What custom software costs with thinkbridge.

Here is how a thinkbridge build is priced, and how its cost compares with off-the-shelf software line by line.

Get a free cost breakdown Talk to an expert
  • $0 upfront implementation fee

    Payments follow the value the system delivers over an agreed term.

  • 35% lower cost to own than off-the-shelf software

    A typical figure from our client work, counting the license and everything it takes to make packaged software fit.

  • 4 months from kickoff to go-live

    A packaged rollout usually takes 12 to 18 months, so your business runs on the new system 8 to 14 months sooner.

  • 100% of the IP is yours

    At the end of the term, the system, its code and your data belong to you.

From the blogEvery off-the-shelf system is a custom build in disguise

Why buying packaged software feels like progress but ends up costing more.

The license is the smallest part of what you pay. Most of the money goes on making the software fit.

Packaged softwareA thinkbridge build
Software license $30K No license fee
Implementation consultants $150K $0 upfront
Change management $75K Built around how you work
Workarounds $300K Switched off
Vendor lock-in $120K You own it at term end

Total for one workflow over the life of the software, indicative

Packaged$675K
thinkbridgeAbout 35% less

Indicative figures from thinkbridge client work. Across industries, the total around a workflow is 10 to 30 times the cost of the software itself.

What the research says

$8.45earned by Microsoft's services partners for every $1 of Microsoft revenueIDC for Microsoft, 2025 $8.81made by SAP's services partners for every $1 SAP makesIDC for SAP, 2023 1–2xthe license fee, spent again just to implement an ERPERPfocus, 2024

Read more on our blog

How payment works.

thinkbridge prices on outcomes. Each engagement is scoped to a defined result and priced against it in writing, so you know the cost before the build starts.

Model your own costs

  1. We add up what you pay today

    That includes the license, the services around it and the hours spent on workarounds.

  2. We build the system

    It goes live in about four months, with no upfront fee.

  3. You pay over the term

    Payments are tied to the results the system delivers, and you own it at the end of the term.

Get a free cost breakdown for your business.

We'll add up what your current software costs you, services and workarounds included, and what a system you own would cost. Pick what you want to see first.

What should the breakdown focus on?

No commitment. We only use your details to answer you. Privacy policy. A thinkbridge expert prepares it for your business and emails it within five business days.

Your cost breakdown

The figures are prepared for each company and sent after we review your request.

Questions about cost.

Is custom software expensive?

It can be when it is priced as a large upfront project. thinkbridge charges no upfront implementation fee. Payments follow the value the system delivers over an agreed term, and a typical build comes to about 35% less than off-the-shelf software once the license, consultants, retraining and workarounds are counted.

How is thinkbridge priced?

thinkbridge prices on outcomes. Each engagement is scoped to a defined result and priced against it in writing, so the price doesn't creep. There is no license fee.

Does thinkbridge charge an implementation fee?

There is no upfront implementation fee. The cost of building the system is part of the payments over the agreed term.

How does the cost compare with off-the-shelf software?

A thinkbridge build costs less than off-the-shelf software over the same period, typically about 35% less. The license is usually the smallest part of what packaged software costs. Implementation consultants, retraining, workarounds and price rises make up the rest, and a system built around your business removes most of them.

Why does a thinkbridge build cost less?

The system is built around how the business already runs, which removes most of what packaged software costs beyond the license: implementation consultants, retraining and the spreadsheets and extra tools that fill the gaps. thinkOne pairs our forward-deployed experts with our agentic engineering and delivery platform, so a build goes live in about four months.

Who owns the software thinkbridge builds?

At the end of the term the client owns everything thinkbridge builds: the source code, the data model, the business logic and the data itself. Systems run on infrastructure the client chooses, with no proprietary runtime and no licensing fees, so there is no vendor lock-in.

How can I find out what a system would cost my business?

Ask for a free cost breakdown on this page. A thinkbridge expert adds up what your current software costs, including the services and workarounds around it, and what a system you own would cost instead. It arrives by email within five business days, with no commitment.

There's a new way there™.

One of our experts can walk you through what a system like yours would cost.

Talk to an expert See how it works