App and software development · Delivered online · anywhere in Ireland
Web application
Whether this needs a licence in Ireland
No licence required
Taken from the statute below; not yet reviewed by a lawyer
Web application: what the job involves
Building custom software that runs in the browser: a booking system, customer portal, internal tool, dashboard or software product, with logins, a database and an admin area. It replaces spreadsheets and paper or becomes a product in its own right.
Also asked for as: web app developer · custom software · booking system · customer portal · SaaS developer
How the job is usually done
- Map the process the software supports, the users and their roles, and what the first release must do.
- Design the screens and data model, and agree them with the people who will use it.
- Set up the repository, hosting and environments in the business’s own accounts.
- Build in short cycles, with a demo at each milestone and changes agreed in writing.
- Add security, backups, access control, the privacy notice and accessibility checks.
- Test with real users, move existing data in, and go live.
- Hand over code, documentation and accounts, and agree support.
Web application: what is included
Usually included
- Requirements and screen design for the agreed scope
- Building the application, database and admin area
- Hosting setup in the business’s account
- User accounts and access by role
- Testing, launch and a warranty period for defects, as agreed
Usually not included — agree it separately
- Hosting and third-party service fees, paid by the business
- Features beyond the agreed scope, quoted as changes
- Ongoing support and new features after the warranty period
- Cleaning up and entering old data, unless agreed
- Training many staff, unless agreed
Materials and who supplies them
- Cloud hosting, database and email-sending services in the business’s name
- Paid libraries or services, licensed to the business
- Existing data and documents describing the process, supplied by the business
How long it takes
A focused first version often takes a few months; complex roles, integrations, data migration or many changes of direction make it longer.
Web application: the rules in Ireland
What the official sources say, checked against them on the date shown. A summary, not legal advice — follow the link to read the rule itself.
Software is protected by copyright, and the developer who writes it is the first owner unless they are the business’s employee. An assignment of the copyright to the customer is effective only in writing, signed by or on behalf of the developer.
Applies to: the business commissioning the software and the developer
Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000, sections 23 and 120 · irishstatutebook.ie · Checked 10 October 2026
An employer owns the copyright in work its employees make in the course of their employment; a freelancer or agency is not an employee, so the agreement must say who owns the code.
Applies to: the business commissioning the software
Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000, section 23 · irishstatutebook.ie · Checked 10 October 2026
Most software includes open-source libraries under their own licences; some, such as the GPL, require source code to be shared when the software is distributed. The customer should get a list of the components and their licences, since the developer can assign only what it owns.
Applies to: the developer, and the business that will own and distribute the software
Free Software Foundation, GNU General Public License · gnu.org · Checked 10 October 2026
Software that handles personal data should be built to collect only what it needs, protect it by default and let people use their rights, such as access and deletion; the business must also give a privacy notice when it collects data.
Applies to: the business, which should require it of the developer
GDPR, Articles 13, 25 and 32 · eur-lex.europa.eu · Checked 10 October 2026
A developer or agency that hosts the system or can access its personal data on the business’s behalf is a processor, and must have a written contract with the business covering the matters in Article 28 GDPR, including security, sub-processors and deleting or returning data at the end.
Applies to: the business, as controller, and the developer, as processor
GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679), Article 28; Data Protection Commission guide to controller-processor contracts · dataprotection.ie · Checked 10 October 2026
A personal data breach that poses a risk to people must be reported to the Data Protection Commission within 72 hours of the business becoming aware of it, and a processor must tell the business without undue delay.
Applies to: the business, helped by its developer or host
GDPR, Article 33; Data Protection Commission · dataprotection.ie · Checked 10 October 2026
Cloud hosting, analytics or third-party services that send personal data outside the European Economic Area are restricted transfers and need an adequacy decision or another safeguard such as standard contractual clauses.
Applies to: the business, as controller
GDPR, Chapter V; Data Protection Commission · dataprotection.ie · Checked 10 October 2026
Where a business supplies an app or online service to consumers, the Consumer Rights Act 2022 Part 3 gives those consumers rights that the digital content or service conforms to the contract, including updates, with remedies if it does not.
