How much does software development cost in Canada?

The short answer

Published ranges from Canadian agency guides, 2026, put a custom app anywhere from $15K to $250K CAD overall, and a simple MVP at $25K to $50K. Complex systems run higher. Devino publishes fixed prices instead: a new app starts at $17,900 CAD for about 6 weeks of work, and a rebuild at $15,900 CAD for about 6 weeks.

The range is wide because “software” covers everything from one internal tool to a platform with several user types, payments and integrations. The rest of this guide explains what moves a project along that range, how to read a quote, and which costs sit outside it.

Software development cost by project size

Project size is the best single predictor of cost. The table shows ranges published by Canadian agency guides in 2026, rounded to the nearest thousand dollars. Treat it as a map of the market, not a quote: each band spans different scopes, team seniority and inclusions.

Where a project lands inside its band depends on the drivers further down: platforms, AI, integrations, regulated data and who does the work. A smaller first version is the most reliable way to move down a band: build the few flows that prove the idea, then pay for the next ones once real users have shown which matter.

Developer hourly rates in Canada

Two Canadian agency guides published in 2026 give senior hourly rates: Witify puts senior developers in Canada at $80 to $160 an hour, and Codingclave puts Canadian senior freelancers at $100 to $180 an hour. An hourly rate alone says little about the total, which depends on how many hours a team needs.

Devino does not bill by the hour, so there is no hourly rate to set against these. A build has a fixed price, and work after launch is a flat monthly plan for a senior engineer. That puts the risk of estimating on us, not on your budget.

• Flat-rate software development →

What drives the price

Five things move the price most: how much the first version does, which platforms it runs on, whether it uses AI, how many outside systems it connects to, and whether it handles regulated data. The programming language matters far less. On our pricing it does not change the price at all.

• Scope. The number of screens, flows and user types the first version needs. It is the biggest lever, because every flow has to be designed, built, tested and kept working. On our pricing, moving from a lean launch to a full first version adds $7,900, and a platform with several user types adds $17,900.
• Platforms. Web only, or iOS and Android too. Phone apps add store submission, testing on real devices and a second set of interface rules.
• AI. Answering questions from your documents is simpler than taking actions in your tools, which needs approval steps, logs and limits. AI also has a running cost, billed by usage.
• Integrations. Every outside system, such as a CRM, accounting or calendar tool, is an API to learn, a sync to build and a failure to handle. On our pricing, one or two integrations add $3,200 and three to five add $7,400.
• Regulated data. Health, financial or personal data covered by PIPEDA or Quebec's Law 25 needs more care: a record of who saw what, a review of how data is encrypted, and control over where it is stored. On our pricing it adds 15% to the project.

Smaller options move the price too: one-time checkout adds $2,400, subscriptions $3,900, and teams with roles and permissions $3,400.

Why quotes for the same project differ

Two quotes for the same idea can differ several times over because they are rarely for the same thing. They assume different scopes, different people doing the work and different inclusions, such as testing, hosting setup, documentation and support after launch. Line the quotes up on those before you compare totals.

• Scope assumptions. One agency prices the five flows you described; another prices the fifteen it thinks you will need. Ask each one to list the screens and flows the price covers.
• Who writes the code. A senior engineer costs more per hour and usually needs far fewer hours. Ask who will build it, how long they have done production work, and whether the person who scopes it also builds it.
• What is included. Design, testing, hosting setup, analytics, an admin panel and fixes after launch are sometimes in the price and sometimes extras. A low quote that leaves them out is not low.
• Who carries the risk. A fixed price puts the estimating risk on the agency; an hourly estimate leaves it with you. The two totals are not the same kind of number.

Costs that sit outside the build price

The build is not the whole bill. Plan for hosting, third-party services such as email, payments and maps, AI model usage, app store fees, and maintenance after launch. None of these is unusual, but a quote that never mentions them will look cheaper than one that does.

