Software built for the way your business already works
We build the software a company runs on: internal tools, integrations between systems that do not talk, custom CRM and client portals, and private AI over your own documents. Fixed scope, one number, and the code is yours.
When is custom software cheaper than another subscription?
Custom software is cheaper than another subscription when you are paying per seat for features nobody uses, or when your team keeps a spreadsheet on the side because the tool does not fit. IG Digital Lab, a Sacramento software company, says buy off the shelf first, and build only the part that will not fit.
A subscription is a rental. It is a good deal while the software does the job, and a bad one the moment your process has to bend around it. The honest way to decide is to look at the two lists below, not at the sales page of whichever tool you are being sold this quarter.
Buy off the shelf when
- A product already does about 90 percent of the job, and the missing 10 percent is not the part that makes you money.
- The process is standard for everyone: accounting, payroll, email, file storage, e-signature.
- The seat count is small and the price per seat is low.
- You need it next month and can live with the defaults.
Build custom when
- The process is your advantage, and the tool forces your team to work someone else's way.
- Per-seat pricing has grown past what the software actually returns.
- Two systems you already pay for need to talk to each other and no connector exists.
- Someone maintains a spreadsheet on the side because the software does not do the real job.
- The data has to stay on your own servers, under your own control.
Most of our work sits between those two lists. The accounting stays in QuickBooks, the CRM stays where your team already knows it, and we build the missing piece plus the wiring between them. That is usually far cheaper than replacing a platform, and it does not add another per-seat bill that grows every year. If a product on the market does the job, we will tell you to buy it and we will help you set it up.
What we build
Four kinds of project cover almost everything a small or mid-sized business asks us for.
Internal tools that replace the spreadsheet
The tracker your operations team rebuilt in Excel, turned into real software: users and permissions, validation, history of who changed what, and reporting on the numbers you actually run on.
Job and project boards, scheduling, inventory, quoting, field and inspection forms, approval queues, dispatch. Usually the fastest project to pay for itself, because the manual version already has a cost.
Integrations between systems that do not talk
Two tools you already pay for, connected properly: QuickBooks, HubSpot, Salesforce, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Airtable, Stripe, Twilio, and the industry systems specific to your trade.
If you want the whole chain to run on its own rather than one link, that is AI workflow automation, and the two are often quoted together.
Custom CRM and client portals
A pipeline shaped like your sales process instead of a generic one, with the fields your team fills in and the stages your business really has.
Client-facing portals where customers check status, upload documents, sign and pay, so your staff stops answering the same email twenty times a week.
Private AI over your own documents
Search and answers over your contracts, SOPs, manuals, quotes and past projects, running on your infrastructure, with citations back to the source document and no training on your data.
This one is large enough to be its own service: see private AI and knowledge base (RAG).
How we scope so the number does not move
Custom projects go over budget because the scope was a conversation. We make it a document before anyone quotes a price.
We watch the work happen
We sit with the people who do the job, follow the process, and write down what actually happens, including the workarounds nobody mentions in meetings. You get a short write-up of what we found and what we would build first. It costs $0 and it is yours whether or not you hire us.
The document is the price
We turn the audit into a written scope: screens, data, integrations, who does what, and what is explicitly out. You approve it and that is the quote. Later additions are priced openly as change requests, so the number moves only when you decide it should.
Working software early
We ship in two-week slices with a test environment from the first one, so you are clicking real screens weeks before launch. Your feedback goes into the next slice. Nobody disappears for three months and comes back with a surprise.
What does custom software cost?
Custom software at IG Digital Lab starts at $2,500, and most Sacramento small business projects land between $2,500 and $15,000. One internal tool or one integration is $2,500 to $6,000. Several systems connected, or private AI over your documents, is $6,000 to $15,000. Bespoke builds start at $15,000.
Which band you land in depends on how many systems are involved, how much of your data has to be cleaned up on the way in, and how many people need their own view of it. The free audit is where that gets decided, and you see the number before you commit to anything.
One tool or one integration, built end to end.
- An internal tool replacing one spreadsheet
- Or one integration between two systems
- Typically 2 to 4 weeks from kickoff
Several systems made to work as one.
- Multiple integrations and an internal tool on top
- Private AI over your own documents
- Deployed with CI/CD and monitoring
Bespoke software, built from scratch.
