Pricing, plainly.
We quote upfront. Fixed scope, fixed price. No T&M billing, no surprise invoices. Tell us what you're building — we'll come back with a written number.
Five shapes of project.
Most of what we build fits one of these five shapes. Hybrid projects — say, a marketing site with an embedded RAG chatbot — get quoted as a sum of the relevant tiers.
Always-on site
- Custom design + development
- Hosting & domain included
- Unlimited copy & image edits
- Monthly SEO & performance check
- Cancel anytime — no lock-in
- Free working demo before first payment
Marketing site
- Custom design in Figma
- WordPress or headless CMS
- Bulgarian + English
- Performance baseline guaranteed
- SEO + schema markup
E-commerce
- WooCommerce, Shopify, or custom
- Stripe + ePay + Speedy/Econt
- Bulk catalogue management
- GA4 e-commerce tracking
- Email + loyalty integrations
Web app
- React frontend, Node API
- Postgres or Supabase
- Roles, teams, SSO ready
- Admin CMS for operators
- Tests, docs, full handoff
AI automation
- RAG chatbot or document AI
- Two-week proof of concept
- Evals + observability
- Cost caps + fallbacks
- First three months of support
Every project. No exceptions.
Fixed price doesn't mean bare minimum. Here's what's included in every engagement, regardless of tier.
Custom design in Figma
We design every project from scratch. You see real, interactive screens before a line of code is written. No wireframes-only phase, no 'it'll look better in the browser' surprises.
Copywriting and content guidance
We write the headlines, structure the page flow, and advise on content length for SEO. For clients who need full copy, we write it — for clients who don't, we give them the framework and review what they produce.
Deployment and go-live support
We configure hosting, set up DNS, and run the go-live checklist. Launch day is never a solo operation — we're on call until the site is stable and the client has signed off on every page.
Post-launch support window
Every project includes a 30-day post-launch support window. Bug fixes, copy adjustments, and performance tweaks are covered at no extra cost. After 30 days, ongoing maintenance is available at a fixed monthly fee.
Training and handoff documentation
We don't ship and disappear. Every client gets a recorded walkthrough of their CMS, a written handoff document, and a direct line to the developer who built it. We want you to feel confident operating the site yourself.
Why fixed-price beats template factories.
Not every project needs a boutique studio. Here's an honest comparison of when it makes sense — and when it doesn't.
| Ascend (boutique) | Template agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Custom, built from scratch in Figma | Pre-built template with colour swap |
| Code ownership | You own 100% — source code delivered | Often platform-locked, no source access |
| Performance | Lighthouse 95+ as a baseline target | Varies; often poor on mobile |
| Timeline | 3–8 weeks depending on scope | 1–2 weeks (template install + content) |
| Ongoing costs | Fixed monthly retainer or on-request | Platform subscription + hourly updates |
| Who's right for this | Brands that need to stand out | Businesses that need something live fast |
The questions behind the price.
Do prices include VAT?
Prices are quoted ex-VAT. VAT applies for Bulgarian clients. EU B2B clients use reverse-charge — no VAT charged. UK and other non-EU clients are invoiced ex-VAT as services exported.
Can I pay in instalments?
Yes — we typically split across three milestones: kickoff, design sign-off, and launch. For larger projects we can move to monthly milestones. We don't take retainer-style upfront payments for unscoped work.
What if scope changes?
We requote for scope changes. We don't silently absorb them and invoice later. If something we agreed turns out harder than we estimated, that's our problem — but new requirements get a new line item, written down before any work happens.
How long does a project take?
Marketing sites typically take 3–5 weeks from kickoff to launch. E-commerce sites run 5–8 weeks depending on catalogue size and integrations. Web apps are quoted with a timeline attached. AI automation projects start with a two-week proof of concept, then move to a production timeline scoped after the PoC.
Do I own the code after the project?
Yes, fully. You receive the complete source code, all design files in Figma, and access to every service we set up. There are no platform lock-in clauses, no licensing fees, and no situation where we'd hold the site hostage. Your project, your code.
What happens after launch?
Every project includes a 30-day post-launch support window covered in the project fee. After that, we offer optional maintenance retainers: security updates, plugin management, performance monitoring, and a real human to call when something breaks. We don't disappear after the invoice is paid.
Do you work with clients outside Bulgaria?
Yes — roughly a third of our clients are based in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and the US. We work in English as a default for international clients, issue invoices in EUR or GBP, and are comfortable with async working across time zones. All projects are quoted and executed the same way regardless of where the client is based.
Can I see the site before I pay?
Yes. For most projects we build a working demo — a live URL with real design and real content — before you pay a single euro. The demo gives you something concrete to react to, and it gives us a shared reference point before we lock in scope. No obligation, no hidden fees.
Get a written quote in one business day.
Tell us what you're building. We'll come back with a written proposal, a fixed price, and a kickoff date — or an honest "not the right fit."
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