How Much Does it Cost to Develop Software in Dubai?

Dubai is a pioneer of tech innovation and a centre of international trade and business to attract investment from top giants like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google. Being the capital of Dubai, the city attracts entrepreneurial culture, government regulations, and investor growth. Blending with the digital ecosystem, developers can offer software solutions like SaaS platform, Custom software solutions, and mobile apps. Software development extends its usability for construction, finance, healthcare, retail, and logistics sectors. The UAE’s software market is witnessing a CAGR of 5.26% to reach $2.48 billion by the year 2029.

Now, the question arises of how much software development costs in Dubai? In general, this might range between $8,000 to beyond $1,00,000 following research planning, customized features, project requirements, platform or technology, and deployment. Whether you prefer to develop simple, moderate, or complex software, the cost will vary for hiring experienced developers.

Here is a comprehensive blog to guide you on the cost to build a software in Dubai and factors affecting cost such as design, platforms, complexity, and expertise.

What is Software Development?

Software development is defined as the process of designing software, integrating features, and testing to deploy easy-to-use software. Software developers, also known as programmers or coders, use programming language and frameworks to develop multiple forms of system, application, and programming software.

Let’s list down on the phases of software development:

• Gathering Requirements: It starts with analysing the need, objective, and project constraints to comprehend what the client requires and how software development can solve the issue.
• UI Design: Next, developers work on framing software architecture by setting wireframes, creating different prototypes, and designing systems.
• Implementation: Developers start with code, design, programming language, frameworks, and project tools to handle version control for model implementation.
• Testing: It follows through with functional and non-functional testing using automation tools to measure performance, usability, speed, stability, and security.
• Deployment: Software can be deployed using on-premise servers or cloud-based infrastructure. Developers should consider data migration techniques or A/B testing to launch the software.
• Support and Maintenance: After the deployment phase, developers work on finding bugs, addressing issues, and providing regular updates for software maintenance.

Cost to Build a Software In Dubai (Complexity, Cost, Time Duration)



While developing software in Dubai, it is essential to consider the potential cost incurred for each development step. Determining the estimated cost to develop software in Dubai depends on which software types, the development team, complexities, timelines, and compliances. Here is a table representing the cost distribution for software development:

Here is another comprehensive table representing the cost to develop a software in Dubai, considering different types of software and features:

Software Type	Estimated Cost (USD)	Planning & Design	Development	Testing & Deployment	Maintenance (Annual)	Total Estimation
Basic Mobile App	$8,000 – $27,000	$2,000 – $5,000	$4,000 – $18,000	$2,000 – $4,000	$3,000 – $10,000	$11,000 – $37,000
E-commerce Platform	$22,000 – $82,000	$5,000 – $12,000	$10,000 – $55,000	$7,000 – $15,000	$10,000 – $25,000	$32,000 – $107,000
Custom Web App	$27,000 – $136,000	$8,000 – $20,000	$15,000 – $90,000	$10,000 – $26,000	$15,000 – $50,000	$42,000 – $186,000
Enterprise Software	$82,000 – $273,000+	$20,000 – $50,000	$40,000 – $170,000	$22,000 – $53,000	$30,000 – $100,000	$112,000 – $373,000+
AI/Blockchain App	$136,000 – $545,000+	$30,000 – $70,000	$70,000 – $400,000	$36,000 – $75,000	$50,000 – $200,000	$186,000 – $745,000+

Development Cost Based on Feature Types

Software Type	Estimated Cost (AED)	Development Time	Key Features	Example Applications
Basic Website	5,000 – 50,000	2 – 6 weeks	Static pages, contact forms, basic SEO	Company website, blog, portfolio
eCommerce Platform	50,000 – 300,000	2 – 6 months	Product catalog, payment gateway, order management	Online store, multi-vendor apps
Mobile App (Simple)	30,000 – 150,000	2 – 4 months	Basic UI, offline support, push notifications	Fitness tracker, news app
Enterprise Software	200,000 – 1,000,000+	6 – 12 months	User roles, dashboards, data analytics	CRM, ERP, HRMS
SaaS Platform	300,000 – 2,000,000+	6 – 24 months	Multi-tenancy, subscription models, API integrations	Project management, cloud-based tools
Fintech Solution	500,000 – 2,000,000+	6 – 18 months	High security, KYC, real-time transactions	Banking app, digital wallet
AI & ML-based Software	400,000 – 2,000,000+	6 – 24 months	Machine learning models, NLP, automation	Chatbots, recommendation engines
Blockchain Application	500,000 – 2,500,000+	6 – 24 months	Decentralized ledger, security, tokenization	Crypto exchange, smart contracts
On-Demand Service App	150,000 – 800,000	4 – 12 months	Live tracking, payment integration, user ratings	Uber-like apps, food delivery

Factors Affecting the Cost to Build Software in Dubai


When deciding on the development cost for software, developers consider multiple factors depending on the project size, scale, and market expectations. That is why when you consult different development companies, there will be a variation in the cost estimates of your projects. Here are some factors:

Software Types

One of the core factors to decide on developing cost is which type of software you prefer. Whether it is web applications, mobile app development, enterprise solutions, or tech-specific software, cost will increase for niche expertise and more innovation.

