Devvista is a software development and growth agency that builds bespoke software for UK businesses: internal tools, customer portals and platforms shaped around how your team actually works. We work remotely, quote in US dollars, and say what a build costs before it starts.
This page covers when custom software beats a package, the UK rules that shape a project, what it costs in hours, how delivery works at a distance, and the security questions to ask any developer.
When a package stops fitting and a custom build starts to pay
Most UK businesses start with packages, and that is sensible. The trouble comes when the work around the package grows: figures copied between the accounting software and a spreadsheet, a quote that lives in an email thread, a customer chasing for a status that nobody can see. Each workaround is small, and together they cost hours every week.
The test is not whether the software is old. It is whether your team is doing by hand what a system could do for them. Use the table to see where you sit.
| Your situation | Usually the better route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A package covers 90% of the job and the rest is occasional | Stay on the package | A custom build would cost more than the hours it saves |
| Two systems hold the same data and staff copy between them | An integration | Connecting them is cheaper than replacing either |
| The core workflow is unusual and every package needs heavy bending | Custom software | The system matches your process, not the other way round |
| Customers need to see orders, documents or bookings themselves | A custom portal | Fewer calls, and the data stays in one place |
We would rather tell you to keep the package than sell a build you do not need. For the cost side of that decision, our guide on how much custom software development costs sets out the factors.
UK rules that shape a custom software project
Four UK points come up often enough to settle early. Each comes from the source named in the table, and none replaces advice from your accountant or a security specialist.
| Topic | What the source says | What it means for a build |
|---|---|---|
| Making Tax Digital for Income Tax | GOV.UK guidance on Making Tax Digital for Income Tax says sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000 must use it from 6 April 2026, with compatible software, and that HMRC begins signing up people it expects to need it from September 2026. | Keep your accounting package if it is MTD-compatible, and have custom software export to it rather than replace it |
| Cyber Essentials | the NCSC's Cyber Essentials overview describes it as the minimum standard of cyber security recommended by the Government for organisations of all sizes, built on five controls: firewalls, secure configuration, security update management, user access control and malware protection. A growing number of organisations require suppliers to be certified. | If your customers ask for it, the software and its hosting need to fit the five controls |
| Data protection fee | the ICO's data protection fee page says organisations that use personal information must pay a data protection fee unless they are exempt. | A system holding customer records raises the question, so confirm your position |
| R&D tax relief | GOV.UK guidance on the merged R&D expenditure credit scheme says the merged scheme applies to accounting periods beginning on or after 1 April 2024, at a 20% credit rate, for projects that meet the definition of R&D. It does not mention software. | Ask your accountant whether any part of the project qualifies before you assume it does |
These are starting points. The date and threshold details in the first row move, so check the guidance for your case.
What custom software costs, in hours and in dollars
Devvista prices either a fixed price from $500 to $100,000 depending on complexity, or hourly work from $10 to $100 an hour depending on the type and level of developer. Quotes are in US dollars.
Worked example (an estimate, not a quote). An internal quoting and job-tracking system for a UK services firm, with roles, a customer-facing status page and an export to an accounting package, at one illustrative rate of $40 an hour:
| Work | Hours |
|---|---|
| Workflow mapping and written spec | 18 |
| Data model, logins and roles | 28 |
| Quoting and job screens | 48 |
| Customer status page | 24 |
| Accounting export and reports | 28 |
| Testing with real jobs | 24 |
| Launch and handover | 10 |
| Total | 180 hours, about $7,200 at $40 an hour |
A smaller tool without the customer page falls well below that, and a platform with several integrations rises above it. For your own figure, bring the steps your team repeats most often to a call.
How remote delivery works, and what you can inspect
Devvista has no UK office, so the process is built to be checked from a distance.
- Scoping call. Thirty minutes on the workflow, the tools in use and what costs the most hours, then a written summary.
- Written spec. One document naming the screens, the data, the users and what is out of scope. You approve it before any build.
- Stages you can click through. Each stage lands on a working version, so you see progress as software, not as a report.
- Test with your own cases. Your awkward jobs and edge cases, run before launch.
- Handover. Code, hosting access and a short runbook come to you, and the first weeks are watched together.
Calls are by video, decisions go in writing, and a shared board shows what is done and what is next.
Security questions to put to any developer
Use the five Cyber Essentials controls as a checklist, whoever you hire, including us. A good answer is specific.
| Control | Question to ask | A good answer includes |
|---|---|---|
| Firewalls | What sits between the system and the internet? | Which services are exposed, and why |
| Secure configuration | How are servers and defaults hardened? | Removed default accounts and unneeded services |
| Security update management | Who applies updates, and how fast? | A named owner and a routine |
| User access control | How are roles and admin rights limited? | Least privilege, and removal when people leave |
| Malware protection | What protects the hosting and the uploads? | Scanning of files that users can upload |
Ask also who owns the code and the hosting at handover. Devvista transfers full ownership of the source code, design files and documentation when the project completes.
How to tell the system is paying back
Choose three numbers before the build: hours per week your team spends on the task, errors found each month, and how long a customer waits for an answer. Check them monthly after launch. If the hours fall and the errors do not rise, the build is working. If not, the failure list and the first weeks of use show where a rule was missed, and we fix it during the handover period.
Is Devvista the right fit?
| A good fit | Not a fit |
|---|---|
| A UK business with a clear workflow to build, replace or connect | A project that needs a team on site in the UK, since Devvista works remotely |
| A team that wants a written spec, staged delivery and stated pricing | Anyone seeking a guaranteed sales or ranking result |
| Owners who confirm tax and legal points with their own accountant | A need that an off-the-shelf package already meets |
See also our custom software development service page, WordPress development in the UK, and Shopify development in the UK.