What does a software discovery phase cost?

Agencies that publish their prices put a discovery phase for a custom business app at about $2,500 to $25,000 or more, or roughly 5 to 12 percent of the total project budget. Where a project lands depends mostly on how many screens, user roles, integrations and compliance rules the app has, and how many people need to be interviewed.

A discovery phase is the paid work before development starts: interviews and workshops, mapping the process, writing the requirements, sketching the screens, and producing an estimate the developer is willing to stand behind. The figures below are what two agencies publish for their own discovery work. They are not an independent survey, and other firms charge more or less.

What do agencies charge for discovery?

One U.S. app development agency publishes these ranges (September 2026):

• Simple consumer app (5 to 10 screens, few integrations): $2,500 to $5,000, one to two weeks.
• Mid-complexity app (15 to 30 screens, two or three user roles, payments, three to five integrations): $5,000 to $10,000, two to three weeks.
• Complex or regulated app (30 or more screens, compliance, deep integration): $10,000 to $15,000, three to four weeks.
• Enterprise platform (several user types, single sign-on, role-based access, compliance): $12,000 to $25,000 or more, three to six weeks.

A European software agency puts discovery at 5 to 12 percent of the total project cost, which it says works out to about €4,000 to €12,000 before VAT over three to six weeks. For a typical €80,000 project, it estimates €6,000 to €9,000 over four weeks, toward the low end when the scope is already well documented and toward the high end for projects that span several departments or sites, or are regulated.

Large consulting firms cost more. On U.S. federal contracts, where they must publish their maximum hourly rates, the largest firms list analysts and consultants at roughly $150 to $350 an hour. At $200 to $300 an hour, two consultants for three to four weeks comes to about $50,000 to $100,000; that arithmetic is ours, and rates for private clients aren't published.

What do you get for the money?

The U.S. agency lists a scope document (20 to 60 pages), wireframes or a clickable prototype, architecture diagrams, a risk register, a timeline with milestones, and a fixed-price quote for the build. The European agency's breakdown includes workshops and process mapping, user stories with acceptance criteria, mockups, a data model, the architecture and integrations, and a firm estimate and schedule.

What drives the price up?

The same things in both sources: more screens, more kinds of users, more systems to connect to, compliance requirements, and more departments or locations whose people need to be heard. Every additional group of experts adds interviews, and more chances for their answers to disagree.

Is the discovery fee credited toward the build?

Sometimes. The European agency writes that agencies often credit 50 to 100 percent of the discovery fee against development if you continue with them. Ask before you sign, and ask the next question too: if you take the deliverables to a different developer, are they yours to take?

What isn't in the price?

Your own people's time. A discovery fee pays the agency's analysts and designers, but your experts still sit in the workshops, answer follow-up questions and review the results. In a business where the knowledge is spread across several departments, that time is a real cost even though it never appears on an invoice.

What should you ask before you pay for discovery?

• Do I own the deliverables, and can I hand them to any developer?
• Will I get a fixed price for the build at the end?
• How many of my people will be interviewed, and for how long each?
• How are disagreements between my people recorded and settled?
• Is the fee credited if I continue with you?

Mochlion prices a Build Specification per application. Founding price $2,100 through March 31, 2027 or the first 50 specs; price after: $3,500. It is a flat fee for a specification that you own and can hand to any developer; see what's included.