Pricing
What a custom Rails project costs depends on its scope — there's no honest way to put a single number on "build me a Rails app." Instead of a fixed price list, Octane Labs works in three engagement models. Every project is scoped and quoted after a short discovery conversation, once we actually understand what you need built.
Discovery & scoping
A short, focused paid engagement to map requirements, de-risk the build, and produce a concrete plan and estimate before you commit to a full project. This is the right starting point when the scope isn't fully clear yet — we work through the unknowns together instead of guessing at a number upfront.
Fixed-scope build
A defined project with agreed deliverables, shipped in small, reviewable increments toward a milestone. This works well once the requirements are well understood — you know what you're getting, and you see progress along the way instead of one big handoff at the end.
Ongoing partnership / retainer
Continuous development, maintenance, and improvement for teams that need a long-term partner — full-time or fractional, depending on what fits. This is the right fit for products that keep evolving after launch and need someone who already knows the codebase to keep shipping fixes and features.
What shapes a quote
A few factors determine what a given engagement costs, which is why we don't publish a fixed price list:
- The scope and complexity of the work
- How many third-party integrations are involved
- The condition of any existing code — a greenfield build versus a rescue of a legacy codebase
- Your timeline and how much runway there is to plan around it
- How much ongoing involvement you need after launch
We quote each project individually because an honest number requires understanding your actual requirements — not a generic template. The best way to get a real number is to start with a discovery conversation. For a deeper look at what drives custom software cost across different build approaches, see our guide on what a custom web app costs.
Ready for a real number?
Tell us what you're building and we'll tell you how we'd approach it and what it would take.