plus a double-digit percentage a year to run. Those numbers apply to large, rigid packages, where you also pay for two hundred features while using fifteen.

The data bears this out: in Poland only 32.9% of small companies have an ERP system, against 94% of large ones (Statistics Poland, 2025). That gap comes precisely from the barrier to entry. For a company of 20-250 people, the sensible path starts with a smaller step.

How I work out the cost - first project, then expansion

I start with one process that delivers the fastest result. The full first base project usually takes 4-8 weeks, and a single module in express mode I can stand up in 14 working days. You pay for what actually gets built, and further modules come later, when a real need appears. That spreads the budget across stages and leaves you in control after each one.

Hidden costs worth asking about

The price on the front of a quote is rarely the whole story. With off-the-shelf software you add the subscription times the years, fees for extra users, paid plug-ins and the cost of integrations. With any solution it is worth counting in data migration and training the team. The difference is what remains at the end: with custom software the code, data and documentation are yours, so you pay once for the build rather than indefinitely for access.

When such a system pays off

The simplest sum is to compare a one-off build with the total of subscriptions over 3-5 years. As a rule of thumb, once fees for off-the-shelf licences exceed 500-700 € a month, a system of your own usually pays for itself within 2-3 years. The real return, though, shows elsewhere: in the time reclaimed that today goes on manually copying data between spreadsheets, and in the errors that simply stop happening once there is a single source of truth.

If you would like a ballpark figure for your situation - let's talk for thirty minutes. After the call I'll give you a range and tell you honestly if I think the cheaper route is an off-the-shelf tool.