Short answer
Custom software in Thailand usually costs the low hundred-thousands of baht for a small single-function system, the high hundred-thousands to low millions for a mid-size system with LINE or PromptPay integration, and millions and up for large PDPA, HIPAA or PCI-DSS systems. Scope, complexity and the team set the price, so agree the scope in writing first.
Key points
- Scope, complexity and the team set the price, not the number of screens or features.
- The government benchmark puts a developer day at about THB 6,048 to 7,573, a basis for comparing quotes.
- Fixed-price, hourly and monthly each fit a different situation; if you pay hourly, agree a cap.
- A mobile app adds iOS and Android work, a backend, and store fees such as Apple's USD 99 a year.
- Most budget overruns come from an incomplete scope and mid-build changes, not from the starting price.
What Sets the Price of Custom Software?
Three things set the price, and screen count or feature count is not one of them. Scope: what actually needs to be built. Complexity: how many systems it connects to and what kind of data it handles. The team: their experience, its size, and whether the work is done in-house or subcontracted again.
So two quotes that differ several times over for the same brief do not automatically mean one vendor is overcharging. More often the vendors read the scope differently or priced in a different level of team. Once you see these three factors, every quote becomes easier to read.
How Is Custom Software Priced?
Vendors in Thailand price custom work in one of three ways: fixed-price, hourly, or a monthly retainer. None is best in every case. The right one depends on how clearly the scope is defined and whether the work ends as a project or carries on.
Whichever you choose, what actually holds a budget is a scope written down clearly. A fixed price on a vague scope can still balloon through out-of-scope changes, just as uncapped hourly billing can.
- Fixed-price: scope, timeline and cost are agreed before work starts, so you know the total upfront. Suits requirements that are already clear. Every change of scope midway has to be priced separately.
- Hourly: you pay for hours actually worked. Flexible, and suits work whose scope is not settled or whose direction may shift. Without an hours cap the budget can run past what you intended.
- Monthly retainer: a flat monthly fee buys a team working continuously. Suits long-running work with a steady stream of tasks rather than one project with an end date. Someone on your side has to steer it.
What Makes a Software Budget Balloon?
Budgets that run away usually come from avoidable gaps along the way, rarely from an inflated starting price.
- Scope was not fully pinned down, so features surface mid-build that never came up when the price was set.
- Features are added or changed during the build without going back to re-price first.
- Hourly billing with no cap, and nobody flagging it as the hours climb.
- A legacy system or third-party API turns out more complex than first estimated.
- Testing is skipped to finish sooner, and the fixes come back later at a higher cost.
How Much Does Custom Software Cost in Thailand?
A small system usually costs in the low hundred-thousands of baht; a large, complex one runs into the millions. The ranges below are what the market commonly shows, not a price list. The number that applies to your project only exists once the scope is pinned down.
- Small system, one clear function, little or no integration: usually the low hundred-thousands of baht.
- Mid-size system, several modules, integration with services such as LINE or PromptPay: usually the high hundred-thousands to the low millions of baht.
- Large, highly complex system needing full PDPA, HIPAA or PCI-DSS compliance: usually millions of baht and up.
Small systems sit in the low hundred-thousands of baht, mid-size systems from the high hundred-thousands to the low millions, and large systems in the millions and up.
Broad ranges seen in the Thai market, not a price list. Bar lengths are approximate, and large systems have no ceiling.
What Does a Developer Day Cost? The Thai Government Benchmark
By the Thai government benchmark, a developer day costs roughly THB 6,048 to THB 7,573 per person. The figure comes from the Public Debt Management Office's consultant-fee criteria (Ministry of Finance, March 2026 edition), which agencies use to set reference prices for consulting and system development. Its IT staff table sets the base salary for a bachelor's degree with 7 years' experience at THB 50,400 a month and 10 years at THB 63,110. Apply the 2.640 cost multiplier and divide by 22 working days, and you get about THB 6,048 and THB 7,573 per person-day.
