AL+

RO EN

paul@alplustech.com

Custom software for work your current tools can't handle

When spreadsheets, copied data or a missing product feature cost you time or sales, we build the software that fixes it. Before any code, we agree in writing what it must do, what is left out, and one price for that scope. You try working software every week, and the code we write for you is yours.

Email Paul about your project

When custom software is worth building

Start with the problem. A useful project removes one specific bottleneck: the same data typed into three places, a customer process split across tools, or a product your customers can't buy today.

If a product you can buy does the job with sensible configuration, buy it, and we will tell you so. Custom software makes sense when the workflow, the integrations or the product itself matter enough to pay for building and running a system of your own.

What we build

  • Customer-facing products

    Web applications, MVPs and SaaS products with accounts, permissions, business workflows and billing where the product needs them. We start with one complete customer journey, then add to it.

  • Internal tools

    Order tracking, scheduling, approvals, reporting and admin screens that replace the spreadsheet your team works from all day. We design around how staff really use the system, interruptions and mistakes included.

  • APIs and integrations

    Connections between the systems you already pay for, so nobody copies information between them by hand. We decide which system owns each record and what happens when a provider is down. See API development and integration.

  • iOS apps

    Native iPhone and iPad apps, through App Store review and the updates after it. See iOS app development.

How a project runs

  • 1. A conversation about the problem

    You tell us what is going wrong or what is missing. We ask about the people who will use the software, the data it needs, the tools you already pay for and your deadline. You don't need a specification.

  • 2. A written scope with one fixed price

    One document says what the software must do, who uses it, what is left out, how we will both check that it works, and what you will be able to try at the end of the first week. One fixed price covers that scope.

  • 3. One-week sprints with a demo

    Each week ends with software you use yourself. A short sprint note says what shipped and what comes next, and you decide what the following week covers.

  • 4. Tests and review on every change

    Each change comes with the tests it has to pass, and an experienced engineer reads it before it is merged. A change that fails either check goes back with a note on what to fix.

  • 5. Changes priced before they are built

    If you want something the scope doesn't cover, we write down the difference and agree its price first. We also explain whether a change in priorities affects the schedule or agreed work.

  • 6. A handover you can use

    The code, the tests, the sprint notes and a runbook that says how to deploy, roll back and restore, and whom to contact at each provider. Our software maintenance service covers the work after launch, if you want us to stay.

The terms, in plain words

  • The first-week guarantee

    Before we start, we agree one result you can check at the end of the first week, such as a screen your team can use with your own data, and how we will judge it. If we don't deliver that result, we refund the fee for that week. The refund covers the first week only. It doesn't cover the rest of the project, and it is not a promise that the software is ready for customers after one week.

  • Weekly payment, one week's notice

    You pay each week in advance, and either side can stop with one week's notice. You keep everything built up to that point.

  • Running costs, listed separately

    Hosting, domains, paid services such as email delivery or payments, and maintenance after launch are not part of the build price. The scope lists them, with estimated usage and assumptions, so you can budget for running the software.

  • What you own

    The code we write for you is yours. Hosting, domain, app store and payment accounts are opened in your company's name. Open-source libraries and third-party services stay under their own licenses and terms.

What decides the price

The number of workflows, user roles, integrations, data migrations and operating needs matters more than the number of screens. Open questions cost work too, because someone has to answer them before the software can behave correctly.

We fix the price after we understand the project, never before. If you want to prepare, how to prepare a custom software development brief is a practical starting point. It is optional.

Software we built and still run

  • PostDeploy

    Error tracking that collects production errors, logs and deployments from an app's existing Sentry SDK. The same kind of integration work most business systems need.

  • KeySend

    Checks Google Ads accounts every day and builds a client-ready PDF report each week. Scheduled jobs, a third-party API and generated documents.

  • CrabGate

    Ticketing with events, payments through the organizer's own Stripe account, buyer emails and check-in at the door.

Explore their screens and the product websites. More on each in our products.

Technologies we know well

Ruby on Rails, Elixir and Phoenix, Rust with Loco, PostgreSQL and SQLite, and native iOS in Swift. Paul, who founded AL+, has more than 12 years of building software, mostly in Ruby on Rails, Elixir and PostgreSQL.

If your existing system runs on something else, we look at it before agreeing to anything and tell you plainly whether we are the right team for it. For an existing Rails application, see Ruby on Rails development.

Who this is for

  • A good fit

    A small or medium business, or a founder, with a problem software can fix and a reason to fix it soon. You want to see progress every week and own the result.

  • Look elsewhere if

    You need developers rented by the hour, a large team for a multi-year programme, or a launch date fixed before anyone has looked at the work. If you already have software, see software takeover, modernization or application repair. We look at what exists before recommending a new build.

Questions about custom software projects

  • Do I need a detailed brief before I contact you?

    No. Describe the problem, who it affects and what you use today. We ask the questions that matter for the scope, and we write the scope with you.

  • Will you tell me the price on the first call?

    No. The first call is for understanding the problem and deciding whether we are the right team for it. Once we know enough, we send a written scope with one fixed price for that scope.

  • What does the fixed price include?

    The work described in the written scope. Hosting, domains, paid third-party services and support after launch are listed separately, with usage assumptions so you can estimate running costs before you commit.

  • What if I change my mind halfway?

    You can reorder priorities at any weekly demo, within the scope. If a change adds work the scope doesn't cover, we write down the difference and agree its price before we build it.

  • Who owns the code?

    You own the code we write for you, from the first commit, in a repository under your account. Open-source libraries and paid services the software uses keep their own licenses and terms, and the accounts for them are opened in your company's name.

  • How do I know the software works?

    You use it yourself at every weekly demo. Every change also has tests and is read by an experienced engineer before it is merged. No team can promise software without defects, so the scope also says who fixes problems after launch and how.

  • Do you work with clients outside Romania?

    Yes. We work remotely, with clients in any country, in English or Romanian. We agree how and when we talk before we start.

Related thoughts

Tell us what is slowing your business down

A few sentences are enough: what happens today, who it affects, what you already use, and any deadline. Mention a budget limit if you have one. You don't need a finished brief or to know which technology to use.

Email Paul about your project See the products we built and run

We reply within one working day. If the project fits, the first call is 30 minutes and free. A written quote follows scope clarification or an agreed assessment.