By Design UK is a UK-based software development company that sits between a solo freelancer and a traditional agency. We build production-ready SaaS platforms at fixed prices, using AI-accelerated development workflows to move faster than most agencies while keeping the personal accountability freelancers can’t always offer. Every client owns 100% of their source code, with no lock-in and no ambiguity about who controls the product.
We’re not a marketing shop that outsources the build, and we’re not a single contractor juggling five other projects. We’re a focused team that designs, builds, and supports SaaS products end to end, from first architecture decision through to post-launch scaling. If you’re comparing SaaS development options in the UK, this page explains how we work, what it costs, and why our own product, Tackly.co.uk, proves we can deliver.
A proper SaaS development partner does far more than write code. We handle product scoping, technical architecture, UI/UX, backend infrastructure, payments and subscriptions, security, and deployment pipelines. We also plan for what happens after launch: monitoring, bug fixes, feature iteration, and scaling as user numbers grow. That’s why we pair every build with an optional support plan, so your platform doesn’t stall the moment it ships.
SaaS build costs vary hugely depending on complexity, integrations, and scale. As a general guide, our SaaS builds range from £18,000 for a focused MVP up to £650,000+ for complex, multi-tenant platforms with heavy integrations, custom infrastructure, and enterprise-grade compliance requirements. Most early-stage founders land in the lower-to-middle part of that range once core features, authentication, billing, and a clean UI are accounted for. We agree the fixed price upfront, before any code is written, so there are no surprise invoices as the project progresses.
For businesses that need an ecommerce storefront rather than a full SaaS product, our Shopify build services start from £499 and run up to £18,999 depending on custom theming, app integrations, and checkout complexity. Ongoing support plans start from £797/month for SaaS platforms and £299/month for Shopify stores, covering monitoring, updates, and priority fixes.
Talk is cheap in software development, so we point to something real. Tackly.co.uk is a live, multi-toolkit SaaS platform that we designed, built, and continue to operate ourselves. It handles real users, real subscriptions, and real infrastructure decisions every day. It’s not a case study written after the fact, it’s evidence that we understand the operational realities of running a SaaS product, not just shipping one. When you work with us, you’re working with a team that has skin in the game on its own platform, not just client work.
Freelancers are often cheaper upfront, but reliability varies wildly. Projects stall when a freelancer gets a bigger client, goes on holiday, or simply disappears, and you’re frequently left without proper documentation or clear ownership of your own codebase. Traditional agencies solve the reliability problem but introduce new ones: long discovery phases, opaque day-rate pricing that balloons past the original quote, and layers of account managers between you and the actual developers. Timelines stretch, costs creep, and you rarely get a fixed number to plan around.
By Design UK sits deliberately in between. You get a UK-based team, a fixed price agreed before work starts, direct access to the people building your product, and full ownership of the source code from day one. There’s no dependency on one individual, and no agency-scale overhead inflating your invoice.
Whether you’re validating a new SaaS idea or rebuilding an existing platform that’s outgrown its original codebase, we scope the project properly before quoting, so the fixed price reflects the real work involved. Get in touch via our contact page or learn more about the team on our about page.
Most MVP-level SaaS builds take between 6 and 16 weeks depending on feature scope, integrations, and design complexity. Larger enterprise-grade platforms take longer and are scoped individually.
Yes. Full source code ownership transfers to you on completion. There’s no licensing arrangement, retained IP, or dependency on us continuing to host or manage the code unless you choose an ongoing support plan.
The initial quote is fixed for the agreed scope. If you add features mid-project, we quote those additions separately and transparently before any extra work begins, so there are no surprise charges.
Yes. Our SaaS support plans start from £797/month and cover monitoring, bug fixes, security updates, and ongoing feature development so your platform keeps improving after launch.
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