• Hosting and infrastructure. Servers, databases, storage and backups, billed monthly by the cloud provider and growing with your users.
• Third-party services. Email delivery, payment processing, maps, search or text messages, each billed per use or per month by its vendor.
• AI model usage. Every request to a model provider is billed by usage, so the running cost grows with your users. Caching, smaller models for easy tasks and per-user limits keep it in check.
• App store fees. Apple charges a yearly developer membership and Google Play a one-time registration fee, and both take a share of in-app purchases.
• Maintenance. Libraries, operating systems and outside APIs keep changing. Canadian agency guides suggest budgeting 10 to 18 percent of the build cost each year.

On a Devino project the cloud and model-provider accounts are registered to you and billed to you directly, so you see every bill yourself and nothing is marked up along the way.

• You own the code →

Fixed price, hourly or monthly retainer

Neither is cheaper by default; they divide the risk differently. Hourly billing leaves the risk of a wrong estimate with you and rewards time spent. A fixed price puts that risk on the agency, so it has to scope carefully up front. A monthly retainer suits ongoing work after launch, when the scope keeps moving.

A fixed price only protects you if the scope is written down. Ask what happens when it changes. A good answer is that anything new gets its own price and timeline, agreed in writing before work on it starts.

Devino works this way. The project has a fixed price in CAD, paid in 3 milestones. You get a deployed link every week to check progress, and after launch the optional monthly plans are a flat fee for a senior engineer's time, which you can cancel any month.

• Flat-rate software development →
• A deployed link every week →

How to compare software development quotes

Compare quotes on what you will own at the end, not on the headline number. Put the same questions to every agency in writing, line the answers up side by side, and treat a vague answer as a missing inclusion. These eight questions cover most of the gap between two totals.

1. Which screens, flows and user types does the price cover, in writing?
2. Who will write the code, and how much production experience do they have?
3. Is the price fixed, and what happens to it if the scope changes?
4. How will I see real progress before the launch date?
5. Who owns the code, the repository and the cloud accounts, and from when?
6. Which tests, documentation and handover come with it?
7. What support is included after launch, and what does it cost after that?
8. Which running costs, such as hosting, services and AI usage, will I pay, and to whom?

Choosing a vendor for AI work adds its own questions on evaluation, data handling and model costs. Our buyer's guide covers them.

• How to choose an AI development company →

What Devino charges

Devino publishes fixed prices in CAD, before tax. A new app starts at $17,900 CAD for about 6 weeks, and a rebuild at $15,900 CAD for about 6 weeks. The options below add their own amount and time. After launch, two optional monthly plans keep a senior engineer on the product.

Every project carries the same 4 guarantees: a deployed link every week, or that week is free; live on the agreed date, or we keep building free; two-week walk-away; you own the code from day one. They cover what we control, and the written plan says so up front.

How to spend less without cutting corners

The cheapest reliable way to cut cost is to build less at first, not to buy cheaper hours. Launch the few flows that prove the idea, use proven building blocks for the rest, and choose your next features from what real users do. Cutting testing or handover saves money once and costs it again later.

• Start lean. A lean launch covers the 3–5 core flows that prove the idea. Everything else can wait for evidence.
• Use what already exists. Sign-in, payments, email and hosting are solved problems. Paying to rebuild them from scratch rarely helps your users.
• Start on the web. One responsive web app reaches every device. Add phone apps when your users ask for them.
• Keep the code yours. Owning the repository and accounts means the next team, or your own hire, starts from an asset instead of starting over.
• Keep the tests and the handover. They are what make the next feature cheap. Without them, every change costs more than the last.

Sources

Market figures are published ranges from Canadian agency guides, 2026, not Devino prices. Devino prices come from our pricing page.

• Get Clear: How Much Does a Custom App Cost in Canada? (2026 Guide)
• Witify: How much does custom software cost in 2026?
• Kolonell: Custom Web App Cost Canada 2026
• Codingclave: Custom SaaS Development Cost in Canada (2026)