The short answer
The Monarch Rose is a New York City custom software practice run by Theodore Rose, an engineer with over 14 years of enterprise experience. I build booking systems, customer portals, CRMs, payment systems, workflow automation, AI tools and multi-tenant SaaS for businesses in NYC and nationwide, with published starting prices from $2,500, direct access to the person writing your code, and software you fully own.
What I build for New York businesses
Every project starts with how your business actually runs. Most clients come to me with a process that lives in spreadsheets, a tool they've outgrown, or an idea for a product. Starting prices and typical timelines for each service:
Websites & web applications
- Starting price
- Websites from $1,500
- Typical timeline
- Delivered within 48 hours
Mobile apps
- Starting price
- From $25,000
- Typical timeline
- Typically 8–16 weeks
Booking & scheduling
- Starting price
- From $15,000
- Typical timeline
- Typically 4–8 weeks
Customer & employee portals
- Starting price
- From $10,000
- Typical timeline
- Typically 4–8 weeks
CRM & customer management
- Starting price
- From $20,000
- Typical timeline
- Typically 6–12 weeks
Payments & billing
- Starting price
- From $5,000
- Typical timeline
- Typically 1–4 weeks
Workflow automation
- Starting price
- From $2,500
- Typical timeline
- Typically 1–3 weeks per workflow
AI tools & assistants
- Starting price
- From $10,000
- Typical timeline
- Typically 2–8 weeks
Databases & reporting
- Starting price
- From $7,500
- Typical timeline
- Typically 2–6 weeks
System integrations
- Starting price
- From $5,000
- Typical timeline
- Typically 1–4 weeks
Custom internal tools
- Starting price
- From $7,500
- Typical timeline
- Typically 2–6 weeks
Multi-tenant SaaS
- Starting price
- From $20,000/month retainer
- Typical timeline
- 3–12 months depending on complexity
Fractional CTO
- Starting price
- $12,000/month, in cash
- Typical timeline
- Ongoing, two days a week
| Service | Starting price | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Websites & web applications | Websites from $1,500 | Delivered within 48 hours |
| Mobile apps | From $25,000 | Typically 8–16 weeks |
| Booking & scheduling | From $15,000 | Typically 4–8 weeks |
| Customer & employee portals | From $10,000 | Typically 4–8 weeks |
| CRM & customer management | From $20,000 | Typically 6–12 weeks |
| Payments & billing | From $5,000 | Typically 1–4 weeks |
| Workflow automation | From $2,500 | Typically 1–3 weeks per workflow |
| AI tools & assistants | From $10,000 | Typically 2–8 weeks |
| Databases & reporting | From $7,500 | Typically 2–6 weeks |
| System integrations | From $5,000 | Typically 1–4 weeks |
| Custom internal tools | From $7,500 | Typically 2–6 weeks |
| Multi-tenant SaaS | From $20,000/month retainer | 3–12 months depending on complexity |
| Fractional CTO | $12,000/month, in cash | Ongoing, two days a week |
How a local engineer compares with NYC agencies and offshore teams
Many firms that rank for "NYC software development" are headquartered elsewhere and run delivery teams in other states or countries. That can work well for large programs. For most small and mid-sized businesses, the trade-offs look like this:
Who you talk to
- Local independent engineer
- The engineer building your software
- NYC agency
- An account or project manager
- Offshore team
- A project manager, often across time zones
Typical rates
- Local independent engineer
- Fixed price per project
- NYC agency
- Commonly $120–$300+ per hour
- Offshore team
- Commonly $25–$99 per hour
Prices published up front
- Local independent engineer
- Yes
- NYC agency
- Rarely
- Offshore team
- Rarely
Meeting in person
- Local independent engineer
- Yes, anywhere in NYC
- NYC agency
- Usually
- Offshore team
- Rarely
Many parallel workstreams
- Local independent engineer
- Limited, one focused engineer
- NYC agency
- Yes
- Offshore team
- Yes
| Local independent engineer | NYC agency | Offshore team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who you talk to | The engineer building your software | An account or project manager | A project manager, often across time zones |
| Typical rates | Fixed price per project | Commonly $120–$300+ per hour | Commonly $25–$99 per hour |
| Prices published up front | Yes | Rarely | Rarely |
| Meeting in person | Yes, anywhere in NYC | Usually | Rarely |
| Many parallel workstreams | Limited, one focused engineer | Yes | Yes |
On-site when you need it
Some projects need someone in the room: installing check-in kiosks, setting up front-desk hardware, or training staff on a new system. I work on-site across New York City when a project calls for it. On-site work is available when a project requires it. Outside New York City, the client covers travel and accommodation.
What you get on every project
- A written scope with a fixed price and timeline before work starts
- Screens and a plan to review before anything is built
- Working software delivered in short cycles you can see and test
- Code in a GitHub account you own, and hosting, payments and email in accounts in your name
- Documentation, training for your team and a handoff plan
- An optional care plan after launch, from $250/month
When I'm not the right fit
- Programs that need a large team building many parts in parallel from day one
- Problems an existing low-cost product already solves well, in which case I'll point you to it instead
- Budgets below the starting prices above, where a website builder or off-the-shelf tool is a better first step
Questions
Do you only work with New York businesses?
No. I'm based in New York City and work with clients across the United States remotely. On-site work is available when a project requires it. Outside New York City, the client covers travel and accommodation.
Can we meet in person?
Yes. I can meet at your office or location anywhere in New York City, and I'm on-site when a project needs hardware installed or staff trained.
How much does custom software cost in NYC?
My custom software starts at $2,500 for a single automated workflow, with booking systems from $15,000 and CRMs from $20,000. NYC agencies commonly charge $120–$300+ per hour, and agency cost guides put basic booking systems and CRMs at $24,000–$60,000.