SaaS Platforms
Single and multi-tenant SaaS products, MVP through Series A. Stripe billing, role-based access, multi-tenant architecture, AI integration where it fits. 12 plus production SaaS shipped since 2020.
Tampa-based · since 2020
Custom software development company. 12+ production platforms shipped since 2020.
DesignKey Studio is a Tampa, Florida-headquartered custom software development company. We build SaaS, mobile apps, AI integrations, internal tools, and custom dashboards for founders and teams who need a senior-only delivery partner without coastal pricing.
12+
Production custom software platforms shipped
6
Industries: fintech, healthcare, EdTech, marketplaces, services, B2B
2020
Year founded; consecutive years of delivery
3
Engagements we walked away from for being wrong-fit
What we build
Six categories of custom software. We have shipped every one of these in production for paying customers.
Mobile Apps
iOS, Android, and React Native. Patient apps, field-service apps, learner apps. Offline-first where it matters, push notifications, deep linking, App Store deployment handled.
AI Integrations
OpenAI, Anthropic, Vercel AI Gateway. RAG with pgvector. Agent workflows. Production AI features in real SaaS products, not demos. We will tell you when AI is the wrong answer.
Internal Tools + Admin Dashboards
The operator surfaces most agencies forget about. Exception queues, bulk operations, audit trails, customer-support tooling. Designed in the same engagement as the customer-facing product, not after.
API Integrations
QuickBooks, Stripe, Salesforce, HubSpot, Plaid, custom partner APIs. Source-of-truth design before sync code so your data does not diverge between systems.
Custom Data Dashboards
Business intelligence specific to your data model. KPI dashboards, cohort retention views, financial reporting. We instrument from day one so you have the data when you need it.
How we are different from a typical custom software company
01
AI-native, not AI-bolted-on
We use AI inside our own delivery (code review, documentation, content drafting) and we ship AI features in production SaaS for clients. Most agencies talk about AI; we have shipped real LLM-powered features that paying customers use.
02
Senior-only engineering
Every engineer on your project has shipped at least three production products. No bait-and-switch with the senior architect on the sales call and juniors on the work. We tell you who is on your team in the SOW.
03
We say no to scope we should not own
We have referred prospects to off-the-shelf tools (Jobber, HubSpot, Webflow). We have walked away from engagements with no validated demand. We have told founders their idea was not ready for engineering. We are not optimizing for billable hours.
Recent custom software builds
Three production platforms across three industries
A fintech trading platform serving retail and institutional investors. A healthcare patient-financing marketplace bridging practices, patients, and lenders. An EdTech learning platform with full author-side content tooling. Three different industries, all shipped, all live.
What custom software development costs
2026 ranges from our actual engagements. Regulated builds (fintech, healthcare) add 20-30 percent for compliance design and review cycles.
| Project type | Investment range | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Single-workflow MVP | $30,000 - $80,000 | 10-14 weeks |
| SaaS MVP (multi-tenant, billing, auth) | $70,000 - $140,000 | 14-20 weeks |
| Mobile app (iOS + Android) | $60,000 - $180,000 | 12-20 weeks |
| Enterprise platform (multi-stakeholder) | $150,000 - $400,000 | 20-32 weeks |
| Regulated build (fintech / healthcare) | Add 20-30% for compliance | Add 2-6 weeks |
| Post-launch retainer | $8,000 - $24,000 / month | 3-6 month minimum |
We give fixed-price quotes when discovery is solid and time-and-materials when scope is genuinely fluid. Either way, weekly written progress reports.
FAQ
Custom software development: common questions
What buyers ask in discovery calls about engaging a custom software development company.
Need custom software built?
No sales pitch. A 30-45 minute discovery call where we tell you honestly whether we are the right fit, including when off-the-shelf or a different agency would serve you better. No charge for the discovery work.
Schedule a discovery call