When buying a website template, you might be surprised to see that requesting a custom feature can cost up to 50% of the template’s original price — even for what seems like a simple feature. Why does this happen? Is it reasonable? The short answer: absolutely. Let’s explore why.
1. Tailored Development
A website template is a ready-made product designed for general use. When you request a custom feature, the developer needs to create something unique, specifically for your needs. This requires understanding your requirements, planning, and implementing the feature in a way that fits your site’s design and functionality — something that’s not part of the original template’s scope.
2. Time and Effort
Even a “small” feature can take several hours of coding, testing, and refining. Developers charge for their time and expertise, not just for the complexity of the task. What seems like a minor change on the surface often involves more work behind the scenes.
3. Ensuring Compatibility
A custom feature must integrate seamlessly with the existing template without breaking its design, functionality, or performance. This takes careful coding, testing, and sometimes adjusting other parts of the template to maintain harmony between all elements.
4. Quality Assurance
A professional developer won’t just add a feature and call it done. They’ll ensure it works across different devices, browsers, and screen sizes. They’ll also test for performance, security, and potential bugs — all of which require time and attention to detail.
5. Opportunity Cost
By working on your custom feature, the developer is dedicating time they could spend on other projects or clients. This cost is factored into the pricing — especially for custom work that requires focused effort.
6. Support and Future Revisions
A custom feature often requires ongoing support, adjustments, or updates to stay compatible with future versions of the template or other third-party tools. This potential for future work is considered in the initial pricing.
Conclusion
When you request a custom feature, you’re not just paying for a bit of extra code — you’re paying for the developer’s time, expertise, and the care they take to ensure quality and compatibility. Considering the planning, development, testing, and support involved, it’s understandable why custom features can cost a significant portion of the template’s original price.
If you’re thinking of adding custom features to your website, be sure to communicate your needs clearly and understand the value of the work being done. The right feature, built well, is always worth the investment.
