Bespoke business software
for UK companies
Business software should fit the business. When it does not, people build workarounds: spreadsheets, copy-paste, manual checks, a second system nobody owns. Magora builds bespoke business software for UK companies around the process you actually run, with a senior in-house team, a free working prototype before you commit and code and IP that belong to you. This page is part of our bespoke software development service.
Bespoke business
software.
Bespoke business software is a system written for one company's own processes (workflow, approvals, billing, reporting, customer and supplier portals) rather than a packaged product it has to adapt to. At Magora a free working prototype takes 5–10 working days, Discovery from £3,000, a first release from £10,000 and a full system £25,000–£60,000 (2026 prices, GBP).
Answer yes or no. Three or more “yes” answers usually mean a bespoke build is worth pricing. This is a rule of thumb, not a statistic.
- Does your process differ from how the packaged product expects you to work, in ways customers or margins depend on?
- Do people re-key data between two or more systems every week?
- Does a spreadsheet or macro hold logic that only one person understands?
- Are you paying per-seat fees for features most users never open?
- Do you need approvals, audit trails or access rules that the product cannot express?
- Are customers, suppliers or partners asking for a portal or self-service?
- Is the same exception handled by hand every time?
Fewer than three? Buy the product and integrate it. We will say so on the first call.
Business software
by department.
The pain, what the system does, and where we have done it before.
Finance and accounting
Billing, reconciliation, approvals and reporting, integrated with Xero, QuickBooks or your ledger. Our Grant Thornton platform generates tailored EMI scheme documents from client information, with workflow, case management and notifications. See bespoke accounting software.
Operations and logistics
Dispatch, tracking, claims and customer notifications. Our UFurniture Logistics platform handles delivery and assembly for a UK furniture supplier. See transport and logistics software.
Sales and customer service
One customer record, quotes, pipeline and service history. See bespoke CRM development.
Projects and resource management
Our Casual Films platform brings projects, expenses, revenue and freelancer management into one place.
Customers, suppliers, partners and bookings
Self-service portals with roles, documents and status tracking, plus booking and scheduling. See customer portal development and booking system development.
Management reporting
Configurable dashboards over live data. Our AstraZeneca work is financial-reporting dashboards with widgets, automated charts and real-time updates.
How bespoke business software
gets paid back.
A worksheet, not a promise. We do not quote payback figures, because they depend on your numbers. Work it out on one page.
- Cost today = hours per week spent on the workaround x loaded hourly cost x 52, plus error and rework cost, plus per-seat licences you would drop.
- Cost of the system = build price (see the table below) + hosting and support (from £1,000 a month).
- Payback in months = build price / (monthly cost today minus monthly running cost).
Use the app cost calculator for a first build figure, and bring both numbers to the call.
Bespoke business software prices
(2026).
Published prices, so you can budget before you call. Our rates start from £49/hour per developer, and £65–£70/hour for a full team with QA and product ownership.
A clickable, coded prototype in 5–10 working days, before any paid work.
Two weeks: scope, architecture, a fixed estimate and a roadmap.
Most first releases land between £10,000 and £25,000: one or two core workflows in production, typically 6–8 weeks.
Several user roles, an admin area, reporting and integrations.
Multi-role, audit-logged, integration-heavy platforms for regulated sectors.
Hosting, monitoring, SLAs, security updates and new features.
For what 12 real 2026 estimates cost, see Software development cost in the UK (2026): first releases £11,000–£34,000, median about £25,000.
Fixed price or time and materials. A fixed price comes after Discovery; see fixed-price software development. For work that will keep changing, a dedicated team is billed from £49 an hour per developer, monthly rolling.
Off-the-shelf plus bespoke:
the usual answer.
Many clients keep packaged software for the standard parts (email, payroll, a generic CRM) and build bespoke only for the part that makes them different, with integrations between the two.
We integrate with Salesforce, HubSpot, Stripe, Xero, QuickBooks and Microsoft 365, among others. See API integration services and enterprise application development.
How we build
business software.
Same senior engineers from kickoff to handover, weekly demos, and a checkpoint at every stage.
Working prototype
5–10 working days · freeSend your brief; we build a clickable, coded prototype of the core workflow with a written analysis from a senior Product Owner.
Discovery
2 weeks · from £3,000We map your process, users and data, agree the scope line by line and hand over an architecture, a fixed estimate and a delivery plan.
Design
1–3 weeksScreens and user journeys for each role, tested with the people who will use them before production code.
Build
Two-week sprintsA demo every week, a shared board and a repository that is yours from the first commit.
Testing & UAT
Every sprintTesting every sprint plus UAT with your team before go-live.
Launch & support
OngoingDeployment to your cloud account, monitoring and backups, then a support retainer or a clean handover.
Business systems
we have built.
Each case gives what we built and the outcome as published on the case page. The budget line is the range on that case page for the scope (Magora pricing guide, 2026 prices), not the client invoice.
UFurniture Logistics: delivery and assembly platform for a UK furniture supplier
- Built
- A web platform for managers, an Android app for drivers and assembly workers and an SMS tracking link for buyers, with route planning, GPS tracking, status and claims reporting, an in-app messenger and automated SMS alerts.
- Outcome
- In the first quarter buyer ratings moved from two stars to four-five stars, after the first few dozen orders ran through the app.
- Budget
- £80k–£120k, typically 5–8 months.
Grant Thornton: EMI scheme documents
- Problem
- EMI scheme documents were produced by hand, with no automation and no easy way to manage complex cases.
- Built
- A web platform that generates tailored EMI documents from client information, with a self-service environment, workflow, case management and client notifications.
- Outcome
- Documents are generated automatically and clients follow a guided, notified process from creation to close-out.
- Budget
- £80k–£500k+, scoped after Discovery.
Casual Films: projects, expenses and freelancers in one platform
- Problem
- Separate tools for video projects, expenses, revenue and freelancers worldwide.
- Built
- Freelancer accounts, invoicing and profiles, availability requests, product lists, rate cards, project management and a refreshed interface.
- Outcome
- External services consolidated in one place with a clear view of project progress.
- Budget
- £80k–£200k+, scoped after Discovery.
Pharm Card (EGIS): hundreds of Excel files replaced
- Problem
- Each medical rep filled in hundreds of Excel files on pharmacy visits; management had no live view of sales and contract performance.
- Built
- A native iOS (iPad) app and a web application with different access levels for management; an SKU database of thousands of products; plan-versus-fact analysis; GPS pharmacy lookup; an offline mode that syncs automatically. Back end on AWS with PostgreSQL.
- Outcome
- In daily use by the client's staff, with new features still being added.
- Budget
- £80k–£120k, typically 5–8 months.
Bespoke business software:
the honest questions.
Eight answers to what UK buyers ask first. Choosing a supplier? Read how to choose a software development company.
More on bespoke software: bespoke software development in the UK, in London, bespoke web application development and bespoke database development.
Nick is Consulting Director at Magora and runs first calls and Discovery with new clients. He reviews the advice and recommendations on this page.
Pick a slot below
and let's talk.
No commitment, no charge. We'll review your project, scope the next step, and tell you the realistic price + timeline. Free working prototype + senior PO analysis before any paid engagement.
A process that
does not fit a product?
Send us the brief: a free working prototype of your core workflow in 5–10 days, or a 30-minute call with a senior architect who tells you what the build really takes.