Applies to: the business supplying the app or service to consumers
Consumer Rights Act 2022, Part 3 · irishstatutebook.ie · Checked 10 October 2026
Grants
Digital Process Innovation (Enterprise Ireland)
Up to 50% grant funding towards implementing new digital production or delivery methods, covering an internal implementation team and external expertise.
Who qualifies: Start-ups, SMEs and large companies that Enterprise Ireland supports; confirm eligibility and apply before the project starts.
enterprise-ireland.com · Checked 10 October 2026
Access Advice: Digital Discovery (Enterprise Ireland)
Up to 80% grant funding to a maximum of €5,000 to hire an expert to put Digital Foundations in place or take a first or next step in artificial intelligence.
Who qualifies: Companies Enterprise Ireland supports; smaller local businesses are usually served by their Local Enterprise Office instead, so confirm eligibility with Enterprise Ireland before engaging anyone.
enterprise-ireland.com · Checked 10 October 2026
What web application costs, and why
What jobs on Talqero came to
Not enough comparable jobs yet to publish a range here. Talqero shows a price range only once at least five comparable jobs, agreed prices or offers exist — a range from fewer would describe a handful of jobs, not the market. Post your job and compare the offers you get.
What affects the price
- Number of features, user roles and screens
- Connections to other systems, such as accounts, payments or email
- Moving data from spreadsheets or an old system
- Security and compliance needs, such as sensitive personal data
- How settled the requirements are before work starts
- Support and hosting management after launch
What you should get at the end
- Full source code in a repository the business owns, with the commit history
- Written, signed assignment of copyright in the code made for you, or a licence that fits how you will use it
- List of open-source and paid components with their licences
- Admin access to hosting, cloud and third-party accounts in the business’s name
- Technical documentation: architecture, setup, deployment and backups
- Data processing agreement if the developer hosts or supports the system
- Record of where personal data is stored, for the business’s records
What the provider should hand over
- Hand over the repository, documentation and every account
- Give the signed copyright assignment and licence list
- Train the key users and agree support terms
Safety
- Insist on the code and hosting being in accounts you own from day one, not only at the end.
- Ask for automatic, tested backups and a plan for what happens if the developer is unavailable.
- Protect admin logins with two-factor authentication and give each person their own account.
Web application: before you hire
Questions to ask before you hire
- Will I own the code and copyright, and will it be in my repository throughout?
- Could another developer take over the code if needed?
- Where will the data be hosted, and how is it backed up?
- How do you handle changes to the scope during the project?
- Would an off-the-shelf product do the job for less?
What you can do yourself
Low-code tools and spreadsheets can cover a simple process, and trying one first is a good way to learn what the custom software must really do.
What to put in your task
- What should the software do?
- Who will use it?
- What do you use now?
- Must it connect to other software?
- Will it hold health, financial or children’s data?
Photos that help
- Screenshots of the spreadsheets or tools used now, with personal data hidden
- A short description of the process step by step
- Examples of software you like using
App and software development
Need web application? Describe the job.
Post it once, free. Professionals anywhere in Ireland reply with their own price and when they could start. You choose, and pay them directly.
Questions about web application
Does web application need a licence in Ireland?
No licence is required for this work in Ireland (source: www.irishstatutebook.ie). Ask instead for references and photographs of similar jobs.
Custom software or an off-the-shelf product?
Off-the-shelf software is quicker and shares its cost across many customers, but you adapt to it. Custom software fits your process exactly but you pay to build and maintain it. A good developer will tell you if an existing product would do.
Who is responsible for the data in the system?
The business that decides why and how the data is used is the controller and is responsible under the GDPR. A developer who hosts or supports it is a processor and needs a written Article 28 contract.
What if the developer disappears?
Keep the code in your own repository, the hosting in your own account and the documentation up to date. Then another developer can pick it up.