Custom software that replaces your spreadsheets and legacy ERP
When Excel and off-the-shelf tools stop keeping up, we design and build the custom business software you actually need: shaped around your processes, with explainable AI, and wired into the systems you already run. A Bordeaux-based studio, we work with clients across France and remotely.
What is custom software development?
Custom software is an application built specifically for one company and its processes, instead of a generic package you have to bend your work around. It follows how you actually operate (quotes, pricing, stock, orders), wires into the systems you already run, and ships only the features you genuinely need.
In practice, custom software usually replaces one of two things: an Excel spreadsheet that has quietly become unmanageable, or a legacy ERP nobody fully understands anymore. Bespoke software development, custom business applications and custom ERP software all describe the same kind of project seen from different angles.
The three categories of business software
Before commissioning any development, it helps to know which category your need falls into. There are three, and they combine well.
| Category | What it is | When it's the right choice |
|---|---|---|
| Off-the-shelf package (SaaS) | A ready-made product, identical for every customer: CRM, accounting, payroll. | Your process is standard and the market tool covers 90% or more of it. |
| Configurable ERP | A broad platform you configure, sometimes with specific development layered on top. | You need a complete backbone (finance, stock, purchasing) and your gaps from the standard stay limited. |
| Custom software | An application built for your business, starting from your real processes. | The way you work is a competitive advantage, or no market tool covers your case. |
We often build custom tooling around an existing ERP rather than instead of it. All three categories coexist in most of the companies we work with.
How much does custom software cost?
These are our real ranges, based on projects we have actually delivered. You'll know immediately whether your need and your budget sit in the same zone.
| Scope | Indicative budget | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| First useful slice (one process) | €5,000 to €15,000 | One complete process replaced and in production: a quotation configurator, a single price grid, an order flow. |
| Complete business application | €15,000 to €40,000 | Several processes, roles and permissions, migration of your existing data, and integrations with your ERP or accounting system. |
| Multi-department programme | €40,000 and up | A scope spanning several departments, delivered in successive batches against milestones. |
What moves the price
- The number of processes covered, and above all the number of exceptions to handle.
- Integrations: ERP, accounting, messaging, file storage.
- Data migration, usually the most underestimated line item when you're starting from spreadsheets.
- How much AI is genuinely needed: transcription, matching, document extraction.
Two honest caveats: these figures are indicative and get confirmed after scoping, and AI-assisted custom development now costs considerably less than it did a few years ago. That's what puts this kind of project within reach of an SMB.
The steps of a custom software project
How we work, in five steps. The principle: ship a useful first slice quickly, rather than a big project that lands in a year.
- 1
Scoping workshop (1 to 2 weeks)
A workshop with the people who do the work. We map the real process, not the one in the manual, and identify what costs the most time.
- 2
Lightweight specification
A few pages describing the scope, the business rules and the edge cases. Precise enough to price, short enough that everyone actually reads it.
Read our guide to writing the spec - 3
First slice in production (4 to 8 weeks)
One complete process, live, used by real people. That's what validates the decisions before you invest further.
- 4
Iterations with your teams
Real usage drives the tool forward in short cycles. The priorities stay yours, and nothing is set in stone before it has been used.
- 5
Data migration and go-live
Migrating your spreadsheets and history, consistency checks, then the switch. Your teams are trained on the tool before you cut over.
Examples of custom software we've shipped
Plenty of companies run on Excel spreadsheets that have quietly become unmanageable, or a legacy ERP nobody fully understands anymore. We replace them with custom software built around your business and wired into what you already run, with AI used only where it earns its place. Here are a few.
High-end surfaces
Custom quotation & sales configurator
For Casa Europa Inc, we replaced a spreadsheet-driven quoting process with a purpose-built web app. Reps assemble complex, multi-line quotes with the right products, options and pricing, and the totals are correct every time.
In use: Reps build and send accurate quotes in minutes, not hours.
Professional services
Compliance & profitability dashboards
Time-tracking that doubles as a compliance and margin engine: single sign-on, a live view of which projects actually make money, and a two-way link to the accounting system so the numbers reconcile themselves.
In use: Managers see project margins and compliance gaps at a glance.
Wine & spirits
Pricing single source of truth
We retired a 90-tab pricing spreadsheet. One master price grid now feeds every channel, and each customer or agent tariff is generated on read by filtering that master, so prices can never drift out of sync.
In use: The commercial team exports Excel, PDF or web tariffs, always consistent.
