How Much Does it Cost to Build a Custom AI-based Accounting Software?

chirag October 14, 2024

The accounting industry has been evolving very fast, and the expanding use of AI in accounting is becoming evident. According to The State of AI in Accounting Report 2024, 71% of accounting professionals believe that artificial intelligence in accounting is substantial.

Considering the given number, it is easy to grasp why companies are keen on adopting AI-based accounting software to improve their overall operational efficiency and accuracy. However, with this need, a key question arises: What is the cost to develop an AI accounting software?

The answer is multifaceted, with costs varying significantly based on project scope, feature set, and development complexity. Estimate figures indicate that an AI-based accounting software development cost can range from $40,000 to $350,000, depending on the complexity of the platform.

This article will navigate the cost of developing AI accounting software, providing the insights needed to understand the financial implications and make informed decisions regarding building a custom solution.

But first, let’s have a quick overview of how AI is actually changing the face of accounting.

How is AI Changing the Face of Accounting?

AI is revolutionizing the operating capabilities and accounting workflow by eliminating repetitive work, enhancing accuracy, and handling complex data that would have otherwise required so much time.

AI in the accounting industry is not only shifting how tasks are performed but also reshaping what accountants do by freeing more time for strategic decision-making and advisory functions. Here’s a list of the benefits of AI accounting software development:

Benefits of AI Accounting Software Development

Increased Efficiency and Productivity: AI automates mundane tasks like data entry, invoice processing, and bank reconciliation. Such automation competencies help free up accountants’ time for more strategic work like financial analysis and planning.
Improved Accuracy and Reliability: AI algorithms are less prone to human error, which in turn reduces mistakes that could be expensive financially and help evade any potential risks.
Enhanced Financial Insights: AI in the accounting industry analyzes large volumes of data and detects trends, patterns, or even uncertainties that pose risks to companies. This provides a more accurate view of financial health, based carefully on available data.
Active Fraud Detection: Abnormalities and suspect activities in financial data can be strategically detected with AI tools for accounting. AI could easily give a warning to a business about fraud that may have been committed.
Streamlined Compliance: AI updates the software seamlessly to accommodate changing regulations and tax codes at all times to keep the business abreast of compliance issues.
Cost Savings: AI for accounting automates a large amount of work. This helps reduce labor costs and increase efficiency – translating into cost savings for the business.
Better Decision-making: AI-powered insights and predictions allow businesses to make more informed decisions about investments, pricing and resource allocation.
New Revenue Streams: AI-powered accounting software can generate new revenue streams through subscription models, advanced features and data analytics services.
Improved User Experience: Accounting AI software makes it much easier to develop intuitive and friendly user interfaces. As a result, this improves accessibility and the overall ease of use.
Elevation of Expertise: AI lets accountants do higher-value activities like managing financial strategy, risk and business advisory by turning them into much more valuable consultants.

The Cost to Develop an AI Accounting Software: A Detailed Breakdown

An AI-based accounting software can demand a huge investment, but the return on investment can be equally substantial if done correctly. Therefore, the development and budgeting process requires careful planning to create a blueprint that aligns with controlled costs.

The cost can vary significantly depending on the scope, features and complexity of the project. Hence, we have created a detailed breakdown of the key stages and costs associated with integrating artificial intelligence for accounting:

Cost Analysis for Developing AI-Driven Accounting Software

1. Planning and Requirement Gathering (Initial Investment):

Market Research: Understanding the existing market, target audience and competitive landscape. The associated cost here can vary, depending on the depth of research.
Feature Definition: Determining the core functionalities, user experience and integration needs. A well-defined scope would be crucial for budget control.
Technical Design and Architecture: Planning the software infrastructure, tech stack, database structure and AI integration. The cost can range from a few thousand to tens of thousands depending on complexity.

2. Development (Core Costs):

Front-end Development: Building the user interface and user experience design. The cost can differ depending on complexity and platform, but for your estimate, it can range from tens to hundreds of thousands.
Back-end Development: Developing the core logic, database interactions and API integrations. The associated cost often matches with the front-end cost, but also requires more specialized skills, leading to higher costs.
AI Development: Building and training AI models for specific functionalities like data entry automation, fraud detection and predictive analytics. Cost can vary depending on the complexity of the AI model.

3. Testing and Quality Assurance:

Unit Testing: Testing individual components and functionalities.
Integration Testing: Testing the integration between different components and systems. Cost can be higher than unit testing due to the complexity of integrations.
User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Testing the software with real users to gather feedback. The cost would vary depending on the number of testers and testing rounds.

4. Deployment and Maintenance:

Infrastructure Costs: Server hosting, cloud infrastructure and database management. The cost ranges from hundreds to tens of thousands per month, depending on scale and requirements.
Security and Compliance: Implementing security measures and ensuring compliance with industry standards. The cost would depend on relevant security requirements and regulations.
Ongoing Development and Updates: Adding new features, fixing bugs and maintaining the software. Additional costs would be incurred, depending on the frequency of updates and the complexity of changes.

