Software development cost calculator
Pick the features and platform, check the rates, and get a cost and timeline range you can take to any vendor.
Free, runs in your browser, no sign-up. Updated 2026-10-25.
Result
Estimated cost $19,000 – $46,100 (USD), 5–11 weeks with a team of 3. Platform: Web app. Design: Custom design. Features: Sign-up, login, password reset; Roles and permissions; User profiles and settings; Core records: create, list, edit, delete (per main entity); Search and filters; Dashboard with charts; Admin panel; Email and push notifications; Third-party API integration (each).
- Timeline
- 5–11 weeks
- Total hours
- 414–1,001
- Engineering hours
- 285–690
- Team
- 3 people
| Role | Hours | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering | 285–690 | $14,300 – $34,500 |
| Product design | 43–104 | $1,900 – $4,700 |
| QA / testing | 57–138 | $1,700 – $4,100 |
| Project management | 29–69 | $1,100 – $2,800 |
| Feature | Hours | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-up, login, password reset | 28–55 | $1,800 – $3,700 |
| Roles and permissions | 28–69 | $1,800 – $4,600 |
| User profiles and settings | 18–37 | $1,200 – $2,500 |
| Core records: create, list, edit, delete (per main entity) | 46–92 | $3,100 – $6,100 |
| Search and filters | 28–74 | $1,800 – $4,900 |
| Dashboard with charts | 37–92 | $2,500 – $6,100 |
| Admin panel | 46–115 | $3,100 – $7,700 |
| Email and push notifications | 28–64 | $1,800 – $4,300 |
| Third-party API integration (each) | 28–92 | $1,800 – $6,100 |
Assumptions
Every number the result depends on, and where it comes from. Change any value and the result updates.
| Assumption | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering rate | USD/hour | OceanLab's rates are $30–50/hr depending on role and seniority. Other teams' rates vary several-fold by country and seniority; replace them with the rates you are quoted.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| Product design rate | USD/hour | OceanLab's rates are $30–50/hr depending on role and seniority. Other teams' rates vary several-fold by country and seniority; replace them with the rates you are quoted.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| QA / testing rate | USD/hour | OceanLab's rates are $30–50/hr depending on role and seniority. Other teams' rates vary several-fold by country and seniority; replace them with the rates you are quoted.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| Project management rate | USD/hour | OceanLab's rates are $30–50/hr depending on role and seniority. Other teams' rates vary several-fold by country and seniority; replace them with the rates you are quoted.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| Product design hours | 15 % | OceanLab assumption. Hours for this role as a share of engineering hours. Planning assumption.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| QA / testing hours | 20 % | OceanLab assumption. Hours for this role as a share of engineering hours. Planning assumption.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| Project management hours | 10 % | OceanLab assumption. Hours for this role as a share of engineering hours. Planning assumption.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| Contingency | % | OceanLab assumption. Buffer for unknowns found during the build. Planning assumption.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| Productive hours per person per week | hours | OceanLab assumption. 40 paid hours minus meetings and review. Planning assumption.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| Platform multiplier: Web app | 1 × | OceanLab assumption. Baseline: one responsive web app.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| Design multiplier: Custom design | 1 × | OceanLab assumption. Baseline.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
Send this estimate to OceanLab
Opens an email to OceanLab with this result and a link to your inputs. Nothing is sent until you press send, and there is no sign-up.
How this is calculated
Each feature has a low and a high hour estimate for development. The hours are multiplied by the platform (a web app is 1x, native iOS and Android is 1.9x) and the design level, then a contingency is added.
Design, QA and project management are added as a share of development hours. Each role's hours are multiplied by its hourly rate, and the roles are summed into the cost range.
Weeks come from total hours divided by team size and productive hours per person per week.
The hour ranges are OceanLab planning assumptions, not market benchmarks. Edit any of them in the assumptions panel to match your own quote.
Sources
- ECB euro reference exchange rates (22 Oct 2026) · checked 2026-10-23
Questions about this tool
Why is the result a range and not one number?
Each feature has a low and a high estimate. Before requirements are written down, the honest answer is a range; it narrows as scope gets specific.
Which hourly rates does it use?
Default rates are OceanLab's own: $50 an hour for engineering, $45 for design, $40 for project management and $30 for QA. Change any of them to the rates you have been quoted.
Where do the feature hours come from?
They are OceanLab planning assumptions for a typical version of each feature, not survey data. Each one is editable, so you can replace it with a number from your own team or quote.
Is anything I enter sent anywhere?
No. The tool runs in your browser and there is no sign-up. Nothing leaves the page unless you choose to email your result to OceanLab.
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