Custom ERP Development Cost in Korea (2026)
Custom ERP cost in Korea from our pricing catalogue: KRW 2.0M–6.0M base, 4–10 weeks, excl. VAT. Cost drivers, build vs buy, phases and running costs.
A custom ERP-style business system built by our studio in Korea costs KRW 2.0M–6.0M (typical KRW 3.5M) for the base system and takes 4–10 weeks. Each automation flow adds KRW 0.8M–2.0M and data migration KRW 0.5M–1.5M. These are supply prices excluding VAT, from NQ Solution's pricing catalogue version 1.1, dated 23 September 2026. Below: what drives the cost, when off-the-shelf ERP is the better buy, how the build runs, and what you keep paying after launch.
How much does a custom ERP cost in Korea?
The honest answer starts with what "ERP" means for a small company. Very few small businesses need a full enterprise suite. What they need is one or two workflows taken out of spreadsheets and chat threads: enquiries to quotes to contracts, purchase orders and stock, field schedules and work logs. That is the system we price.
Here are the line items from our catalogue. All figures are in Korean won, excluding VAT, as of 23 September 2026:
| Item | Range (KRW, excl. VAT) | Typical | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business system, base build | 2.0M–6.0M | 3.5M | One workflow end to end: data model, input screens, lists and search, deployment |
| Discovery (before the build) | 0.3M–0.8M | 0.5M | Mapping current tools, data and approval steps |
| Automation flow (each) | 0.8M–2.0M | 1.2M | For example a drafted quote or a generated weekly report |
| Extended admin | 0.6M–1.5M | 1.0M | Three or more roles, Excel export, audit log |
| Data migration | 0.5M–1.5M | 0.8M | Customers, items and history moved from spreadsheets |
| Simple API integration (each) | 0.3M–0.6M | 0.4M | A one-way connection to another service |
| Two-way data sync (each) | 0.8M–1.5M | 1.1M | Keeping records in step with another system |
| KakaoTalk AlimTalk or SMS notifications | 0.3M–0.8M | 0.5M | Approval requests, due-date reminders; sending fees are extra |
| Dashboards and reports | 0.6M–1.8M | 1.0M | Summary views for managers |
Discovery comes first for business systems because the rest of the estimate depends on it. Message sending fees, AI API usage and similar third-party costs are passed through at cost and listed separately in the quote.
To convert to your own currency, use the current exchange rate on the day you compare quotes. We price in won; billing in USD or by overseas transfer can be arranged.
What drives the cost of an ERP build?
Five things move the number more than anything else:
- How many workflows you start with. One workflow, such as enquiry to quote to contract, is a base build. Each extra workflow adds screens, rules and testing.
- Exceptions. Cancellations, partial deliveries, revised quotes and approval loops are where the real work is. A process that "usually" goes one way still needs every other path handled.
- Roles and permissions. One admin role is simple. Separate roles for sales, operations and management, with an audit log of who changed what, is the extended admin line.
- Integrations. Connecting to an accounting package, a logistics service or a messaging provider costs more than the screen that uses the data.
- Data quality. Clean spreadsheets migrate cheaply. Five versions of the same customer list, each with different spellings, do not.
What does not drive cost much: the number of pages. We quote by the features you need, not by page count.
Should you buy off-the-shelf ERP or build a custom system?
Often the answer is both. Korean companies commonly run accounting and payroll in a packaged or cloud ERP product such as Douzone or ECOUNT, then build a custom system for the work that is specific to them.
| Off-the-shelf ERP | Custom business system | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost structure | Licence or monthly subscription, plus setup | One-off build (KRW 2.0M–6.0M base in our catalogue) plus hosting and maintenance |
| Best for | Accounting, tax, payroll, standard inventory | Your own enquiry, quoting, scheduling or field workflows |
| Fit to your process | You adapt to the product | The screens follow your process |
| Integrations | Those the vendor offers | Built to your other tools, website, client portal or KakaoTalk |
| Ownership | A subscription | Source code delivered under the contract terms |
If you are a foreign company setting up an ERP system in Korea, ERP for foreign companies in Korea covers the Korean requirements and bilingual screens, and Korea e-tax invoices the invoicing integration.
Choose off-the-shelf when the work is regulated and standard, such as bookkeeping and tax filing, because the vendor keeps it current with the rules. Choose custom when staff are filling the gaps with spreadsheets, when the same number is typed into two places, or when customers can only find out where their order stands by phoning.
