Custom software development
in St. Louis — and nationwide.
Skilak Consulting is a custom software development company headquartered in St. Charles, Missouri. We design, build, and support custom web applications, APIs, integrations, and cloud systems for businesses across the St. Louis metro and the United States — delivered directly by senior engineers with a decade of production experience.
No account managers, no offshore handoffs, no junior developers learning on your budget. The engineer you meet on the first call is the engineer who writes your code.
What we build
Most clients come to us with a business problem, not a spec: orders tracked in three spreadsheets, a portal customers keep asking for, systems that don't talk to each other. We turn that into working software.
Custom web applications
Internal tools, customer portals, and full products — built on Next.js, React, and .NET or Python back ends, with the database design to match.
APIs & system integrations
REST and event-driven APIs that connect your CRM, accounting, scheduling, and payment systems so data flows instead of being re-typed.
Dashboards & reporting
Real-time operational dashboards and scheduled reporting that replace spreadsheet wrangling with numbers you can trust.
Payments & authentication
Stripe and PayPal payment flows, subscription billing, and secure sign-on — built by engineers with production payment-infrastructure experience.
Cloud infrastructure
AWS, Azure, or GCP environments defined in Terraform with CI/CD pipelines — so every deploy is repeatable and reviewable.
Databases & data engineering
PostgreSQL and SQL Server design, tuning, and migration — including rescuing overgrown Access databases and spreadsheets.
A proven, boring-on-purpose stack
We build on mainstream, hireable technologies — the ones that will still have community support and available developers in ten years. Your software shouldn't depend on us forever; we build it so any competent team can maintain it.
Where AI helps, we wire it in pragmatically — from cloud APIs to fully on-premises models via private AI deployment when your data can't leave the building.
| Front end | Next.js, React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS |
|---|---|
| Back end | .NET, Python, Node.js |
| Data | PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Redis |
| Cloud | AWS, Azure, GCP — Terraform, Kubernetes, CI/CD |
| AI | OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, local/on-premises models (Skilak Spool) |
| Integrations | Stripe, PayPal, CRMs, scheduling, third-party APIs |
Industries we serve
The engineering behind Skilak comes from enterprise-scale delivery in demanding, regulated industries — the same rigor now available to growing businesses.
How an engagement works
Free consultation
A 30-minute call about the problem — not a sales pitch. We respond to every inquiry within one business day.
Fixed, written scope
You get a plain-English proposal with a fixed budget and timeline. No open-ended hourly billing, no surprise invoices.
Iterative build
Working software every week or two, demoed to you directly by the engineer building it. Course-correct early, not at launch.
Launch & long-term support
We deploy, document, and hand off — then stay available as a long-term partner for changes, support, and new features.
A software partner that's actually local
Search for software development in St. Louis and you'll find plenty of firms with a St. Louis landing page and no St. Louis presence. Skilak is headquartered in St. Charles, Missouri — we can sit down with your team in O'Fallon, St. Peters, Chesterfield, or downtown St. Louis this week, then work remotely to keep your budget focused on engineering rather than commute time.
And local doesn't mean limited: our delivery experience spans national telecommunications, insurance, and automotive platforms, and we serve clients across the United States fully remotely.
Frequently asked questions
How much does custom software development cost in St. Louis?
Typical ranges: automations and integrations from $5,000–$25,000; custom web applications from $30,000–$150,000+ depending on scope. We quote a fixed budget in writing after a free consultation, so you know the cost before work begins.
How long does a custom software project take?
Integrations and automations usually ship in 2–6 weeks. A first version of a custom application typically takes 2–5 months. We deliver working software iteratively, so you see progress every week or two rather than waiting for a big reveal.
Who owns the code you write?
You do. Every line of code, every design document, and every credential is yours — delivered in your own source-control and cloud accounts. No vendor lock-in, no license fees back to us.
Do you work on-site in the St. Louis area?
Yes. We're headquartered in St. Charles and available for on-site working sessions across the St. Louis metro — O'Fallon, St. Peters, Chesterfield, Wentzville, and downtown St. Louis. Most day-to-day work is remote, which keeps budgets lean.
Can you maintain software another company built?
Yes. We regularly take over systems built by departed developers or agencies — auditing the code, documenting what exists, and stabilizing before improving. See our legacy modernization service for the full approach.
Let's build something real.
Have a project, a legacy system that needs attention, or a contract to discuss? We respond within one business day.