Question 1

How much does it cost to build an app in the UK?

Accepted Answer

Costs range widely — a traditional agency build is typically £40–80k over 3–6 months, a freelancer £15–30k over weeks, and hiring in-house £60–80k/year. A Precode V1 Sprint designs, builds and deploys working software in five days for £10,000 + VAT, with bigger products spanning two or three sprints at £10,000 + VAT each.

Question 2

How much does Precode cost?

Accepted Answer

1-Day Sprint £1,500; 5-Day UX Sprint £10,000 + VAT; V1 Sprint £10,000 + VAT; Subscription from £5,000/month. Larger projects run across multiple sprints at £10,000 + VAT each.

Question 3

How much does it cost to design an app or product?

Accepted Answer

A traditional agency design phase is often £30–50k over 8–12 weeks. A Precode UX Sprint delivers production-ready designs, an interactive prototype and user testing in five days for £10,000 + VAT.

Question 4

Is the price fixed or does it change as the project goes?

Accepted Answer

Fixed. We agree the price in the pre-flight call before you commit. No quotes that climb as you go.

Question 5

How much does it cost to build an MVP?

Accepted Answer

A Precode V1 Sprint ships a deployed MVP in five days for £10,000 + VAT, with full code ownership. More complex MVPs run across two or three sprints. Compared with months of agency or in-house build time, it's both faster and more predictable.

Question 6

Do you add VAT?

Accepted Answer

Yes — sprint prices are quoted plus VAT.

Question 7

How much does a design sprint cost?

Accepted Answer

A Precode design sprint (UX or V1) is £10,000 + VAT for two senior people across five days. A focused single-day sprint is £1,500.

Question 8

What are your payment terms?

Accepted Answer

50% upfront for five-day sprints, and 100% upfront for the 1-Day Sprint. The Subscription is a flat monthly fee.

Question 9

Do you require a deposit?

Accepted Answer

For sprints, 50% upfront acts as the deposit and confirms your slot; the balance follows. The 1-Day Sprint is paid in full upfront.

Question 10

How much does it cost to build a website?

Accepted Answer

With Precode, a website is designed and built in a five-day sprint for £10,000 + VAT, deployed at a live URL with code you own. Smaller pieces — a few landing pages, say — can be a 1-Day Sprint at £1,500.

Question 11

What's the cheapest way to work with Precode?

Accepted Answer

The 1-Day Sprint at £1,500 — one senior person, one day, same-day delivery. It's also the lowest-risk way to try working with Precode before a full sprint.

Question 12

Why is Precode more expensive per hour than offshore?

Accepted Answer

Our hourly rates are higher, but we take so little time that it often costs less overall — as one client put it, it "still comes out costing less than cheaper agencies." You're paying for senior expertise, exclusive focus and certainty.

Question 13

How much does ongoing design and development cost?

Accepted Answer

Precode's Product Team Subscription starts at £5,000/month for unlimited requests handled one at a time, covering both design and development, with the freedom to pause anytime. Higher tiers run more workstreams in parallel.

Question 14

Isn't £10,000 expensive?

Accepted Answer

Compared to what? A mid-level designer costs £50k+/year, an agency discovery phase alone is £15–30k, and a failed build costs £100k+. A sprint delivers a certain outcome in a week at a fixed price.

Question 15

Are there extra costs beyond the sprint fee?

Accepted Answer

For builds, you cover standard running costs: hosting (typically £30–100/month), third-party API fees (such as Stripe or AI usage), and any app store fees (£99/year iOS, £25 one-time Android). Precode adds no hidden fees.

Question 16

Can you do it cheaper?

Accepted Answer

Our pricing reflects senior expertise, exclusive focus and a proven process. We could charge less by using juniors or juggling clients — we don't. If budget is tight, the 1-Day Sprint at £1,500 is a good way to start.

Question 17

Do you offer discounts?

Accepted Answer

We don't compete on price. For three or more consecutive 1-Day Sprints there's a discount closer to the sprint rate. Multi-sprint value comes from the economics: four sprints a year cost less than one traditional agency engagement.

Question 18

Is VAT included in the price?

