How does a quote work?

The four steps

1. 1.Tell me what you have in mind. A few lines on the Start a conversation form, or an email, is plenty.
2. 2.We talk it through. You talk to me directly, the person who builds it: what it has to do, who it is for, and what you use today.
3. 3.A plan and a quote. Once I understand the project, you get a plan in plain words: what will be built, in what order, and what it costs.
4. 4.I build it with you. You see it as it takes shape, it goes live, and I stay for the fixes and the next version.

Why there is no price list

Two projects that sound the same can be very different underneath. “A website for my school” might be five pages, or it might be class sign-ups, payments and a roster for every teacher. A price list would either charge the first too much or quote the second too little. Talking first means the quote fits the project you actually have, and you know exactly what it covers before anything starts.

Rough ranges, to give a sense of scale

These are ranges, not a quote:

• A basic website: around $1,000 to $2,000
• A basic mobile app: around $3,000 to $5,000
• More complex projects: around $6,000 to $10,000 and up, depending on scope

A typical website takes a few weeks, and an app a few months, depending on scope.

What moves the price

• How many different pages or screens it has
• Sign-in and accounts, and how many kinds of user (a family, a teacher, an office)
• Payments, subscriptions and refunds
• Connections to tools you already use: a calendar, email, accounting
• Publishing to the App Store and Google Play
• Moving existing records in from a spreadsheet or an old system
• Whether the words and photos are ready, or still to be written

What helps the first conversation

• What you do today, and what is slow or painful about it
• Who will use it, and on what: a phone, a computer, both
• A website or app you like, and what you like about it
• Any date that matters: a term start, a season, a launch
• A budget range, if you have one, so I can suggest what fits it

None of this needs to be polished. Half a page of notes, or a voice memo’s worth of talking, is a good start.

After launch

I build it and I maintain it, so looking after it is part of the plan from the start. For apps, some running costs are set by Apple, Google and the hosting companies, not by me: What does it cost to keep an app running after launch? lists them with their sources.

Churches, ministries and missionaries raising support get their website built for free; my time is the donation (my mission). If you are not yet sure whether you need a website or an app, start with Website or app: which does my business need?