FDA SaMD cost calculator

A Class I exempt SaMD with a lightweight quality system costs $90,000–$160,000. A Class II device going through 510(k) with clinical validation and Section 524B cybersecurity documentation costs $200,000–$450,000, and complex or novel devices reach $700,000.

  • 6 separately priced features
  • Compliance costed as line items
  • Itemised, not a single guess
  • ±15–20% confidence range

At a glance

Baselines before features, compliance and multipliers.

  • Class I$90K
  • Class II 510(k)$200K
  • Complex$450K

A typical configuration lands near $334,000 over 2435 weeks.

$90K–$540KTypical range for this build
$90KCheapest realistic scope
24–35 wksTypical delivery window
18–22%Of build cost, per year, to run it

Configure your fda samd

Work through the steps below — scope, features, compliance and integrations — and you get an itemised estimate with a range, a midpoint and a delivery window.

Configure your build

Question 1 / 7

How big is this build?Sets the baseline everything else is added to.

How big is this build?

What each scope tier includes

Every calculator starts from one of three baselines. This is what separates them.

Baseline cost by scope tier for the FDA SaMD Cost Calculator
ScopeBaselineTypical shape
Class I$90KNarrowest useful release — one workflow, one user type, launched fast.
Class II 510(k)$200KThe common case: multiple roles, reporting, and the integrations most buyers expect.
Complex$450KMulti-site or enterprise scope, deeper interoperability and heavier non-functional requirements.

Baselines are before feature adders, compliance programmes, integrations and the platform, design and team-location multipliers. The headline range for this calculator is $90K–$540K. See how the numbers are built.

Frequently asked questions

How much does FDA clearance for SaMD cost?

A Class I exempt product with a compliant lifecycle costs $90,000–$160,000. A Class II 510(k) device costs $200,000–$450,000 including about $40,000 in submission support and $35,000 in clinical validation. Complex or De Novo pathways run $450,000–$700,000 and up.

What are the FDA fees themselves?

FY2026 510(k) user fees are roughly $24,000 standard and about $6,000 for a qualified small business, on top of the engineering and consulting costs above. De Novo requests cost roughly $145,000 standard. Annual establishment registration is about $9,000. These fees sit outside the estimate produced here.

When does software become a regulated medical device?

When it diagnoses, treats, or drives a clinical decision without a clinician independently reviewing the basis for it. Clinical decision support that shows its reasoning and leaves the decision with a clinician is generally not regulated. Taction runs a fixed FDA SaMD Pathway engagement at $60,000 over 8 weeks to settle classification before you build.

Need a number you can put in a board deck?

A fixed-scope quote comes out of a 4-week Discovery sprint, which starts at $45,000 and ends with an architecture, a backlog and a firm price.

Talk to Taction Software Solutions