How much would it cost to build an app like LimpaRota?
Figures based on public Portuguese and European market data. Where there are assumptions, they are marked as estimate.
€43,500
to build, in the cheapest scenario (in-house team, about 5.7 months) estimate
+€6,500/year
in maintenance from year 2 (15–20% of the build cost per year)4
€15,540
5 years of LimpaRota Premium (€259/month, excl. VAT), with improvements included
Build and maintain vs. subscribe, over 5 years
Choose a scenario. Build costs do not include servers (about €200–€1,500/month)4, so they are on the low side.
1,590 hours of work estimate · about 5.7 months with 2 developers · maintenance of 15% per year from year 2
| Option | 1 year | 3 years | 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-house team (2 developers, €27/h) | €43,500 | €56,600 | €69,600 |
| Freelancer (€25/h) | €39,800 | €51,700 | €63,600 |
| Agency (€40/h) | €63,600 | €82,700 | €101,800 |
| LimpaRota Professional (€119/month) | €1,428 | €4,284 | €7,140 |
| LimpaRota Premium (€259/month) | €3,108 | €9,324 | €15,540 |
2,295 hours of work estimate · about 8.2 months with 2 developers · maintenance of 17.5% per year from year 2
| Option | 1 year | 3 years | 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-house team (2 developers, €27/h) | €62,800 | €84,800 | €106,800 |
| Freelancer (€35/h) | €80,300 | €108,400 | €136,600 |
| Agency (€70/h) | €160,700 | €216,900 | €273,100 |
| LimpaRota Professional (€119/month) | €1,428 | €4,284 | €7,140 |
| LimpaRota Premium (€259/month) | €3,108 | €9,324 | €15,540 |
3,000 hours of work estimate · about 10.7 months with 2 developers · maintenance of 20% per year from year 2
| Option | 1 year | 3 years | 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-house team (2 developers, €27/h) | €82,100 | €114,900 | €147,800 |
| Freelancer (€60/h) | €180,000 | €252,000 | €324,000 |
| Agency (€100/h) | €300,000 | €420,000 | €540,000 |
| LimpaRota Professional (€119/month) | €1,428 | €4,284 | €7,140 |
| LimpaRota Premium (€259/month) | €3,108 | €9,324 | €15,540 |
Even the largest plan (Premium with up to 2000 toilets, €599/month) comes to €35,940 over 5 years — less than building in the cheapest scenario.
Hours of work per part of the app
The hours are an estimate based on the features LimpaRota already has working.
| Part of the app | Hours (min.–max.) |
|---|---|
| Multiple companies, each with its own separate data | 120–200 |
| Admin panel | 200–350 |
| Worker app that works offline | 160–280 |
| Before and after photos (with torch) and GPS | 80–140 |
| Routes by zones, vans and days, by road, with a map | 200–400 |
| QR labels (5 designs, A4) and problem reports from the public | 60–110 |
| Client portal | 60–120 |
| Inventory, deliveries and pickups with advance notice | 100–180 |
| Import from Google Maps | 40–80 |
| Fleet, fuel and transport documents | 60–120 |
| Reports | 60–120 |
| Multiple languages | 40–80 |
| Automatic emails | 30–60 |
| Plans and payments | 60–120 |
| Automated tests and quality control | 120–240 |
| Design and user experience | 100–200 |
| Project management, servers and deployment | 100–200 |
| Total | 1,590–3,000 |
What a developer costs in Portugal
| What | Value |
|---|---|
| Full-stack developer, gross salary per year (under 3 years · 3 to 6 years · over 6 years)1 | €23,929 · €37,153 · €52,880 |
| Full-stack developer in Lisbon, gross salary per year2 | €40,000–€65,000 |
| Social Security paid by the employer3 | 23.75% |
| Cost to the company of a developer with 3 to 6 years (salary + Social Security) | €45,977/year |
| Freelancers in Portugal, per hour45 | €15–€60 |
| Agencies in Portugal, per hour5 | €40–€100 |
| Companies in Western Europe, per hour4 | €95–€130 |
| Maintenance per year, as a percentage of the build cost4911 | 15–25% |
| Extra cost from changes mid-project4 | 10–25% |
Other references, in dollars (not used in the figures): Lemon.io6, Clutch78, GoodFirms9.
What you gain by subscribing
Start today
No waiting months for a build: create the account and start using it the same day.
No upfront investment
Pay monthly and cancel whenever you want. Annual plan: pay 10 months, use 12.
14 days free
Try it with your team and clients before paying. No card.
Improvements included
New features and fixes arrive at no extra cost.
No developers to manage
Servers, backups and updates are on our side.
Your data kept separate
Each company's data is kept separate from the others.
Made for portable toilets
Routes, photos, QR, inventory, transport documents and client portal designed for this work.
Assumptions
- In-house team: 2 developers with 3 to 6 years of experience, 280 productive hours per month in total estimate.
- Total cost over N years = build + build × maintenance × (N − 1).
- Scenarios estimate: cheapest 1,590 h, €25/h freelancer, €40/h agency, 15% maintenance · middle 2,295 h, €35/h, €70/h, 17.5% · most expensive 3,000 h, €60/h, €100/h, 20%.
- Not included (which makes the figures conservative): servers, maps and routing, email sending, app stores and the owner's time overseeing the project.
- LimpaRota prices excl. VAT (23%), monthly plan. On the annual plan you pay 10 months and use 12.
Where the figures come from
- Landing.Jobs — Tech Talent Trends Report 2025 (developer salaries in Portugal)
- Michael Page — Salary Survey 2026, Portugal (public copy)
- PwC — Tax Guide 2026: Social Security
- Caixa Mágica — Cost of software development in Portugal
- João Trapalhão — How much does it cost to make an app in Portugal
- Lemon.io — rate calculator, Portugal
- Clutch — development company pricing
- Clutch — IT services companies in Portugal
- GoodFirms — cost to develop an app
- Lusivision — How much does it cost to create a mobile app in Portugal (2026)
- MG Software — cost of custom software maintenance
- Fierce Network — maintaining an app
Start today, without building anything
Try it free for 14 days, with your whole team and all your clients. No card needed.