Food & distribution
Voice-to-order from WhatsApp
A customer sends a WhatsApp voice note or text. The system transcribes it, understands the products and quantities, matches them against the catalogue with semantic search, and produces a structured order ready to confirm.
In use: An order lands from a voice note, no form, no app to install.
Hospitality & wine
Natural-language catalogue editing
Instead of a heavy visual editor, staff type plain-language instructions and see them applied live with a preview and a diff, over a fixed set of safe operations. Manual editing stays available as a failover on the same surface.
In use: A sommelier updates and republishes a menu by typing a sentence.
Custom or off-the-shelf: how to choose
Custom is the right call when
- Your business runs on spreadsheets nobody dares to modify anymore.
- You're paying licence fees for a tool your teams work around.
- The way you work is a competitive advantage, not a flaw to correct.
- Your data already exists, but across four systems that don't talk to each other.
Custom is the wrong call when
- An off-the-shelf tool covers 90% of your need: payroll, accounting and standard invoicing are better served by a package.
- Your process isn't stable yet. Clarify it first, or you'll freeze the mess into code.
- Nobody internally can give the project a few hours a week. Without an owner on your side, custom software misses its target.
We'll tell you if your case belongs to an off-the-shelf tool. That's more useful to you than a badly framed project.
What all our custom software has in common
We build the unglamorous core
The quote, the price list, the order, the margin: the tools a business touches every day. We make those solid before anything clever.
AI where it earns its keep
Transcription, matching, natural-language editing, used where they remove real work rather than to look modern. A human stays in control of anything that matters.
Wired into what you already run
ERP, accounting, messaging, storage. We integrate with your existing systems instead of asking you to rip them out and start over.
Custom software: frequently asked questions
How do you turn an Excel spreadsheet into an app?
We map what your spreadsheet actually does (the calculations, the rules, the workflow) and rebuild it as a reliable web app: the same logic, but with real access control, history, validation, and AI to speed up data entry. Even a file with dozens of tabs becomes a proper application your team can trust.
What is custom software, and when is it worth it?
Custom software is an application built specifically for your business and processes, instead of a generic tool you bend your work around. It's worth it when spreadsheets have become fragile or an off-the-shelf system doesn't fit how you operate. Thanks to AI, it now costs far less than it used to.
Can you modernize or replace a legacy ERP?
Yes, and we don't force a rip-and-replace. Depending on the case, we build custom tooling on top of your existing ERP or migrate gradually to a bespoke system, modernizing without breaking what works or losing your data.
How much does custom software cost?
Budget €5,000 to €15,000 for a first useful slice in production, €15,000 to €40,000 for a complete business application, and above €40,000 for a programme spanning several departments. The price moves mostly with the number of processes, the integrations, the data migration and how much AI is involved. Thanks to AI, custom software costs far less than it did a few years ago.
Do you work with SMBs or only large enterprises?
Mostly SMBs and mid-market. AI-assisted custom development makes software tailored to your business accessible without an enterprise budget. We've done it for a wine producer, Casa Europa Inc (high-end surfaces), and others.
Is the AI a black box?
No. We build AI pipelines with QA and human review where it matters: AI proposes, your rules and your team confirm. You understand what the software does at every step.
Do you build custom business applications?
Yes. Beyond full management software, we build custom business applications and do bespoke web development — a focused app for one specific need, not a generic package. From custom business software to a tailored web app, we start from your real process and build exactly what it needs.
Do you work with high-end and luxury retail?
Yes, and it's exactly where this kind of software earns its keep. Luxury retail runs on high margins, high stakes and tight control: a wrong price or an unapproved discount doesn't just cost money, it dents the brand. Our quotation and pricing tools keep every price traceable to an approved source, put discounts and overrides behind approvals, and make the totals correct by construction, so teams move fast without giving up control.
How long does it take to build custom software?
Budget 4 to 8 weeks for a first slice in production, and a few months for a complete business application delivered in batches. We don't work in single twelve-month projects: every batch has to put something useful into production.
Can we start small before committing to a full budget?
Yes, and it's what we recommend. We scope a small, high-value first slice, ship it to production, then you decide what comes next with a real tool in your hands rather than a theoretical quote.
What are the different types of business software?
There are three broad categories: the off-the-shelf package (ready-made SaaS, identical for every customer), the configurable ERP (a broad platform you configure) and custom software (an application built from your real processes). The right choice depends on the gap between how you work and the market standard.
Have a process that doesn't fit a template?
Tell us what your team wrestles with. We'll tell you honestly whether custom software is worth it.
