How much does it cost to build an app in the UK?
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Read moreIs the cost really fixed?
Written by
Contic
Read time
2 minutes
Fixed means fixed. Your tier sets the price, and Discovery sets exactly what gets built for it. After that, the number only moves if you ask for something new and approve what it costs.
If an agreed feature takes us longer than planned, that’s our problem, not a line on your invoice. That’s what fixed price means: you agree the scope and the cost upfront, and we carry the risk of overrunning. The rest of this page covers how the price gets set, and the one thing that can change it.
How the price gets fixed
There are three LaunchPad tiers, all excluding VAT: Starter at £25k, Growth at £60k and Scale at £100k. How much a LaunchPad build costs explains what each one is for. You pick the tier, so the price is known before you start.
Discovery is the first of the four steps, before Design, Build and Launch. In it, we map your users, your features and your launch plan with you. Then we agree what fits inside the tier, in writing, in plain English.
That’s the scope the price is fixed against. Nobody can fix a scope they haven’t explored with you, which is why we don’t quote a custom build after one short call.
Discovery also comes with a way out. If the plan doesn’t convince you, our refund policy gives you your money back. So you see the scope before you commit to building it.
Who carries the risk
| If this happens | Who pays |
|---|---|
| An agreed feature turns out harder than we thought | We do |
| An integration is fiddlier than expected | We do |
| Something we built doesn’t work properly | We do, because fixing our mistakes isn’t a change |
| You ask for a feature that isn’t in the agreed scope | You decide, through change control |
Under time and materials, you’d pay for every one of those rows. That’s the real difference between the two models. Our guide to fixed price and time and materials compares them, including when time and materials is the better deal.
The one thing that can change it
New ideas will come up once you see your product taking shape. That’s healthy. It’s also where most fixed prices quietly stop being fixed.
During the build we use a one-in, one-out rule. If you want to add a feature, we suggest one to take out, so the price and the timeline hold. Bigger ideas go on the post-launch roadmap. Or we quote one as extra work, and you approve the number before anything starts.
So the price can only rise with your say-so. Our answer on adding features mid-way explains the rule in full.
What fixed price asks of you
Fixed price works because both sides know what they’re building. That puts a little weight on your side too:
- Make decisions in Discovery. The clearer the scope, the less room there is for argument later.
- Give feedback on time. Expect a few hours a week on reviews and decisions.
- Park new ideas. Write them down for the next cycle, rather than squeezing them into this one.
How much of my time will the project take? sets out what that looks like week to week.
What fixed doesn’t mean
The fixed price runs right up to launch, and the accounts, hosting and licences the build needs are inside it. VAT isn’t: it’s added to every invoice. Nor is running the product once it’s live. You can do that on your own accounts, or hand it to TotalCare for a fixed monthly price.
We list those separate costs in are there any hidden costs?, so none of them arrives as a surprise.
Thinking about building something?
We design, build and launch digital products at a fixed price, with a money-back guarantee after Discovery. Tell us what you have in mind.