India Software Development Cost Index 2026

What this index is

The index is the WavX cost model written out as tables. Every figure below can be reproduced in one of three public calculators: the app cost calculator, the software cost estimator and the AI cost calculator.

It is a model, and it is stated as one. The figures are WavX's own planning prices in Indian rupees. They were not collected from other companies, and they are not an average of past invoices. The methodology page describes where each part of the model is published.

Use the index for two things: to budget before you speak to anyone, and to check that a figure you read elsewhere on this site agrees with the model.

How a figure is calculated

One formula covers all three calculators.

1. Take the base figure for the build type.
2. Add the fixed price of each feature.
3. Multiply by the multipliers that apply. The result is the subtotal.
4. The planning range is the subtotal × 0.85 to the subtotal × 1.25.

Base figures

A base figure is the starting point for one type of build, before any feature is added and with every multiplier at × 1.0. The range column is the base × 0.85 to the base × 1.25.

Multipliers

Feature prices

Each feature adds the same fixed amount whatever the build.

Worked scenarios

Eleven builds, each with its inputs and arithmetic. All use standard design (× 1.0) unless stated, so that the effect of each choice can be seen separately in the next section. Note that the calculators open with custom design (× 1.25) selected; set design to standard to reproduce these rows.

Apps

Software

AI builds

The RAG row is the configuration the AI cost calculator opens with.

What platform, design and scale do to one build

The multipliers move a figure more than most single features do. Two builds from the tables above, with one input changed at a time. Ranges are rounded to the nearest rupee.

Building two separate native apps costs 60% more in the model than one cross-platform app with the same features. Moving a web application from small to enterprise scale costs 70% more.

The range spread

Every estimate is shown as a range, never a single number. The low end is the subtotal × 0.85 and the high end is the subtotal × 1.25, so the range runs from 15% below the subtotal to 25% above it. The spread is the same for every build type and size. It is wider on the high side because unknowns in scope more often add work than remove it.

Timeline bands

Each calculator attaches a delivery band in weeks to the subtotal. The bands are coarse and they differ between calculators.

Applied to the scenarios:

The price tables on WavX service pages use the AI calculator's three bands for every build type, keyed to the base figure. A larger app or software build will therefore show a longer band in its calculator than on a service page.

Three-year cost

Maintenance after launch is modelled at 15–25% of the build cost per year, the band published in the app maintenance cost guide. The three-year figure is the build plus two further years of maintenance; year one is treated as covered by the build.

• Low total = low build figure + 2 × (15% of the low build figure)
• High total = high build figure + 2 × (25% of the high build figure)

Worked for the simple app: 15% of ₹1,82,750 is ₹27,413, and ₹1,82,750 + 2 × ₹27,413 = ₹2,37,576. 25% of ₹2,68,750 is ₹67,188, and ₹2,68,750 + 2 × ₹67,188 = ₹4,03,126.

The low and high totals compound two assumptions each, so the three-year range is wider than the build range: the high total is always 1.5 times the high build figure, and the low total 1.3 times the low one.

The scenarios as data

The same eleven rows in CSV form, in rupees, for anyone who wants to chart or check them.

scenario,calculator,base,features,multiplier,subtotal,range_low,range_high,weeks,three_year_low,three_year_high
Simple app,app,150000,65000,1.0,215000,182750,268750,4-7,237576,403126
Medium marketplace app,app,400000,395000,1.0,795000,675750,993750,12-20,878476,1490626
Complex app,app,800000,545000,1.0,1345000,1143250,1681250,12-20,1486226,2521876
Internal tool,software,200000,110000,1.0,310000,263500,387500,4-8,342550,581250
Custom web application (small),software,450000,240000,1.0,690000,586500,862500,8-14,762450,1293750
Custom web application (growing),software,450000,240000,1.3,897000,762450,1121250,8-14,991186,1681876
SaaS product,software,700000,390000,1.3,1417000,1204450,1771250,14-22,1565786,2656876
ERP or CRM system,software,900000,340000,1.3,1612000,1370200,2015000,22+,1781260,3022500
AI chatbot,ai,150000,80000,1.0,230000,195500,287500,3-6,254150,431250
RAG assistant,ai,350000,70000,1.25,525000,446250,656250,6-10,580126,984376
AI agent,ai,500000,190000,1.5,1035000,879750,1293750,10-16,1143676,1940626

Methods

What the figures are. WavX's own published planning prices: the base figures, feature prices, multipliers, range spread and timeline bands that the three calculators use, and the maintenance band from the maintenance guide. The scenarios on this page were chosen by WavX to cover common build types. They are examples of the model's output, not records of projects.

What is behind them. No sample. No projects, companies, invoices or quotes were surveyed, and no external dataset was used. For that reason this page states no sample size, no confidence interval and no market average.

How they were produced. Each scenario was computed with the formula above and checked against the model on 2 October 2026. Amounts are rounded to the nearest rupee, with halves rounded up.

What they do not cover.

• Hosting and cloud infrastructure.
• Third-party services such as payment gateways, SMS and maps, and usage-based AI model charges.
• Taxes.
• Business websites, Shopify stores, design-only work and marketing services. The model has figures for app, software and AI builds only; other work is quoted after scoping.
• Anything specific to your project: the number and quality of integrations, data migration, compliance requirements, and how settled the requirements are.
• Other companies' prices. For rates by role see software developer hourly rates in India.

Known weaknesses. A feature costs the same in the model whether it is added to a simple app or an ERP system, which is not true of real work. The multipliers are coarse steps, not a curve. The timeline bands differ between calculators.

How to cite

"WavX Solutions, India Software Development Cost Index 2026, planning range from the WavX cost model, read on [date]." Name the scenario and its inputs. The pricing page explains the difference between a planning range and a quote.

When not to use these figures

If an existing product already does the job, it will cost less than any row on this page, and the guide to build versus buy is the better starting point. If you already have a written scope, skip the model and ask for a quote: a quote reflects your project, and the index cannot.