How does a custom ERP project run?
We build one workflow at a time. Trying to replace everything at once is the most common reason small-company ERP projects stall: the analysis drags on, the business changes, and the system is out of date before it launches.
| Phase | What happens | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Discovery | We look at the spreadsheets, chat threads and emails you use today and note who records what, when | A written workflow map with exceptions |
| 2. Scope | Pick the workflow that hurts most and has a clear end point | A feature list that becomes the quote and the contract scope |
| 3. Data design | Define shared data first: customers, items, prices | A data model the next workflow can reuse |
| 4. Build | Input screens follow the column order of the spreadsheets staff already use | A test version you can try with real cases |
| 5. Migration and trial run | Move existing data and run real work through it for a few weeks | A list of fixes from the people who use it |
| 6. Operate and extend | Run it, then add the next workflow | The next quote |
Payments follow the same checkpoints. Depending on the contract size, we split payment 70/30, 40/30/30 or 40/20/20/20, with interim payments tied to an interim build and the balance to final acceptance.
What does a real scope look like?
Our own operations run on a system we built for ourselves. A request from the website opens a case. The quote is written against our price book, and the contract is generated from the accepted quote using our contract templates. The schedule, files and maintenance requests then sit in a client portal that the customer can see.
That system also shows how scope grows sensibly. The first version covered quotes, contracts and the client portal. Maintenance tracking came next, then recurring maintenance contracts and billing, then intake straight from the estimate form on our website. Each step was built on the same customer and project records, so nothing had to be re-entered. That is the pattern we recommend: one workflow that pays for itself, then the next.
We also added an AI estimation step that drafts a quote for a person to review, and we keep it switched off by default. If you are thinking about AI inside an ERP, our article on AI workflow automation with human review explains why.
What does an ERP cost after launch?
Plan for three ongoing costs:
- Hosting. The server and database the system runs on.
- Maintenance. Fixes, small changes and keeping dependencies up to date. With us, hosting and maintenance are a separate contract from the build, with its own billing terms.
- Pass-through usage. Message sending fees for KakaoTalk or SMS, and AI API usage if you use it, billed at cost.
The defect warranty for the build itself is set in the build contract. Defects mean features in the agreed scope that do not work as specified. New requests after launch are maintenance or a new phase, and the contract should say so in plain terms. If you are comparing vendors, ask each to price the same feature list and to state hosting, maintenance and pass-through costs separately, or the totals will not be comparable.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to develop a custom ERP system?
For a small company in Korea, our catalogue (version 1.1, 23 September 2026) prices a base business system at KRW 2.0M–6.0M, typically KRW 3.5M, excluding VAT, over 4–10 weeks. Automation flows, integrations and data migration are priced per item on top.
How long does it take to build a custom ERP?
One workflow takes 4–10 weeks in our catalogue. Discovery and data migration are usually what decide where in that range a project lands.
How do I build my own ERP?
Start with one workflow, not the whole company. Write down who records what and when, list the exceptions, define your shared data such as customers, items and prices, and build input screens that match how your staff already work. Then add the next workflow once the first one is in use.
Will ERP be replaced by AI?
Not in the sense of removing the system of record. AI can draft quotes, classify incoming documents or summarise reports, but it needs reliable data to work from and a person to approve what it produces. In practice AI becomes a step inside the ERP, not a replacement for it.
How much does custom software cost in Korea?
In our catalogue, a web app is KRW 2.5M–5.5M over 6–12 weeks and an internal business system KRW 2.0M–6.0M over 4–10 weeks, excluding VAT. The feature list decides the final figure, which is why we quote by feature rather than by page count.
Sources
Checked October 2026.
- NQ Solution pricing catalogue v1.1 (23 September 2026): business system, discovery, automation flow, admin, data migration, API, notification and analytics line items, in KRW excluding VAT
- Value-Added Tax Act (National Law Information Center)
- Douzone: Korean ERP vendor
- ECOUNT: Korean cloud ERP vendor
Talk to us
Send us the spreadsheet or workflow that is slowing your team down through the project request form, or get a range for your own feature list from the estimate calculator. Our system and AI automation service and software development in Korea pages show what we build. If you are hiring from outside Korea, read outsourcing software development to South Korea first.