Short answer: The cost of custom software in the UAE depends on seven things: how many workflows it covers, how many user roles and approvals it has, which systems it connects to, how much data you migrate, language and mobile needs, security and hosting requirements, and who runs it after launch. A fair quote names each of these, phase by phase.
Why this article has no price list
You came here for a number, so let me explain why there isn't one.
Two systems with the same name can differ by a lot. A "project management system" for a ten-person design studio and one for a contractor with several sites, subcontractors and payment certificates share a label and almost nothing else. Any single figure I published would be wrong for most readers. It would either scare off a small project that is affordable, or set a false expectation for a large one.
What I can do is show you what drives the price, so you can read any quote, ours included, and know what you're paying for. After a free 30-minute call, we send a written proposal with scope, timeline and price, phase by phase, before you commit to anything.
The seven things that set the cost
Before reading quotes, go through your engagement and scoping questions with these seven in mind.
1. Number of workflows
A workflow is one path work takes from start to finish: a purchase request, a site inspection, a tenant maintenance request. Each one needs screens, rules, notifications and reports. Cost follows the number of workflows more closely than the number of screens.
2. Roles, permissions and approvals
"The site engineer submits, the project manager reviews, the commercial manager approves above a threshold" is three roles and a rule. Approval chains with exceptions, delegation and audit trails take design time. This is also where cheap systems fail first.
3. Integrations
Connecting to your accounting system, ERP, HR system, a payment gateway or a government portal. Each integration depends on the other system's documentation and access. An integration with a well-documented API costs far less than one with an old system that only exports files.
4. Data migration
Moving years of spreadsheets or an old database into the new system. Clean, consistent data is cheap to move. Data with duplicates, free-text fields and missing records needs cleaning first, and someone on your side has to decide what's correct.
5. Language, devices and offline use
Arabic and English with right-to-left layouts, a mobile app as well as a web app, or offline use on site with poor signal. Each adds design and testing work.
6. Security, compliance and hosting
Single sign-on, detailed audit logs, data that has to stay in the UAE, or deployment into your own cloud account. Requirements under the UAE's Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021) or a client's security questionnaire belong in the scope from day one, not at the end.
7. Who runs it after launch
A system needs hosting, monitoring, backups, updates and someone to call when something breaks. Some companies have an IT team for that; many don't. Either way, it is a real cost, and a quote that leaves it out isn't cheaper, just incomplete.
How to compare three quotes fairly
Put the quotes side by side and check whether they price the same thing.
| Check | Quote that hides cost | Quote you can compare |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | "Project management system" | A list of workflows, roles and reports |
| Integrations | "Integration with your systems" | Each system named, with what data flows which way |
| Data migration | Not mentioned | What is moved, who cleans it, how it is checked |
| Phases | One total for everything | A price per phase, each one usable on its own |
| Changes | "Change requests charged separately" | How changes are estimated and approved |
| Ownership | Not mentioned | Who owns the source code and IP |
| After launch | "Support available" | Hosting, monitoring and maintenance described, with or without the vendor |
| Architecture | Not mentioned | A written design of data, roles and integrations before build |
In my view, the last row matters most. A system built screen by screen from a feature list looks finished fast. Then each new requirement means rework, and that is where budgets overrun. I wrote more about this in The feature list is not the system.
Ten questions to ask any vendor
- Which workflows, roles and reports does this price include, exactly?
- What is not included?
- Can I stop after the first phase and still have something that works?
- Who owns the source code and the IP when we finish?
- How will you design the data model and permissions before building screens?
- How do you estimate and approve changes once work starts?
- Who on your team will actually do the work, and will they be on the calls?
- Where will the system be hosted, and can it run in our own cloud account?
- What happens after launch: who monitors it, and who do we call?
- Can we speak to a client you built something similar for?
If a vendor can't answer these in writing, the price on the quote isn't the real price.
Ways to keep the cost under control
- Start with one workflow. Pick the one that hurts most and build it properly. The next phases reuse its foundations.
- Decide who owns the data. Most migration overruns come from nobody on the client side being able to say which record is right.
- Keep what works. If your accounting system works, connect to it rather than replace it.
- Pay for design up front. A short, written architecture is cheaper than rebuilding later.
- Phase the commitment. Commit to one phase at a time, with a price for each.
How we price at Digital Cubic
We use the same approach we've described:
- Free 30-minute discovery call. A working session on your problem, in Arabic or English. If we're not the right team, we say so.
- Written proposal. Scope, architecture, modules, timeline and price per phase, before you commit.
- One module at a time. Your team uses real software early, and you can stop after any phase.
- You own your custom code. For the system we build for you, the source code and IP are yours.
- Optional hosting and operation. We can host and run it on Azure, AWS or private servers managed by Vloud, or hand it to your team.
See how we engage, our six-stage method, and what web application development covers.
FAQ
Why don't software companies in the UAE publish prices?
Because the same type of system can differ widely in workflows, integrations and data. A fixed list price is either too high for small projects or misleading for large ones. Ask for a written proposal that prices each phase instead.
Is a fixed price better than paying for time?
A fixed price per phase works well when the scope of that phase is written down. Paying for time suits work where the scope is still being discovered. Many projects use a fixed price for each defined phase and agree the next phase once the first is live.
What is usually left out of a software quote?
Data migration, integrations with older systems, hosting, monitoring and changes after launch. Ask about each one in writing.
Does an Arabic and English system cost more?
It adds design and testing work for right-to-left layouts and translated content. It is usually far cheaper to plan bilingual support from the start than to add it later.
Can I reduce cost by using an off-the-shelf product?
Often, yes, for standard processes like accounting. Custom software is worth it for the workflows that make your company different, and it can connect to the off-the-shelf tools you keep.
How does Digital Cubic price a project?
After a free 30-minute discovery call, we send a written proposal with scope, timeline and a price for each phase. You commit one phase at a time, and you own the source code of the custom work we build for you.
