Every great software project starts with a vision. Maybe it's an app to streamline invoices, a platform to match tutors with students, or something powered by AI.

But before you build it, there’s one question everyone—from investors to developers—wants answered:

“How much is this going to cost?”

It’s a fair question. But unless you have a detailed spec and a team already scoped out, getting a number that’s even roughly accurate can feel impossible.

In this post, I’ll walk through:

Why early-stage estimates are hard (but necessary)
A practical way to get a rough estimate without overthinking it
What makes estimates fall apart—and how to avoid it
How to use estimation tools to save time and sanity

Why You Need a Rough Estimate (Even Before You Know All the Details)

Think of a rough estimate as a compass, not a map. It won’t tell you exactly where you’ll end up, but it helps you understand:

If your idea fits your budget
Whether your timeline is even remotely realistic
What trade-offs you might need to make early on

Without that clarity, it’s easy to waste time building the wrong thing—or worse, never start because the unknowns feel overwhelming.

Estimating with Limited Info: What You Actually Need

You don’t need a full product roadmap or UI designs to get a useful estimate. But you do need to define a few essentials:

The type of project
Is this a web platform, mobile app, custom backend system, or an AI-powered tool?
Key features
Focus on core functionality—think user login, dashboard, admin panel, notifications. Skip the edge features for now.
Target platforms
Web only? iOS and Android? Cross-platform? This affects complexity and cost.
Your budget range
Be honest with yourself—do you have $5,000 or $50,000? Even rough ranges are helpful.
Your timeline expectations
Are you aiming for a working MVP in 6 weeks? Or is this a long-term build?

How to Ballpark an Estimate (Without Guessing)

There are a few ways you can approach this depending on what stage you’re at:

Option 1: Relative Sizing

If you’ve built something before, use that as a baseline.

“This idea is about twice the size of the tool we built last year, which cost $25k and took 10 weeks.”

It’s not precise, but it’s directionally useful.

Option 2: Effort Blocks

Break down the project into chunks of effort:

Auth system: 1 week
User dashboard: 2 weeks
Admin features: 2–3 weeks
Integrations: 1–2 weeks

Multiply by your team’s average rate, and you get a rough number. You’ll need to factor in QA, PM, and design too—not just dev time.

Option 3: Use an Estimation Tool

If you're not ready to break things into chunks—or want a quick second opinion—you can use a tool that generates estimates based on basic project input.

For example, this one: https://www.softaric.eu/estimate

You describe your project, set your budget range and goals, and it returns a time/cost estimate along with suggestions and feasibility feedback. It's a fast way to validate whether your expectations match reality—especially before you approach developers or agencies.

Why Estimates Often Miss the Mark

Estimates aren’t guarantees. And they fall apart when:

The feature list is vague or keeps growing
Requirements shift mid-build
Infrastructure needs are underestimated
Edge cases and complexity creep in
PM, testing, and design aren’t factored in

The solution? Start with an MVP mindset. Estimate and build only the critical functionality first. Everything else can come later—after you’ve tested your core idea.

TL;DR: Make Estimation Work For You

You don’t need perfect specs to get a useful estimate.

You need:

A clear idea of what you're building
A sense of your must-have features
Honest time and budget expectations
A phased approach to delivery

Estimates are tools to help you plan—not traps to get stuck in. Use them to reduce risk, set smarter priorities, and build with confidence.

💡 Pro tip: Even if you’re a solo dev building your own project, estimating your own time keeps scope creep in check.

You Have an Idea. Now What? Estimating Software Projects Before You Start Building