How does Softblues pricing work?
Every engagement is fixed price, scoped on a call, with a payback line. We start with a paid first step that maps your use-cases or process, so the build price is grounded in your real numbers rather than a guess. Production in about 90 days, GBP, and money back if the proof of concept fails.
What are you paying for, and when?
Three parts, in order, so you always know the cost before the next step.
A paid, scoped first step
Every engagement starts with a short, paid Strategy and Roadmap or Process Discovery. We map the use-cases or the process and the cost of doing it by hand, so the build is priced against your real numbers, not a guess.
A fixed-price build with a payback line
The first step returns a fixed-price quote with a payback line, so you know the cost and when the investment returns before you commit. No open-ended billing, no surprises mid-project.
An optional retainer
After launch, an optional Continuous Partnership retainer keeps it healthy: evals, monitoring, an SLA, and new use-cases as you grow. You choose whether to take it.
How does the payback line work?
Every build we scope carries a payback line: the point at which the saving covers the cost. As a rule of thumb, a £20,000 build that saves £4,000 a month pays for itself in about five months. You can estimate your own numbers before we even speak.
Estimate your savingPricing and payback: at a glance
- How it works
- A paid scoped first step, then a fixed-price build, then an optional retainer.
- First step
- A short, paid Strategy and Roadmap or Process Discovery that prices the build against your real process.
- The build
- Fixed price, quoted on a call, with a payback line. No open-ended billing.
- Guarantee
- Production in about 90 days, money back if the proof of concept fails.
- Payback example
- A £20,000 build that saves £4,000 a month pays for itself in about five months.
- Currency
- GBP, quoted up front.
Common questions about pricing
How does Softblues pricing work?
In three parts: a paid, scoped first step (a Strategy and Roadmap or a Process Discovery), then a fixed-price build with a payback line, then an optional retainer for ongoing partnership. The first step grounds the build price in your real process.
What does it cost?
Every engagement is fixed price, scoped on a call, in GBP. We hold off on a number until the paid first step has mapped your use-cases or process, because that is what makes the quote accurate rather than a guess.
Why do you charge for the first step?
Because it produces real work: a process or use-case map, a prioritised plan, and a fixed-price quote with a payback line that you keep whether or not you build. It is discovery, not a sales call.
What is a payback line?
It is the point at which the saving covers the cost. As a rule of thumb, a £20,000 build that saves £4,000 a month pays for itself in about five months. We put a payback line on every build we scope.
Is there an ongoing cost after launch?
Only if you want one. Continuous Partnership is an optional retainer covering evals, monitoring, an SLA and new use-cases. Many clients take it; it is not required to keep your system running.
What if the proof of concept fails?
You get your money back. We stand behind the build with a money-back proof of concept, so the risk of the first build sits with us, not you.
Want a number for your project?
Book a discovery call and we will scope the first step, then come back with a fixed-price plan and a payback line. We respond within 24 hours.
Last updated: June 2026