Project Size

It also depends on project size and scale; the basic ones, like landing pages or pilot projects, will take 2 to 4 months with an estimated cost of $5,000 to $50,000. While large-scale requires complex features, integration and multi-models take more than 8 months to exceed a cost of $1,00,000.

Developer Team

Big projects need more skilled brains like web designers, developers, testers, or project managers to work along. Hourly rate varies as tech Lead charges between $28 to $30, while a senior software developer charges between $25 to $30. As team structure and size expand, it will add to the development cost.

Design Complexity

If you are looking for basic UI/UX software design with minimum customization, it will cost less than $6,000 to $30,000. However, developers creating complex features or advanced versions with multiple users, features, testing, and tools will account for $30,000 to $50,000.

Third-Party Integration

Feature integration will also fluctuate cost; on one side, basic integration accounts for less cost while complex integration, like APIs, GPS, and real-time tracking tools, will increase development cost.

Must-Have Features to Build Software


Organizations invest in software to improve operational efficiency, workflows, and competitiveness. But what’s the key element of building a software – its features! From basic to advanced features, integrating the right one within budget and timeframe can improve usability and ease deployment.

Here is the list of must-have features for the cost to build a software in Dubai:

Intuitive Design

Having a clear and simple user interface for software works to deliver user-friendly experiences. It should be optimized for desktop, mobile, or tablet to enhance usability and easy navigation. Elements of UI/UX design integrate clear menus, structured dashboards, custom themes, and color themes that can improve user engagement.

User Authentication

Any software requires user profiles and registration using email, phone number, or social media logins. This feature focuses on usability with signup, password management, role-based access control, and authentication metrics of OTP, biometrics, and email verification.

Storage Management

Software requires inputs to function and deliver services, adding the feature of database management that can store and retrieve data with SQL and NoSQL data, cloud integration of AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure, and data backup and recovery.

Function Integration

Every software is developed to solve a problem, and developers integrate functions based on that. For instance, an eCommerce website should add product listings, a shopping cart, or a payment gateway to increase sales. Fintech and SaaS platforms should integrate user profiles, subscriptions, secure transactions, and KYC details.

Alerts and Notifications

It includes push notifications, the most common feature to send alerts for messages, updates, or promotions. Also, this integrates email or SMS notification to verify the account and receive order confirmation. System alerts can also help to share security warnings, errors, and maintenance updates.

APIs and Third-Party Apps

By extending the software capabilities, additional features can be integrated, such as Stripe, PayPal, or Razorpay payment gateways, and marketing tools such as Google Analytics and Mailchimp to push marketing.

Custom Support

Any software type focuses on improving user experience with assistance, including live chat, help center, FAQs, user feedback, and reviews. Additionally, for food or grocery-related software, developers can add live call assistance, ticket system, and social media support to handle queries.

How can Ninehertz help you in Software Development in Dubai?

Businesses are expanding to source with high-tech software that delivers scalable, secure, and performing solutions. Whether you are looking for operation or marketing-related solutions, selecting the right software development company in Dubai will secure final deployment. NineHertz is one of the top choices for software development, providing software consulting, software product development, enterprise software, low-code development, and IT consulting.

With spending over 15 years in the industry and making it to America’s fastest-growing companies 2023, NineHertz has delivered more than 1300 projects for different industries. So, whether you are looking for ERP software, Fintech, Supply chain, HR software, LMS, eCommerce, or web CRM, top skilled experts are ready with custom solutions.

Conclusion

Technology is upgrading on a large scale, especially after AI implementation, machine learning, blockchain, IoT, and automation. Low-code and no-code solutions can create software with no delays and turn development faster. A software development company in Dubai is investing in these core innovations to deliver fully customized solutions. However, based on your choice of software types, hybrid or cross-platform frameworks, open source or pre-built templates, the development cost will vary in Dubai. Following a comprehensive approach and comparing the cost to develop a software in Dubai will help you find the ideal development team to deliver the best in a minimal cost investment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What factors influence the cost of software development in Dubai?

Some key factors that affect development cost in Dubai are feature complexities, the development team, technology stack, UI/UX design, infrastructure cost, third-party integrations, security, and compliances.

How to Reduce the Cost to Build a Software?

You can follow the approach of launching a minimum viable product, choosing a budget-specific development team, avoiding overengineering, using cloud hosting, limiting complex animation or graphics, and automating testing to reduce the development cost.

Is it more expensive to develop software in Dubai compared to other countries?

Yes, Dubai is a center point of innovation and expensive in comparison to other offshore locations of Asia like India and Pakistan or Europe. Developers can charge between 50 to 500 (AED) on an hourly basis to develop software. However, it is much cheaper than the US and UK.

Are there any hidden costs when hiring software developers in Dubai?

Yes, it comprises additional benefits for employees, such as business licensing, government taxation, hiring costs, paid tools or software, office workspaces, and training costs.

What are the common pricing models for software development in Dubai?

Some common pricing models for software development are the fixed price model, T&M (Time and Material ) model, flat pricing, freemium, per-user, value-based, and hybrid models.