Accepted Answer

Sprint prices are quoted plus VAT. Precode is a UK VAT-registered company.

Question 19

How does Precode compare on cost to a traditional agency?

Accepted Answer

A traditional agency typically charges £30–50k and takes eight to twelve weeks for design, or £40–80k over three to six months for a build. A Precode sprint is £10,000 + VAT in a week.

Question 20

What are the payment terms?

Accepted Answer

50% upfront for five-day sprints, 100% upfront for the 1-Day Sprint, and a flat monthly fee for the Subscription.

Question 21

Why does Precode cost more per hour than offshore or freelance options?

Accepted Answer

The rate reflects senior expertise, exclusive focus and a proven process — but because Precode works so fast, the total often comes out lower than "cheaper" options that take months and need managing. You're paying for certainty, not hours.

Question 22

How does Precode compare to hiring in-house?

Accepted Answer

A mid-level designer is around £60k/year and takes three to six months to recruit, before management. A sprint costs less than three months of that salary and starts on the next available Monday.

Question 23

Is a sprint worth the money?

Accepted Answer

The biggest cost in software isn't the build — it's building the wrong thing. A £10,000 sprint that validates or ships in a week is insurance against a £100,000 mistake, which is why Precode frames it as the lowest-risk option, not the cheapest.

Question 24

Is a sprint really cheaper than the alternatives?

Accepted Answer

Over the full picture, usually yes. We frame a £10,000 sprint as insurance against a six-figure mistake — get the design or build right in a week and you save months of rework.

Question 25

Why fixed price instead of hourly?

Accepted Answer

Fixed price gives you certainty and aligns us to outcomes, not hours. You know the cost before you start, with no scope-creep surprises.

Question 26

How do I work out the ROI of a sprint?

Accepted Answer

Compare it to the alternatives: months of an unproven build, two developers idle waiting on specs (around £3,000/week), or a wasted 3-month dev cycle (£60k+). A fixed-price, guaranteed outcome in a week is designed to beat all of those.

Question 27

Do you offer discounts for multiple sprints?

Accepted Answer

Precode doesn't compete on price, but three or more consecutive 1-Day Sprints get a discount, and the multi-sprint economics speak for themselves — four sprints a year cost less than one traditional agency engagement.

Question 28

What's the return on investment?

Accepted Answer

The biggest waste in software is building the wrong thing. Validating with real users in a week — when problems cost hours to fix, not months — is where the return comes from.

Question 29

Do you do free pitches or spec work?

Accepted Answer

No. We don't do lengthy proposals, free pitches or spec work. The pre-flight scoping call replaces the proposal.

Question 30

Will you write a detailed proposal?

Accepted Answer

We do a pre-flight scoping call instead — half a day to define the challenge, agree deliverables and confirm fit. The output is a clear, fixed-price scope, verbally or as a one-pager.

Question 31

How do multiple sprints get priced?

Accepted Answer

Each five-day sprint is £10,000 + VAT. We tell you in the pre-flight call whether your project is a one-, two- or three-sprint job.

Question 32

What does the Subscription cost compared to a hire?

Accepted Answer

From £5,000/month, against £70k+/year for a senior hire plus management, benefits and downtime — and you get design and development, not one discipline.

Question 33

Are there hidden costs?

Accepted Answer

No hidden fees from us. For V1 Sprint builds you'll have ongoing hosting (typically £30–100/month), third-party API costs, and any app store fees — these are standard running costs billed to you, not us.

Question 34

Can I pay in instalments?

Accepted Answer

Sprints are 50% upfront and 50% on or near completion. For other arrangements, ask in the pre-flight call.

Question 35

What currency do you charge in?

Accepted Answer

We're a UK company and quote in GBP plus VAT.

Question 36

Is there a minimum spend?

Accepted Answer

The smallest engagement is the 1-Day Sprint at £1,500. There's no large minimum commitment beyond the service you choose.

Question 37

How do I justify the cost internally?

Accepted Answer

Fixed price, fixed date, a guaranteed outcome, and no headcount or overhead. Compare it to the cost of three months of an unproven build, or two developers idle waiting on specs.

Pricing & cost