210,000+ users in our appsBuilding since 2018 · Frechen, GermanyCurrently: 2 slots open for Q3 2026info@thecodecave.de+49 152 04943138Frechen · NRW · DE210,000+ users in our appsBuilding since 2018 · Frechen, GermanyCurrently: 2 slots open for Q3 2026info@thecodecave.de+49 152 04943138Frechen · NRW · DE
// Studio · Custom software

Custom-built expensive.
It just has to fit.

Most problems don't call for new software — they call for the right piece in the right place. We build exactly that: small extensions, precise interfaces, lean tools that fill the gap where your team is currently losing time, nerves and money.

2018
20+ apps & platforms
From 5 working days
Frechen, NRW
// The pattern we know

You have a system. You're missing one piece.

The most expensive gap is the one bridged manually every single day. Three typical scenarios — all from real inquiries from the past few years.
SCENARIO 01
SAP Business One has been running for years, no one wants to touch it.
But field reps retype orders into Excel each evening because the module has no offline capture.
~9 hrs. per week per person
SCENARIO 02
Shopware shop with standard inventory hookup.
Returns are tracked in a separate spreadsheet, every third entry creates an inventory error.
fewer inventory errors after 6 wks.
SCENARIO 03
DATEV interface at the tax advisor.
Clients send receipts via WhatsApp, someone has to manually assign and rename each one.
~6 hrs. per employee per week
// Three sizes

Small, medium, large. Rarely is large the answer.

We decide together which shoe fits. Most inquiries we solve with the first or second — and only a fraction needs the third shoe.
01 // Patch

Fill the gap.

A specific extension to an existing system. We don't touch what's already there — we build alongside.

  • API integration with your existing software
  • Lean web tool or mobile capture
  • Automations, importers, exporters
  • Existing data stays where it is
Investment 8–25k € net 5–20 working days · fixed price possible
02 — most common // Module

A custom tool that fits exactly your process.

When the standard tool handles the core but not the specific demand of your business — we build the missing module. With real tests, clean handover.

  • Custom web app or mobile companion
  • Integration with 2–4 existing systems
  • Admin backend, roles, audit log
  • EU hosting, documented handover
Investment 25–80k € net 4–12 weeks · delivered in sprints
03 // Platform

Build a new product.

You have a business model that demands its own software — marketplace, app product, vertical platform. Discovery, prototype, production.

  • End-to-end mobile and web platform
  • Real product discovery up front
  • Built for your users, not just IT
  • Growth, scale, App Store
Investment from 80k € net 3–9 months · in phases, approved
// From real projects

Four times we did not reinvent the wheel.

Anonymized examples from real projects. In all cases the existing software was left untouched — we built what was missing.
Logistics · NRW // 14 working days

Delivery note capture on the driver tablet — straight into the existing ERP.

Before: drivers ticked boxes on paper, dispatch retyped each evening. We built a small tablet app that writes directly into the ERP API. No ERP intervention, no migration.

~12 hrs. Saved per weekin dispatch · payback in 6 weeks
Tax firm · Germany // 9 working days

Receipt importer for DATEV — every client gets their own email address.

Clients send their receipts as PDF to a dedicated address, the tool reads, assigns, uploads to DATEV. Set up on existing mail server infrastructure, no new software for the firm.

~6 hrs. Per employee per weekless manual receipt sorting
Mid-market · Mechanical engineering // 6 weeks

Service technician app, hooked into the existing maintenance database.

Technicians see a machine's history on site, photograph defects, sign digitally. Data lands in the existing system — no double entry, no new CRM. Offline-capable for the workshop basement.

−3 days To invoicingorder → invoice shortened
B2B shop · Wholesale // 4 weeks

Customer-specific pricing logic in front of Shopware — as a lean API layer.

Existing customers have individual conditions, volume tiers and contract discounts. Instead of rebuilding Shopware, we put a pricing engine in front of it that handles this logic.

100% Conditions coveredwithout migrating the shop · roll-out in one day
// How we work

Four steps. No strategy theater.

We talk with your team for two hours, then we know whether it's patch, module or platform. After that everything is transparent: what, when, how much.
01

Conversation

2-hour meeting with you or remote. We look at where it pinches — not what you wish for, but what's actually costing.

// free · within 2 weeks
02

Fixed-price sketch

Two or three solution paths with effort and price. Black on white. You know immediately what shoe size you're walking in.

// delivered in 5–7 days
03

Build, in sprints

We deliver in 2-week rhythm. You see every iteration, give approval or steer. No black-box development.

// demos instead of status reports
04

Handover, with contract

The code is yours, documented. We stay available for maintenance, no lock-in. Other contractors can take over the code.

// SLA optional · no contracts for life
// For clarity

AI comes in when it actually saves something — not because it happens to be trendy in 2026.

We've built receipt recognition, document indexing and speech-to-text into real apps. Works, saves hours. But not every problem is an AI problem. In three out of four inquiries, a clean interface, an importer or a cron job is enough. If AI really is the lever, we'll say so. If not, we'll say that too.

// What we hear often

Three sentences we hear every week.

Q · 01
"Is custom software even worth it at our size?"
If your team has been manually bridging a process every week for years — yes, almost always. Rule of thumb: two hours of saved work per week per person usually pays back a patch project within quarters, not years.
Q · 02
"We don't want our ERP/CRM touched."
You don't have to. In most of our projects the existing system stays untouched. We build alongside or in front — through the official interfaces. If the system has no API, we find other ways (database replica, file import, RPA). None of your standard updates is at risk.
Q · 03
"How do we know in advance what it'll cost?"
After our first conversation you get a written sketch with a fixed-price range for each variant — patch, module, platform. The smaller solutions we can offer at firm fixed price. For larger projects we work in 2-week sprints, each sprint approved separately — you can step out at any time.
Q · 04
"What happens if you lose interest?"
From day one the code is yours, cleanly documented in your repository. No lock-in, no proprietary frameworks. Any other contractor can take over. We haven't lost interest since 2018 — but if we did, you wouldn't be at our mercy.
// Productised offers

Prefer to start with a fixed scope?

Custom software and app development are also available as productised offers: clear scope, fixed price before you commit, and the code is yours.