A common buyer hesitation: “Does getting a software estimate cost money?” Sometimes no. Sometimes a paid discovery is the smarter spend. The difference is what you are buying — a ballpark, or a decision-ready plan.
When an estimate should be free
A ballpark range after a short call should usually be free. You share goals, constraints, and rough scope. The partner shares order-of-magnitude cost and timeline bands, plus what would change the number.
That is enough to decide whether a deeper conversation is worth your time. It is not enough to lock a fixed contract for a complex product.
When paid discovery is fair
Pay for discovery when you need:
- a prioritized MVP slice,
- technical risk review (integrations, data, AI, compliance),
- architecture options with trade-offs,
- or a sprint plan you can actually fund.
You are not paying for “a PDF.” You are paying to reduce the cost of being wrong.
What a good estimate includes
- Assumptions written down (and what happens if they break).
- In-scope vs out-of-scope for the first delivery.
- Delivery model (sprints vs fixed) and demo cadence.
- Ownership: repository, cloud, credentials.
- Quality defaults: tests, CI, staging, documentation.
- A range or phased budget — not false precision to the last euro.
An estimate with one exact number and zero assumptions is a sales artifact, not a plan.
Red flags in estimates
- Instant fixed price after a 15-minute chat for a multi-system product.
- No mention of ownership or handover.
- “Unlimited revisions” with no definition of done.
- Pressure to sign before you see how weekly delivery works.
A practical sequence for buyers
- Free call → ballpark fit.
- Optional paid discovery → clear first slice.
- First sprint → working software you can reject or continue.
ConaiSoft offers a short exploratory call at no charge to map fit and a realistic first delivery. If your problem needs deeper discovery, we will say so — and define what that paid work produces before you spend.