5. Marketing and Sales (Additional Costs):

Brand Development and Marketing: Creating marketing materials, building brand awareness and promoting the software. The cost can vary according to marketing strategy and budget.
Sales and Customer Support: The cost to develop AI accounting software is also dependent on the scale of operations. This includes operations like developing sales processes, providing customer support, and handling customer inquiries.

Stage	Activity	Estimated Cost
Planning and Requirement Gathering (Initial Investment)	Market Research and Competitive Analysis	$1,000 – $15,000
	Defining Features and Scope	$2,000 – $5,000
	Developing a Business Plan	$1,000 – $3,000
Technology Stack Selection and Design	Choosing AI Algorithms	Variable
	Selecting Development Platform	$1,000 – $10,000
	UI/UX Design	$8,000 – $40,000
Development (Core Costs) and Integration	Front-end Development	$10,000 – $50,000
Development (Core Costs) and Integration	Back-end Development	$10,000 – $80,000
Testing and Quality Assurance	Quality Assurance and Testing	$5,000 – $25,000
Testing and Quality Assurance	Deployment and Maintenance	$3,000 – $15,000
Deployment and Maintenance	Infrastructure costs	$5,000 – $50,000
	Security and Compliance	$3,000 – $15,000
	Ongoing development and updates	$2,000 – $5.000
Marketing and Promotion	Brand development and marketing	$3,000 – $15,000
Marketing and Promotion	Sales and customer support	$3,000 – $10,000+

Factors Influencing the Cost of Custom AI-based Accounting Software Development

Developing custom AI-powered accounting software is a significant investment that you must consider for your business. However, the cost to develop an AI accounting software can vary greatly depending on numerous factors. A detailed understanding of these influences is crucial for budgeting and planning. So, to help you get the best custom software solution, here’s a breakdown of key factors:

Navigating the Cost Factors of Custom AI Accounting Software Development

1. Complexity of AI Models

One primary factor is the complexity of the AI models involved. More intricate AI models, like deep learning or recurrent neural networks, require advanced expertise, extensive data for training and extended development time, leading to higher costs.

Training and fine-tuning these models to achieve desired results is resource-intensive, usually involving substantial computing power and specialized skills. Furthermore, building dynamic AI models necessitates an extensive amount of data, which will further involve data collection, cleaning and labeling process, further adding to the cost.

2. Scope and Features

The scope and features of the software significantly impact the overall cost. The more artificial intelligence accounting features incorporated, the more development time, resources and testing are required, directly affecting the cost.

Advanced features, such as dynamic financial reporting, real-time anomaly detection or personalized financial advice, necessitate more intricate development and might require specialized AI skills, further increasing the cost. Integrating with third-party systems like CRMs, ERPs or payment gateways can also add to the complexity and necessitate dedicated development work.

3. Development Team and Expertise

The composition and expertise of the development team significantly influence AI-based accounting software development costs. Hiring a larger team of skilled developers, including AI specialists, will inevitably increase development costs.

The location of the development team also influences labor costs, with some regions having higher rates than others. The need for specialized AI expertise, such as machine learning engineers or data scientists, can significantly increase the cost. Here’s a table to help you understand the hourly rates of app development in different global regions.

Region	Hourly Rates of Development
UAE	$60-$65
US	$95-$100
Western Europe	$80-$90
Australia	$70-$90
Eastern Europe	$50-$55
Asia	$25-$40

4. Technology Stack and Infrastructure

The technology stack and infrastructure choices also impact the cost to develop an AI accounting software. Choosing a specific development platform might involve licensing fees or have varying availability of talent, impacting costs. Utilizing cloud services for hosting and scaling the software can incur recurring costs, depending on the chosen cloud provider and usage. The choice of database technology and its management (e.g., cloud-based or on-premises) will influence infrastructure and maintenance costs.

5. Testing and Quality Assurance

Testing and quality assurance play a crucial role in determining the cost of AI-based accounting software. Thorough testing across multiple scenarios and devices is crucial for robust software. The more extensive the testing, the greater the cost. Using automated testing tools can reduce manual effort and potentially decrease the overall cost. Involving real users in testing to gather feedback and ensure usability, known as User Acceptance Testing (UAT), can be costly, especially if done on a large scale.

6. Ongoing Maintenance and Updates

Ongoing maintenance and updates after launch are essential and involve ongoing costs. Maintaining the software to fix bugs and add new features will incur ongoing costs. Regular security updates to address vulnerabilities are essential, adding to the maintenance costs. In addition, AI models may require ongoing training and refinement to adapt to evolving data patterns, further adding to the cost over time.

