Guides
How much does it cost to replace a spreadsheet with custom software in Australia?
Replacing one spreadsheet-driven process with a purpose-built system costs from $2,500 AUD with me, as a fixed price agreed in writing before work starts. That covers one process, such as timesheets, quoting or job tracking, built on your live data and usually handed over in about two weeks. Replacing several connected processes at once is a bigger project, usually $10,000 to $30,000.
Before you pay anything, you get a free 30-minute call and a free working sample of the fix within two business days, so you can judge the shape of it first. GST not applicable.
Below: what that price covers, what adds to a build, what it costs to run afterwards, and how to work out whether it pays for itself.
What the $2,500 starting price covers
- Runs on your live data
- Tested with the people who'll use it
- Your data, always yours
- A permanent licence to use and change your system, so nothing locks you in
- Optional support and hosting: $149 a month, or I hand it over to run on your own accounts
- Need the source code outright? Full ownership is available for double the build price
- 60 days of fixes after handover
- A recorded how-to, so new staff can learn it without you
- Half (50%) to start, half on handover.
What adds to the price
The starting price is for one process with a clear start and finish. These are the things that make a build bigger. None of them is unusual, and the free call is where I work out which apply, so the fixed price you're quoted is the price you pay.
- More than one process. If the job runs through several teams or tools, it's either two fixes or a bigger project, and I'll say which on the call.
- Connections to other systems. Each tool it reads from or writes to, such as Xero, MYOB, a payroll system or a booking tool, adds work, and what's possible depends on that tool.
- Messy history. Moving years of spreadsheet rows across, with inconsistent names and columns, takes longer than starting clean from today.
- Different views for different people. Crew, supervisors and the office each needing their own screens and permissions adds to the build.
- Phones in the field. Working on site with patchy reception needs more care than a desk in the office.
- Reports and exports. Each extra report or export format is more to build and test.
What it costs to run afterwards
The optional support and hosting plan is $149 / month: hosting, backups, monitoring and fixes. The support plan includes 1 hour of changes a month. Anything beyond that is quoted.
Without the support plan, I hand the system over to run on your own accounts, at no extra charge.
On the support plan, hosting is included. If you host it yourself, you pay your providers directly, and I tell you the expected cost before work starts.
Does it pay for itself? Work out what the spreadsheet costs you now
Take an example: a spreadsheet process that eats 8 hours a week of someone's time at $40 an hour. That's $640 a fortnight, or $16,640 a year. At that rate, a $2,500 fix pays for itself in about 8 weeks.
Time isn't the only cost. Re-typed numbers cause pay mistakes, under-quoted jobs and missed follow-ups, and those rarely show up on a timesheet. Your numbers will differ, so use your own.
Custom build, off-the-shelf software or an agency
| Off-the-shelf software | Agency or hourly developer | The Two-Week Fix | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fits how you work | You change your process to fit the tool | Built to your process | Built to your process |
| Upfront price | Usually a subscription, often per user | Often quoted by the hour or by stage | Fixed, from $2,500, agreed in writing |
| Ongoing cost | Subscription for as long as you use it | Depends on the contract | Optional $149 / month, or run it on your own accounts |
| Try before you pay | A free trial, usually | Varies | Free working sample within two business days |
| Your data | Held in the vendor's system | Depends on the contract | Always yours |
| Best when | A standard tool already fits the job | The project is large and needs a team | One process has outgrown its spreadsheet and no standard tool fits |
Fits how you work
- Off-the-shelf software:
- You change your process to fit the tool
- Agency or hourly developer:
- Built to your process
- The Two-Week Fix:
- Built to your process
Upfront price
- Off-the-shelf software:
- Usually a subscription, often per user
- Agency or hourly developer:
- Often quoted by the hour or by stage
- The Two-Week Fix:
- Fixed, from $2,500, agreed in writing
Ongoing cost
- Off-the-shelf software:
- Subscription for as long as you use it
- Agency or hourly developer:
- Depends on the contract
- The Two-Week Fix:
- Optional $149 / month, or run it on your own accounts
Try before you pay
- Off-the-shelf software:
- A free trial, usually
- Agency or hourly developer:
- Varies
- The Two-Week Fix:
- Free working sample within two business days
Your data
- Off-the-shelf software:
- Held in the vendor's system
- Agency or hourly developer:
- Depends on the contract
- The Two-Week Fix:
- Always yours
Best when
- Off-the-shelf software:
- A standard tool already fits the job
- Agency or hourly developer:
- The project is large and needs a team
- The Two-Week Fix:
- One process has outgrown its spreadsheet and no standard tool fits
If a standard tool already fits the job, that's usually the cheaper answer, and it's worth checking first. Hourly quotes leave the risk of a slow build with you; a fixed price agreed in writing moves it to the builder.
How to get a fixed price
Book a free 30-minute call
Share your screen and show me the spreadsheet and the job around it. No preparation and no technical knowledge needed.
Get a free working sample
Within two business days you get a working sample of the fix on demo data, free. It shows the shape of the fix so you can judge it before deciding anything.
Agree the scope, price and handover date in writing
If you want the full version, the scope, the fixed price and the handover date are agreed in writing before I start. Half (50%) to start, half on handover.
Handover
Usually about two weeks later: running on your live data, tested with the people who'll use it, with 60 days of fixes after handover.
Frequently asked questions
Is GST included in the price?
- GST not applicable. The fixed price agreed in writing is what you pay.
What if the finished system doesn't work?
- You see a working sample before you pay a cent. Once we agree the scope in writing, if what I hand over doesn't do what we agreed, I keep working on it at no extra cost until it does. If I still can't make it work, I refund everything you've paid. This doesn't limit your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.
Who owns the data and the system?
- Your data is always yours. You get a permanent licence to use and change your system, and nothing locks you in. I keep the building blocks I reuse across clients, which is a big part of how I can build it from $2,500. Full ownership of the source code is a paid add-on at 2 × the build price.
Can it connect to Xero or MYOB?
- Often, yes. Both let other systems read and write data, and the free call is where I check what your setup allows. A connection that's in the agreed scope is part of the fixed price.
How long does it take?
- Usually about two weeks from agreed scope to handover. Your handover date is agreed in writing before I start. If I'm late because of me, you get 10% off the second payment.
Why can it start at $2,500?
- It fixes one process, not a whole business system. I build with modern AI coding tools and reuse building blocks across clients, so you aren't paying for weeks of work that has already been done once.
Got a process you've outgrown?
Show me on a free 30-minute call. You'll see a working sample of the fix within two business days, before you pay a cent.
Book my free 30-minute call