How much does a web GIS application cost?

"How much would that cost us?" is the first question in every meeting, and "it depends" helps nobody. It does depend, of course — but what it depends on can be explained. This article walks through the factors that determine the price of a web GIS application, so your expectations are realistic before you ask for a quote.

Four factors that carry most of the price

First, functional scope: a spatial data viewer with search is far simpler than a system with data editing, user roles and workflows. Second, your data: if it is clean and digital, part of the work disappears; if it needs digitising, georeferencing or cleaning, that is a project of its own. Third, integrations — connecting to existing systems (ERP, document management, public services) can be more work than the map itself. Fourth, maintenance: an application without a maintenance plan becomes a liability within two years, so a serious quote always includes it.

Rough orders of magnitude

With all caveats, the orders of magnitude look like this: a simple public data viewer on ready-made basemaps is typically a project of a few thousand euros; an application with login, custom layers and data editing is a mid-size project in the tens of thousands; a complete system with a mobile app, workflows and integrations goes beyond that. Exact figures depend on each factor above — which is why the ranges are wide, but the ratios between categories are quite stable.

How open source lowers the cost

Licences historically made up a significant share of GIS project costs. Today an entire system can be built on open-source tools — GeoServer for serving data, OpenLayers for the map in the browser, PostgreSQL/PostGIS for the database — with no licences and no vendor lock-in. You pay for expertise and work, not for the right to use software.

Start small, grow with your needs

The best cost control is a phased approach: the first version solves one concrete problem (for example, all your data visible on one map), and upgrades come once the first version proves itself in practice. You pay only for what is actually used — avoiding the most expensive outcome of all: a large system nobody opens.

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