How long web development takes once design is done: build timelines by platform, from a WordPress site to a React app to custom software, what happens in each phase, and the things that stretch a build.
Key takeaways
- A WordPress or marketing site usually builds in a few weeks; a web app or custom software takes months.
- Our full design-and-build projects run seven to thirteen weeks across four phases.
- The build is rarely the slow part: content, integrations and approvals are.
- A milestone plan with dates, agreed before work starts, is the best protection against delay.
Development timelines by platform
The platform decides more of the timeline than the number of pages. A WordPress site reuses a mature system; a React app builds its own; custom software also builds the logic behind it. The table gives typical ranges for the build alone, after the design is approved.
| What you are building | Typical build time | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress site, up to 5 pages | 2 to 3 weeks | Content and plugins |
| Marketing site, 8 to 40 pages | 3 to 6 weeks | Templates, CMS and content |
| React MVP, up to 20 screens | 4 to 8 weeks | Screens, data and integrations |
| Custom software with dashboards | 6 to 12 weeks or more | Business logic, roles, integrations |
The four phases of a build
Our projects move through four phases with sign-off at the end of each. Discovery and the data model take one to two weeks, architecture and a first working milestone two to three, the build in milestones three to six, and launch with testing and handover one to two.
Across design and build together, that is seven to thirteen weeks for most projects. Website-only projects run four to seven weeks, and focused UI/UX work five to seven.
Related: the full timeline including design.
- Discovery and data model: 1 to 2 weeks
- Architecture and first milestone: 2 to 3 weeks
- Build in milestones: 3 to 6 weeks
- Launch, testing and handover: 1 to 2 weeks
What actually slows development down
Developers are rarely the bottleneck. Builds stretch because content arrives late, because a third-party system needs credentials nobody has, because a decision waits for someone who is away, or because the scope grows a little every week.
Integrations deserve special attention. Payment providers, booking systems, CRMs and old databases all have their own rules and approval processes, and one slow integration can hold up a launch that is otherwise ready.
- Late content and images
- Credentials for third-party systems
- Decisions waiting on one person
- Scope that grows a little each week
- Integrations with their own approval processes
How to shorten the timeline
Have the content written before the build starts. Give the team access to every system it will integrate with in the first week. Name one person who can approve each milestone, and book the reviews for the whole project on day one.
Keep the first release small. Every feature moved to a second phase shortens the first launch, and real users will tell you which of those features actually matter.
Related: our web development service.
How to read a development estimate
A trustworthy estimate breaks the work into milestones with dates, says what you must supply and when, and names what is out of scope. A single date with no milestones tells you very little, because you will not know it has slipped until it already has.
Ask what the estimate assumes. If it assumes content ready on day one and instant approvals, and yours will not be, add that time now rather than discovering it in week six.
- Milestones with dates, not one final date
- What you supply, and by when
- What is out of scope
- The assumptions behind the dates
Why design before development saves time
Changing a screen in a prototype takes minutes; changing it after it is built takes days. Projects that skip design to start coding sooner usually finish later, because the design questions get answered in code, one expensive revision at a time.
That is also why we keep design and development in one team: the developers see the design as it forms, and nothing has to be re-explained at handoff.
Rebuilds and migrations take longer than they look
Replacing an existing site or app adds work a new build does not have: moving content and users, keeping old links working with redirects, matching integrations the old system relied on, and switching over without losing orders, bookings or search rankings.
Plan an extra one to three weeks for a careful migration, and insist on a written redirect map before launch. It is the step most often skipped and the one that costs the most traffic when it is.
Testing and launch take real time
A build is not finished when the last feature works on the developer's machine. It needs testing on real phones and browsers, checks on forms, payments and emails, redirects from any old site, analytics, and a launch plan that avoids breaking what already works.
Budget one to two weeks for this at the end. The 30 days of fixes after launch cover what only real traffic reveals.
What it costs
A website designed and built in WordPress or React is $1,599 for up to five pages, $1,999 for eight and $2,999 for up to thirty, and custom software starts at $4,999. Every price is fixed in writing after discovery, paid 30% at the start, 40% at review and 30% at launch, with a milestone plan and dates before work begins.
If you want the full picture including design, our guide to how long it takes to build a website covers the design phases as well.