7. Marketing and Sales

Marketing and sales efforts contribute to the overall AI-based accounting software development costs. From building awareness to creating marketing materials and promoting the software to potential users, all of this can be pretty expensive. Developing sales processes, providing customer support and handling inquiries can also add to the overall cost.

Top Features to Look Out for in an AI-based Accounting Software

When developing AI-backed accounting software, it’s essential to include functionalities that can boost your organization’s overall productivity and precision with insightful data. From fraud detection to predictive analytics, AI has the power to help businesses make better decisions, simply with extended features.

Let us help you with a list of must-have AI accounting software development features that you can consider incorporating:

Feature	Utility
Smart Data Categorization	Automatically classifies transactions into appropriate categories, improving accuracy in financial reporting.
AI-driven Financial Insights	Provides predictive financial insights and suggestions for optimizing cash flow and reducing expenses.
Automated Invoice Matching	Matches incoming invoices to purchase orders and receipts, reducing manual checks and payment delays.
Smart Invoice Processing	Automates the generation, approval and tracking of invoices, ensuring faster and error-free billing cycles.
Natural Language Processing (NLP) Query Support	Allows users to access financial data using simple language, enhancing user interaction and accessibility.
Automated Compliance Monitoring	Continuously monitors transactions for compliance with tax laws and accounting standards, ensuring full regulatory adherence.
Predictive Cash Flow Analysis	Provides real-time forecasts on cash inflows and outflows, helping businesses anticipate future liquidity needs.
AI-based Anomaly (fraud) Detection	Identifies unusual patterns in transactions or financial behavior, enabling proactive fraud detection.
Intelligent Expense Tracking	Automatically tracks and categorizes business expenses, providing detailed spending analysis and trends.
Self-learning Accounting Rules	Acquire learnings from previous accounting entries and adapt over time to automate routine tasks more efficiently.
AI-enhanced Financial Auditing	Assists in auditing financial data by quickly analyzing large datasets and flagging potential errors or inconsistencies.
Automatic Bank Reconciliation	Syncs and compares financial records with bank statements, identifying discrepancies and simplifying reconciliation.
Real-time Financial Dashboards	Deliver up-to-the-minute financial reports and KPIs in a visually intuitive format for quicker decision-making.

Augment Your Accounting Efficiency with Appinventiv

Mordor Intelligence indicates AI in accounting market size is expected to rise to $26.66 billion by 2029. This signifies a massive opportunity for businesses to leverage AI and reap the benefits of enhanced efficiency, accuracy and insights.

As a leading artificial intelligence development company, Appinventiv understands the challenges of manual accounting in today’s fast-paced world. Our AI-powered solutions are designed to streamline your processes, eliminate errors and free up your time for strategic decision-making.

By leveraging our expertise in AI, machine learning and automation, we can help you build a more efficient, accurate and future-ready accounting system. Just like Mudra – an AI-based budgeting app.

Don’t wait to harness the power of AI in your accounting department. Contact us today!

FAQs

Q. Is there a typical starting price for developing custom AI-based accounting software?

A. An AI-based accounting system with basic functionalities can be developed with a starting range of $30,000-$40,000. A software with mid-level to high-end functionalities can cost $20,000 to $350,000.

The cost to develop an AI accounting software is usually higher than purchasing a pre-built solution. However, the investment is justified by the tailored functionality and increased efficiency a custom software delivers.

Get in touch to know exact cost estimates for your specific project.

Q. What are the potential benefits of investing in a custom AI-based accounting software?

A. Investing in a custom AI-based accounting software can offer several advantages, including:

Increased Efficiency: Automate repetitive tasks, reduce manual errors, and free up your team for more strategic work.
Improved Accuracy: Minimize human error and improve the accuracy of your financial data.
Better Insights: Gain deeper insights into your financial performance with real-time data analysis and predictive capabilities.
Tailored Solutions: Get a solution perfectly tailored to your specific business needs and workflows.

Q. How is a traditional accounting software different from an AI-based accounting software?

A. Key differences between traditional and AI-based accounting software include:

Data Entry: A traditional accounting software is manual and prone to human errors. An AI in accounting software is automated, highly accurate, and reduces manual input.
Financial Reporting: A traditional accounting software is time-consuming and requires manual compilation. An AI accounting software is fast, data-driven, and offers real-time reporting features.

Fraud Detection: A traditional accounting software is reactive and depends on manual audits. Artificial intelligence in accounting software is proactive and can detect anomalies in real time.

Predictive Analytics: A traditional accounting software offers limited forecasting based on past data. AI and accounting software offers forward-looking insights based on predictive models.

Cost Efficiency: A traditional accounting software has higher operational costs due to manual work. An AI in accounting software offers long-term cost savings with automation and AI-driven efficiency.
Scalability: A traditional accounting software is less scalable and limited by human resources. An AI for accounting software is highly scalable with machine learning algorithms.