Pricing
Published prices for everything that can be priced in advance, and stated ranges for the work that cannot. All amounts are in US dollars and exclude any applicable sales tax.
Start here
One-time engagements
Both of these are complete deliverables on their own. Neither one requires you to hire us for anything afterwards.
Strategy Session
Find out what this would take
$300
One-time · 90 minutes
- 90-minute working session by video call
- Written recommendation within 2 business days
- Cost range and realistic timeline
- Off-the-shelf alternatives worth considering first
- Recording of the session
- No obligation to proceed
Discovery & Scope
Turn an idea into a buildable spec
$1,500
One-time · 1–2 weeks
- Stakeholder interviews and requirements gathering
- Written functional specification
- Technical approach and architecture
- Fixed-price quote for the build
- Milestone plan with dates
- Credited in full against your first build milestone
Ongoing
Monthly subscriptions
Billed monthly in advance. Cancel at any time; the plan runs to the end of the period you have already paid for. No annual commitment and no cancellation fee.
Care Plan
Keep the software running
$450 /mo
Month to month · cancel anytime
- Hosting and infrastructure management
- Security patches and dependency updates
- Uptime monitoring and outage response
- Daily backups with tested restores
- Unlimited defect corrections
- Up to 4 hours of change requests each month
- Response within 1 business day
Advisory Retainer
Technical judgement on call
$1,200 /mo
Month to month · cancel anytime
- Two scheduled calls each month
- Vendor, contract, and quote review
- Architecture and build-versus-buy decisions
- Systems audit refreshed each quarter
- Email and message access between calls
- Development work quoted separately
Ordering
How to buy
Every engagement on this page is purchased the same way. You will always see the exact amount, and for subscriptions the renewal date, before you enter any card details.
Choose the engagement
Select the service above, or email us if you are not sure which one fits. We will tell you plainly if a smaller engagement would answer your question first.
We send a secure checkout link
You receive an itemised checkout link by email, usually the same business day. It states the service, the price, any applicable sales tax, and — for a subscription — the billing interval and the date of the next charge.
Pay, and the work is scheduled
Payment is processed by Stripe. Within one business day of payment we confirm in writing and book the session, begin discovery, or activate the plan. A receipt is emailed for every charge.
Card details never reach us. Payments are processed by Stripe, Inc. Card numbers are entered directly with Stripe and are never received or stored on our systems. We see only the billing name, the last four digits, and whether the payment succeeded.
Custom development
Build pricing
Custom builds are quoted as a fixed price after Discovery & Scope, because an honest number is not available before the requirements are written down. The ranges below are what comparable engagements have cost, so you can decide whether the conversation is worth having.
| Engagement | Typical range | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery & Scope | $1,500 fixed | 1–2 weeks |
| Internal tool or automation | $6,000 – $15,000 | 3–6 weeks |
| Client-facing application | $15,000 – $45,000 | 6–14 weeks |
| Multi-tenant product platform | $45,000+ | Quoted |
| Additional work outside a care plan | $165 / hour | Scheduled |
How a build is billed
- The build is divided into milestones, each with a defined deliverable.
- The first milestone is invoiced at the start; every later milestone is invoiced only when the previous deliverable is running and you have reviewed it.
- Your Discovery & Scope fee is credited in full against the first milestone.
- Scope changes are re-quoted in writing and require your written approval before we build them.
- Final payment is due on delivery, and intellectual property transfers to you on receipt of it.
Third-party costs are yours and are billed at cost. Hosting, domains, email, API usage, and any software licences your application depends on are passed through without markup, or set up on your own accounts where you would rather hold them directly.
Our products
HostRev subscriptions
HostRev is our own short-term rental product, sold on its own site and governed by its own terms. Plans start at $149 per month with a $299 setup fee.
Billing, refunds, and cancellation
Subscriptions are charged monthly in advance to the card on file and renew automatically until you cancel. You can cancel at any time by emailing us; access continues to the end of the period you have paid for, and we do not refund elapsed subscription time. One-time engagements are non-refundable once the work has begun, and custom development is billed by milestone and non-refundable once that milestone is delivered.
The full policy, including how to cancel and how long refunds take to appear, is on the Refunds & Cancellation page.
Why is custom development not priced on this page?
Because any number we published before understanding your requirements would be wrong. Discovery & Scope exists to produce that number, it costs $1,500, and it is credited back if you proceed. That is the honest version of a free quote.
Do you require a long-term contract?
No. Subscriptions are month to month and cancel at the end of the current period. Custom builds are governed by a milestone agreement covering that specific project, which ends when the project does.
What happens if I cancel a care plan?
Service continues to the end of the period you have paid for. Before it ends we hand over hosting access, credentials, and documentation so you or another developer can take it on. There is no exit fee and we do not withhold access to your own systems.
Do you take payments on behalf of my customers?
No. When we build something that takes payments, it connects to your own payment processor and your own bank account. Spencer Labs never holds or routes your customers' funds.
Can you work with software someone else built?
Often, yes. It starts with a paid Discovery engagement so we can read the code and tell you honestly whether it is worth continuing or worth replacing. We will say the latter when it is true.
How do you handle sales tax?
Prices shown exclude sales tax. Where we are required to collect it, it is calculated at checkout and shown before you confirm the payment.
Still deciding?
Send a description of the problem. If a strategy session is not the right next step, we will say so rather than sell you one.
Contact us