It is a public-sector benchmark, not the private market: freelancers and small firms often quote lower, specialists higher. Its use is reading quotes. If a vendor states the person-days for each phase, you can divide back to a day rate and compare vendors on the same basis.
About THB 6,048 a day with 7 years' experience and THB 7,573 with 10 years.
Base salary × 2.640 ÷ 22 working days, PDMO criteria, March 2026 edition
How Much Does a Mobile App Cost?
A mobile app is priced on the same scope, complexity and team, plus three costs a web system does not have: supporting both iOS and Android (two codebases, or one cross-platform one), the backend and API the app talks to, which is often more work than the app screens, and store developer accounts. Apple charges USD 99 a year and Google Play a one-time USD 25 (checked on both companies' pages on 26 September 2026).
Before commissioning an app, ask whether you need device features such as the camera, GPS, offline use or push notifications. If not, a mobile web app or a system on the LINE OA your customers already use is usually cheaper, skips store review, and can be updated straight away.
- Apple developer account
- USD 99 / year
- Google Play developer account
- USD 25 once
How do you keep a software budget under control?
Budget control starts before the contract is signed: write the scope down, match the pricing model to where the project stands, split the work into phases you can sign off, trim to what launch needs, and ask about support costs upfront. By the time problems show up, the cheap moment to fix them has passed.
- Write the scope downSpell out what the price includes and what it does not, before development starts.
- Match the pricing modelFixed-price can suit a clear scope; capped hourly suits one that is still moving.
- Work in phasesSign off each phase instead of seeing results only at the end.
- Start with what launch needsShip the essentials, then add features from real usage.
- Ask about supportFind out before signing how post-launch support is priced and what it covers.
Questions to Ask Before You Sign
- Does the agreed scope cover every feature you need, and what is still unclear?
- Is the quote fixed-price, hourly or monthly, and if hourly, is there a cap?
- How are added or changed features priced, and do they need your approval first?
- Who actually builds it, as opposed to who you meet during the sale, and how experienced are they?
- Does the plan include testing and bug-fixing before delivery?
- Is there ongoing support after delivery, and what does it cover?
- Once paid in full, who owns the source code and documentation, and does the contract say so?
Frequently asked questions
Why do custom software quotes vary so much?
Because each vendor reads the scope differently, staffs the work with a different level of team, and prices it under a different model, so quotes several times apart for the same brief are normal. Ask each vendor to itemise what their number includes, then compare on actual scope rather than the total at the bottom.
Is fixed-price or hourly better for software development?
Neither is better in every case; it depends on how clear the scope is. With settled requirements, a fixed price tells you the total before work starts, but every change has to be re-priced. While you are still exploring, hourly is more flexible if you agree an hours cap. Either way, the budget only holds if the scope is written down.
How much does a software developer cost per day in Thailand?
By the government benchmark (Public Debt Management Office, March 2026), about THB 6,048 per person-day at 7 years' experience and THB 7,573 at 10 years, from the base salary times 2.640 divided by 22 working days. It is not a private-market rate: freelancers often charge less and specialists more, but it gives you a basis to compare quotes.
Is a mobile app more expensive than a web system?
Usually, because an app adds costs a web system does not have: supporting both iOS and Android, the backend and API it talks to, and store accounts (Apple USD 99 a year, Google Play USD 25 once). If you do not need the camera, GPS, offline use or push notifications, a mobile web app or a LINE OA system is usually cheaper.
I have a limited budget. Where should I start?
Trim the scope to the features you genuinely need before launch, put it in front of real users, and add features later based on what they tell you. The first budget stays smaller, and you learn sooner whether the system actually fits before you invest further.
How is post-launch software support usually priced?
Usually as a monthly fee covering urgent bug fixes, security updates, monitoring and minor changes up to an agreed number of hours a month. New features outside the original scope are typically priced separately, the same way the project was. Settle how support is priced before you sign.