How much does API and systems integration cost?

Common connections and what they cost

The timeline starts once the scope is approved and we have what we need from you.

Typical price ranges

The timeline starts once the scope is approved and we have what we need from you.

What integration is and why it pays

Most businesses run on several tools that do not talk to each other. A sale is entered in the store, retyped in the accounting package, and copied into a spreadsheet for reporting. Every retype costs time and invites mistakes.

Integration connects those tools so information is entered once and flows everywhere it is needed. Connections are built through an application programming interface (API), which is the defined way one system lets another read or send information. A good integration also checks the data, retries when a system is briefly unavailable, and alerts someone when something needs a decision.

Why some connections cost five times more

The quality of the APIs involved is the biggest factor. Modern tools such as Shopify, Stripe, HubSpot, and Xero have clear, documented APIs, and a connection between two of them is quick. Older systems may have no API at all, so data has to be read from exports, databases, or files, which takes more care.

The number of systems matters next. Two systems need one connection. Four systems that all share customers, orders, and stock need rules about which system is the source of truth for each piece of data.

Timing changes the design. A nightly sync is simpler than real-time updates, which need event handling and careful protection against duplicates.

Data volume and history matter too. Moving years of past records is a separate job from keeping new records in sync.

What is included in the price

Every integration quote from us includes an integration map: a one-page diagram showing your systems, what data moves between them, and which system owns each record. We build the connections, test them with real data in a safe copy of your systems, and add monitoring that alerts us when a sync fails. Launch includes a cut-over plan so nothing is lost or duplicated, plus documentation of every connection.

A typical timeline

A single connection between two modern tools takes about a week. Connecting several systems takes two to four weeks. A custom API for your own product takes three to five weeks. An integration platform for a whole business takes six to ten weeks, delivered one connection at a time so value arrives early.

Running costs

Integrations need light care. APIs change, tokens expire, and systems are upgraded. Some integrations run on a hosted service with a small monthly fee, usually $20 to $200. Monitoring and fixes are covered by a care plan, from $100 a month for a few connections to $1,200 a month for business-critical syncs.

A worked example

Picture a wholesale distributor with a Shopify store for trade customers, a warehouse system, and Xero for accounts. Orders are printed, picked, and then keyed into Xero by hand. Stock levels in the store are updated twice a week, so customers order items that are out of stock.

The project connects all three. Store orders go straight to the warehouse system for picking. Shipped orders create invoices in Xero with the right tax codes. Stock levels flow back to the store every fifteen minutes. With error alerts and a cut-over plan, it falls in the $10,000 to $13,000 range and launches in three weeks. The finance team stops rekeying orders, and overselling stops.

How to keep integration costs down

Start with the connection that causes the most rekeying. Choose a source of truth for each type of data before building anything. Use the built-in integrations your tools already offer where they are good enough, and build custom connections only where they fall short.

How to compare integration quotes

Integration quotes are easy to underprice, because the happy path, where every record arrives perfectly, is quick to build. The real work is everything else. Ask each supplier what happens when a system is offline, when a record is rejected, and when the same order arrives twice.

Ask whether the quote includes a test environment, so connections are proven on a copy of your data before they touch live records. Ask how you will know when something fails: an email, a dashboard, or nothing at all. Confirm who owns the integration code and the accounts on any hosted service it runs on.

Finally, ask for the integration map before work starts. If a supplier cannot draw how your data will flow on one page, the build will be harder than the quote suggests.