Web application maintenance costs are often forgotten when you look at a quote. Yet software isn't finished once it's delivered. There are updates, security holes in the packages it uses, new wishes and sometimes outages. If you don't arrange for that, after a few years you'll have a system that's ageing and getting ever more expensive to fix.
In this article you'll learn exactly what maintenance involves, which costs come with it and how to make a good agreement with your developer.
What does web application maintenance involve?
Maintenance is a catch-all term. It helps to split it into four kinds of work:
- Technical maintenance: updates to the framework, the programming language and the packages used. Without these updates, known security holes stay open.
- Management: hosting, backups, monitoring and fixing outages.
- Small changes: an extra field, changing the text in an email, adjusting a report.
- Further development: new features and larger extensions, as your business grows or changes.
The first two are pretty much always needed. The last two depend on how actively you want to improve the software. You can also agree further development per project, with its own price upfront. That keeps the fixed maintenance clear, and you decide per extension whether you want it.
Which costs come with software maintenance?
When maintaining custom software, you'll usually come across these items:
- Hosting and database: the servers your application runs on. See hosting for a web application.
- Third-party services: for example for sending email, SMS, payments or maps. These often charge per use.
- Licences: if the software includes paid components.
- Developer hours: for updates, checks, small changes and outages.
- Domain name and certificates: usually small, but yearly.
Prices of third-party services change regularly. So ask for an overview of what's currently in use, with an indication of the costs, and check the current price with the provider.
How much does web application maintenance cost per month?
That depends on the size of the system, the number of users and how critical it is to your business. A small internal system used by a few colleagues needs less than a customer portal that hundreds of people log in to. A few questions help you estimate what you need:
- How bad is it if the system doesn't work for a day?
- Does it hold personal or financial data?
- How many integrations with other systems are there? Each integration can break if the other party changes something.
- Do you want to keep extending the system, or does it mainly need to keep running reliably?
The more of these questions you answer with yes, the heavier the maintenance you need. If you want to estimate the total cost of a project, also read how much does a web application cost.
What happens if you skip maintenance?
No maintenance looks like a saving at first. The system works, doesn't it? But the costs are only pushed forward, and they usually grow. This is what often happens:
- An integration suddenly stops because the other party changed something. Nobody notices until a customer calls.
- A security hole comes to light in a package you use, and there's nobody who can close it quickly.
- After a few years the technology used is so old that an update is almost a rebuild.
- The original developer is no longer available and a new partner first has to figure everything out.
Regular small maintenance is almost always cheaper than a big repair every few years. It feels less urgent, but it keeps your system healthy and predictable.
Maintenance contract or ad hoc hours?
You can arrange maintenance in two ways. Both have pros and cons.
- Maintenance contract: a fixed monthly amount for agreed work. Pros: predictable costs, updates happen automatically and you get priority when there's a problem. Con: you also pay in months when little happens.
- Ad hoc hours: you only pay when something gets done. Pro: no fixed costs. Con: updates are often postponed, and when there's an outage you have to hope someone has time quickly.
For software your business runs on, a contract is usually the safer choice. Ad hoc hours suit a small tool that isn't critical.
What to look for in an SLA for your web application
An SLA (service level agreement) sets out what you can expect from the maintenance. Read it carefully and look at:
- Response time: how quickly does someone respond to an outage? Does that apply outside office hours too?
- What's included in the price: updates, backups, monitoring, a number of hours for changes?
- What isn't included, and at what rate it's charged.
- Term and notice period.
- What happens to your code and data if you stop or switch.
Common mistakes in maintaining custom software
- Leaving maintenance out of the budget. Then the cheapest quote looks like the best deal, while in a few years it turns out differently. See also comparing web agency quotes.
- Skipping updates for years. Then the jump to a new version becomes big and expensive.
- No documentation. If only the original developer knows how it works, you're dependent on them.
- No ownership of the code. Make sure you're the owner, so you can always switch.
Violexa maintenance plans
At Violexa we build custom web applications from €1,799 excl. VAT (€2,177 incl. VAT) per project. For the period after that we have three maintenance plans, so updates, backups and small changes are taken care of:
- Silver: €179 per month excl. VAT (€217 incl. VAT).
- Gold: €299 per month excl. VAT (€362 incl. VAT).
- Platinum: €699 per month excl. VAT (€846 incl. VAT).
The first 12 months are fixed. After that, each plan can be cancelled monthly by email, with one month's notice. Which plan fits depends on your system and how critical it is. See all prices on our pricing page.
Want to know what maintenance your application needs? Book a free quickscan. In 30 minutes, online or on site, we discuss your situation. Afterwards you get short written advice with a price indication, with no obligation.
Frequently asked questions
How much does web application maintenance cost?
That depends on the size, the number of users and how critical the system is. Budget for hosting, third-party services and hours for updates and changes. At Violexa, maintenance plans start at €179 per month excl. VAT (€217 incl. VAT).
Is software maintenance really necessary?
Yes, if you want to keep the system secure and working. The packages it uses get regular security updates, and integrations with other systems change. Without maintenance, software ages quickly.
What is an SLA?
An SLA is a service level agreement: an agreement on what you can expect from the maintenance. Think of response times for outages, what's included in the price and how long the contract runs.
Can I have someone other than the original developer handle maintenance?
Yes, if you own the code and there's good documentation. A new partner will need some time to get to know the system, though. That's why you should agree on ownership upfront.
