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Cost of Custom Tourism Apps in Switzerland: How much could be saved with a Shared Platform

2025-08-17

When a destination decides to go digital, one of the first questions is:

Should we build our own solution — or license something ready-made?

At first glance, building a custom system might seem like the right way to get exactly what you want.
But when you look at the numbers — especially in Switzerland, where software development rates are among the highest in Europe — licensing a flexible and adaptable cloud platform isn’t just cheaper. It’s smarter.

Let’s break down the real costs — and why destinations like the City of Zug are choosing to license, not build.


The True Cost of Building a Custom Tourism App in Switzerland

To build a custom mobile guest app and CMS from scratch — with features like POI management, thematic tours, event calendar, and AI-powered recommendations — you’re not just paying for code. You’re paying for:

  • Project management
  • UX/UI design
  • Backend and frontend development
  • Cloud infrastructure
  • Testing, security, and compliance
  • Ongoing maintenance and updates

Let’s estimate based on Swiss market rates in 2025:

RoleAveraged Hourly Rate (CHF)Estimated HoursTotal Cost (CHF)
Project Manager15012018,000
UX/UI Designer15016024,000
Frontend Developer15030045,000
Backend Developer15040060,000
DevOps / Cloud15010015,000
QA & Testing1508012,000
Initial Development (Total)1,160174,000

💡 This is just the initial development cost — before any content is added or marketing begins.

And that’s for a minimum viable product (MVP). Add AI features, real-time updates, or integrations with other systems like a public transport ticketing system, and you could easily exceed CHF 250,000.


But the Costs Don’t Stop There: Maintenance & Updates

A custom app isn’t a one-time investment. It’s an ongoing expense.

Annual maintenance (bug fixes, updates, security patches, compatibility) typically costs 15–20% of the initial development cost per year:

CHF 174,000 × 15% = ~CHF 26,100 per year

Compare that to licensing CityBot, where:

  • Annual licensing starts at CHF 5,000
  • Top-tier plans for bigger destinations go up to CHF 30,000/year
  • All updates, security, and support are included
  • No hidden infrastructure or developer costs
  • No stress managing the IT infrastructure yourself

👉 For most destinations, CityBot costs less than one year of maintenance on a custom app — let alone the initial build.


Licensing vs. Building: A Real-World Example

Let’s compare two Swiss towns of similar medium size:

Cost FactorCustom-Built AppCityBot (Licensed)
Initial DevelopmentCHF 174,000CHF 0
Year 1 MaintenanceCHF 26,100CHF 12,000
Year 2CHF 26,100CHF 12,000
Year 3CHF 26,100CHF 12,000
Total over 3 yearsCHF 252,300CHF 36,000

Savings with CityBot: CHF 216,300 over 3 years
That’s enough to fund a full marketing campaign, improve visitor infrastructure, and support local cultural events.


Why Licensing Makes Even More Sense for Smaller Destinations

Smaller towns and regions often don’t have:

  • A dedicated IT team
  • Budget for long-term software maintenance
  • In-house expertise in AI, mobile apps, or cloud systems

With CityBot, you get:

  • A proven, scalable platform built for tourism
  • Lots of configuration options to create and maintain your brand language
  • Zero infrastructure overhead (we host it)
  • Automatic updates and new features
  • On-demand support
  • Flexible, fair pricing based on visitor numbers — from CHF 5,000 to CHF 30,000/year

No risk. No surprises. Just results.


🇨🇭 The Bigger Picture: What If All of Switzerland Shared One Smart Platform?

So far, we’ve looked at savings for a single destination. But what if we zoom out?

Imagine this:
Instead of 200+ Swiss destinations each building or maintaining their own isolated app, CMS, and digital infrastructure, they all used a shared digital platform like CityBot.

Let’s do the math.

Assumptions:

  • 150 Swiss destinations go digital over 10 years
  • 100 choose to build custom apps (average cost: CHF 174,000 initial + CHF 26,100/year)
  • 50 choose to license a shared platform (average: CHF 15,000/year)

💵 Total Cost Over 10 Years:

Nr ProductInitial Cost10-Year MaintenanceTotal
150 Custom Builds150 × CHF 174,000 = CHF 26.2M150 × CHF 26,100 × 10 = CHF 39.15MCHF 63.35M

Now, consider the alternative: What if all 150 destinations had licensed a shared platform?

150 × CHF 15,000 × 10 = CHF 22.5 million total

Potential savings: CHF 42.85 million over 10 years!


Beyond Cost: The Strategic Benefits of Sharing

A shared platform isn’t just cheaper — it’s smarter for all stakeholders as a whole:

  • Faster Time to Market: Destinations launch in weeks, not years.
  • Consistent Quality: No “low-budget” apps with broken maps or outdated info.
  • Interoperability: Visitors can seamlessly travel from Lucerne to Lugano with one app.
  • Sustainability: Less energy, fewer servers, no redundant code.
  • Collective Learning: Insights from one destination (e.g., “What do visitors ask?”) improve all.
  • Efficient Division of Labor: Platform developers focus on developing the best technical solutions while destinations focus on creating their best possible content.
  • Stronger Branding: A unified digital experience that still respects local identity and branding.

You Don’t Need to Reinvent the Wheel

The goal isn’t to build software — it’s to enhance the visitor experience in the most cost-efficient way. Because let's be honest: budgets are never unlimited.

With CityBot, you’re not just saving money — you’re launching faster and focusing on what matters: your destination’s content, brand, and offers — without having to deal with technical IT complexities.


Ready to See the Numbers for Your Destination?

We’ll help you calculate the true cost of building vs. licensing — tailored to your size, visitor volume, and goals.

Switch from cost to value.