Cost · Updated 2026-09-08
How much does custom software cost in the UAE?
Short answer
Custom software in the UAE costs between AED 80,000 for a focused MVP and AED 3M+ for a full enterprise platform, with most mid-market projects landing in the AED 250,000–800,000 range for a production system delivered in 4–6 months. Cost varies mainly on integrations (banks, WhatsApp API, government portals) and Arabic RTL requirements, not on the UI itself.
The single biggest cost driver is scope discipline during the build, not the vendor's hourly rate — all reputable Dubai teams charge similar rates. Projects that stretch to 12+ months and 2x their budget almost always share the same pattern: no fixed product owner on the client side, and open-ended change requests.
2026 UAE cost ranges by scope
These are the ranges Solinify quotes in Dubai in 2026 for well-scoped projects. Individual quotes move ±20% based on integrations, compliance, and Arabic UI depth.
- MVP (one or two workflows, ready for a first cohort): AED 80,000–300,000, 8–12 weeks
- Production system (multi-user, hardened, monitored): AED 250,000–800,000, 16–24 weeks
- Enterprise platform (multi-tenant, compliance-audited, integrated): AED 800,000–3M+, 6–12 months
- Ongoing maintenance retainer after launch: AED 8,000–35,000/month depending on SLA
What actually drives the price up
Vendors will happily quote the UI (screens and flows) and quietly underprice the rest. The four components of a real project each carry cost that has to be estimated separately: the UI, the backend, the data model, and the integrations. Integrations are almost always the biggest surprise item.
- Direct bank integrations (ENBD, ADCB, RAKBANK): adds AED 30,000–80,000 per bank
- WhatsApp Business API + template review: AED 25,000–50,000 setup
- UAE Pass or Emirates ID authentication: AED 15,000–40,000
- Arabic RTL as a first-class UI (not a translation layer): +15–25% on the whole UI budget
- DHA / Nabidh / Riayati integration for healthcare: AED 60,000–150,000
- FTA VAT e-invoice compliance (once mandated): AED 30,000–70,000
When custom is cheaper than SaaS over 5 years
The five-year math tips in favour of custom once your SaaS licence bill passes about AED 15,000 per month. Below that, buy off-the-shelf. Above that, custom pays back inside years 2–3 and every additional user is a free user (no per-seat fees).
The exception is if your workflow is genuinely standard (HR, accounting, generic CRM) — even at scale, off-the-shelf will win because the market has already amortised the R&D.