- Multi-system builds and complex retrieval
- Full DevOps and a security review
- Shipped in slices, with support after launch
Full price list, including hosting and support, is on our pricing page.
Who owns what when we are done
You own all of it. IG Digital Lab writes your software inside your accounts, and the code, repository, servers, domains, data and documentation stay yours from the first commit. There is no license fee, no runtime we control, and no part of the system you have to keep paying us to use.
This is the part businesses get burned on, so here it is line by line.
| What | Owner | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Source code | You | Yours from the first commit. No license, no obfuscation, no hidden dependency on a platform we own. |
| Repository | You | We work inside your GitHub or GitLab organization, or hand over the full commit history at the end. |
| Servers and hosting | You | Your cloud account and your billing. We can run and monitor them for you under servers and support, or hand you the keys. |
| Domains and DNS | You | Registered in your business name, on your registrar account. We never hold a client domain hostage. |
| Third-party accounts | You | Stripe, Twilio, model APIs, QuickBooks and the rest are your accounts, so you see every running cost directly. |
| Data and database | You | Exportable in a standard format at any time, without asking us and without a fee. |
| Documentation | You | Setup, deploy and architecture notes written for the next developer, not written to keep you dependent on us. |
The test we hold ourselves to: if you hired a different team tomorrow, could they take the project over without calling us? If the answer is no, the handoff is not finished.
Inherited a half-finished project?
It happens often: the developer went quiet, the agency closed, or the freelancer shipped 70 percent and stopped answering. IG Digital Lab takes those projects over. We start with the same free audit, read and run what exists, and tell you plainly whether finishing it is cheaper than rebuilding it.
What we check before anyone touches the code:
The state of it
- Does it build and run from a clean checkout, or only on the machine that is gone?
- How much of the promised scope actually exists and works?
- Are there tests, and does the code look maintainable by someone new?
What you can recover
- Are the repository, servers, domains and API accounts in your name and reachable?
- Is the data safe, backed up, and exportable right now?
- What does finishing cost against what rebuilding costs, in real numbers?
You get that answer in writing even if you decide to walk away from us. Sometimes the honest recommendation is to finish it with the original developer, and we will say so. If what you inherited is a website or a WordPress build rather than an application, the same process is covered by our website takeover service.
Frequently asked questions
Cost, ownership, timelines and the questions people ask before signing a software contract.
How much does custom software cost for a small business?
Most small business projects at IG Digital Lab land between $2,500 and $15,000. One internal tool or one integration is usually $2,500 to $6,000. Several systems connected together, or private AI over your documents, is $6,000 to $15,000. Bespoke builds start at $15,000. The free audit gives you the exact number before anything is signed.
Should we build custom or buy off-the-shelf?
Buy first. If a product on the market does 90 percent of the job and the missing 10 percent is not the part that makes you money, buy it and we will say so. Build when the process is your advantage, when per-seat pricing has outgrown the value, or when your team keeps a spreadsheet on the side because the tool does not fit.
Who owns the source code?
You do. The code, the repository, the database, the servers, the domains and the documentation are yours from the first commit. We work inside your GitHub or GitLab organization, or hand over the full history at the end. There is no license fee, no runtime we control, and nothing that stops another developer from picking it up.
What if we need changes later?
Changes are normal and we price them two ways. Occasional work is hourly at $150 to $200. If you want us on call, support runs $300 to $500 a month for monitoring, updates and small fixes, or $750 to $1,500 a month when there is continuous development. You can also hand the code to any other team, since you own it.
Can you integrate with QuickBooks, HubSpot or our CRM?
Yes, and most of our projects are integration work: QuickBooks, HubSpot, Salesforce, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Airtable, Stripe, Twilio and the industry systems specific to your trade. If a system has an API we use it. If it does not, we work with scheduled exports, email or file drops, and we tell you upfront which one you are getting.
How long does a custom software project take?
One internal tool or one integration is usually 2 to 4 weeks from kickoff. A connected system with several integrations, or private AI over your documents, is typically 4 to 10 weeks. Full bespoke builds run longer, and we ship them in two-week slices so you see working software early instead of only at the end.
Tell us what your team does by hand.
Book a free 30-minute audit. We will look at the process, tell you honestly whether to buy or build, and give you a real number before you commit to anything.
Prefer to talk now? Call or text (916) 618-0502. Or browse all seven services.