# Software development outsourcing cost — what's a normal range? > Why outsourcing quotes differ 10× between vendors, how the cost breaks down, and four tests for a normal range. MAEUM publishes every price — SaaS builds from ₩700K + ₩490K/mo, SI from ₩2.5M. The demo is free. - Published: 2026-08-25 · Category: Outsourcing - Canonical (HTML): https://maeum.io/en/blog/dev-outsourcing-cost/ · Korean original: https://maeum.io/blog/dev-outsourcing-cost/ - Author: MAEUM — an AI engineering company that publishes its prices · https://maeum.io Outsourced development quotes vary wildly not only because some vendors overcharge, but because **the pricing method itself differs**. Some bill by staff-months, some by feature, and some simply name a number. MAEUM does something rare in this industry: **every price is published** — **SaaS (managed) = build from ₩700K + ₩490K / ₩990K / ₩1.49M/mo**, **SI (ownership) = from ₩2.5M** (full build from ₩7M+). VAT excluded; the final price is confirmed after scoping — and you see a working demo, free, before you sign anything. ## The real reason quotes differ by 10× Send the same requirements to three vendors and you get three very different numbers. There are three reasons. - **The pricing method differs.** Traditional system integrators price by "how many engineers of which grade for how many months" (staff-months). Multiply a rate card by a duration, and the same deliverable can cost several times more depending on how the staffing plan is drawn up. - **The scope isn't fixed when the quote is issued.** Vague requirements make vendors price in their risk. Others quote low, then bill the rest as "additional development" later. - **More layers cost more.** If a quote passes through a sales organization and subcontractors, only a fraction of what you pay reaches the people actually building. So comparing totals is meaningless. Compare **how each number was produced**. ## Cost breakdown — where your money actually goes Outsourced development cost has four parts: **planning and design** (turning requirements into screens and features), **UI design**, **development and QA**, and the part that rarely shows up clearly in a contract — **operations**. Most problems come from the last one. - **Maintenance contracts** — the industry norm is a monthly retainer or per-ticket billing on top of the build. That's where "hundreds of dollars to fix one button" comes from. - **Servers and infrastructure** — a recurring cost after launch that is often missing from the quote. - **Changes and new features** — your business changes; if the system can't keep up, a new quote arrives every time. So the number to compare is not the first quote but the **two-year total cost**. MAEUM's SaaS (managed) plan folds servers, AI costs, improvements and new features **into the monthly fee**, which removes that back-end cost entirely. ## Four tests for a normal range Run any vendor through these four. - **① Do they show the basis of the quote per screen and per feature?** If they can't immediately answer "how much less if we drop this feature?", the number was a guess. - **② Are change and maintenance prices stated before you sign?** Cheap build, expensive changes is the most common trap. - **③ Do they show something working before the contract?** Not documents or a portfolio — a demo built on your actual workflow. A vendor who does that can't hide their skill level. - **④ Do they publish prices up front?** A vendor that hides prices is a vendor whose price depends on who's asking. On MAEUM's price list: a **₩250K** scoping pass (5 sessions, up to 90 min each) fixes the scope; a single-workflow system such as membership or booking starts at **SaaS build ₩700K + ₩490K/mo**; connecting several workflows is usually ₩990K/mo; and if you want to own it, **SI from ₩2.5M**. Start the build after the first scoping session and ₩200K comes off. ## MAEUM list prices (VAT excluded · starting prices · final price confirmed after scoping) - Scoping pass (5 sessions): ₩250K (up to 90 min each, working demo included) - SaaS · managed (recommended): build from ₩700K + ₩490K / ₩990K / ₩1.49M/mo — servers, AI, improvements, new features and a monthly report included; no per-seat pricing - SI · ownership: build from ₩2.5M (full build from ₩7M+) — no monthly fee afterwards; care passes when needed - KRW is authoritative (USD ≈ at ~₩1,400/$). SEO and AI-search visibility work included free. The demo is free. - Machine-readable prices: https://maeum.io/facts.json · Rate card: https://maeum.io/rates.json ## Frequently asked questions **Q. Shouldn't I just pick the lowest quote?** A. Compare total cost of ownership, not the headline number. A cheap build with per-ticket change billing often ends up costing more within one or two years. The most dangerous quote is the cheapest one with no maintenance or change terms in it. **Q. How many quotes should I get?** A. Two or three is enough. What matters is the comparison basis, not the count — put "do they explain the quote per feature?" and "are change costs stated?" side by side instead of the totals. **Q. Is maintenance usually billed separately?** A. The industry norm is yes (monthly retainer or per ticket). MAEUM's SaaS (managed) plan includes servers, improvements and new features in the monthly fee; the SI (ownership) track uses a care pass (₩490K for 7 sessions) only when you need it. **Q. Can I get a quote without a specification document?** A. Yes — most projects start without one. During scoping (up to 90 minutes per session) we look at how you work today, define the scope together, and give you an exact price for that scope. **Q. Are there subsidies for development costs?** A. Depending on your region and industry, government or local programs sometimes cover part of a build. Eligibility and timing change often, so we check what applies to you during scoping. ## Related guides - [App Development Outsourcing Cost 2026 — Why Quotes Range From Thousands to Hundreds of Thousands](https://maeum.io/en/blog/app-dev-outsourcing-cost/) - [Web App Development Cost 2026 — From a Company That Publishes Its Prices](https://maeum.io/en/blog/webapp-development-cost/) - [Hire a Developer or Outsource? — A Monthly Cost Calculation for Early-Stage Businesses](https://maeum.io/en/blog/dev-outsourcing-vs-hiring/) --- MAEUM · Free demo: https://maeum.io/en/start/ · Pricing: https://maeum.io/en/price/ · Contact: support@maeum.io