The verdict in three sentences
An app abandoned at 70% can be rescued two times out of three, provided you start with an independent code audit costing EUR 2,500 to 6,000 (roughly USD 2,700 to 6,500) before signing anything with a new vendor. The first emergency is legal and technical: recover every access (Git repository, hosting, domain, app store accounts, database) and the assignment of rights on the code you already paid for. A serious rescue usually costs EUR 20,000 to 50,000, and a partial rewrite becomes the rational choice when more than 40% of the code must be redone.
Step one: secure access and rights
Before any technical talk, inventory what you actually own. Many executives discover that the repository sits on the developer's personal account, the server is billed to the agency and the domain is not in their name. Without these accesses, no new vendor can quote properly.
| Asset to recover | Where to look | Typical delay | Risk if missing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Git repository (with history) | Agency GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket | 2 to 10 days | Restarting from zipped files with no history |
| Hosting and database access | AWS, Azure, OVHcloud, Scaleway | 1 to 7 days | Service shutdown when the invoice lapses |
| Domain name and DNS | Registrar (GoDaddy, Gandi, Namecheap) | 1 to 5 days | Loss of the address and email |
| Apple and Google Play accounts | Developer consoles | 3 to 15 days | No way to ship an update |
| Third-party API keys (payments, SMS, maps) | Stripe, Twilio, Mapbox | 1 to 3 days | Blocked features, billing held by a third party |
| Copyright assignment on the code | Contract, terms, invoices | 2 to 6 weeks | Dispute over software ownership |
Without a written assignment or work-for-hire clause, code generally belongs to its author. A formal demand letter, then if needed a lawyer's letter (order of magnitude EUR 800 to 2,000, more in New York), usually secures the source code and an assignment against any balance still due.
The code audit: what it measures and what it costs
The audit is a short deliverable, produced by a firm that will not necessarily do the rescue. It answers one question: how much does finishing cost, and is it better to rescue or rewrite?
| Audit scope | 2026 price (excl. tax) | Duration | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flash audit (code, dependencies, basic security) | EUR 2,500 to 3,500 | 5 days | 10-page memo, traffic light per module |
| Full audit (architecture, tests, performance) | EUR 4,000 to 6,000 | 8 to 10 days | Report with a costed rescue estimate |
| In-depth security audit (penetration test) | EUR 3,000 to 8,000 | 5 to 10 days | Vulnerabilities ranked by severity |
| Privacy audit of data processing | EUR 1,500 to 3,000 | 3 to 5 days | Records, gaps, compliance plan |
| Rescue versus rewrite estimate | Included in full audit | Two costed scenarios with schedule |
Metrics to demand: test coverage (often below 10% in an abandoned project), number of outdated dependencies, secrets committed in code, consistency of the data model and the share of features that actually pass acceptance testing.
Rescue, rewrite or walk away: the decision grid
| Audit finding | Recommended option | Indicative 2026 budget | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean code, 70% working, recent framework | Rescue and finish | EUR 20,000 to 35,000 | 2 to 4 months |
| Decent code but no docs or tests | Rescue with stabilization phase | EUR 30,000 to 50,000 | 3 to 5 months |
| Sound back end, sloppy front end | Partial front-end rewrite | EUR 25,000 to 45,000 | 3 to 4 months |
| Inconsistent data model, serious flaws | Partial back-end rewrite | EUR 40,000 to 70,000 | 4 to 6 months |
| Abandoned technology, over 40% to redo | Full rewrite | EUR 50,000 to 90,000 | 5 to 8 months |
| Need covered by an off-the-shelf SaaS | Walk away and migrate data | EUR 5,000 to 15,000 | 1 to 2 months |
The money already spent (the EUR 60,000) must stay out of the calculation. Only the remaining cost to reach a production-ready, maintainable app with a committed vendor matters.
Clauses to negotiate with the new vendor
Rescues fail roughly one time in three, almost always for the same reasons: fuzzy scope, a vendor who discovers the debt mid-project, no formal acceptance testing. Get it in writing: a fixed-price stabilization phase of 2 to 4 weeks before any new feature, rights assignment with every paid invoice, code in a repository you own, documentation delivered at every milestone, late penalties capped at 10% and a 3-month bug-fix warranty after go-live.
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Mini case study
Thomas runs an industrial maintenance SME and paid EUR 60,000 for a field intervention app delivered 70% complete. He orders a full audit at EUR 4,800. Verdict: sound Laravel back end, untested React front end, two authentication flaws. Chosen scenario: rescue with stabilization and a front-end rewrite for EUR 38,000 over 4 months. Total remaining cost: EUR 42,800, against EUR 75,000 for a full rewrite, a saving of EUR 32,200. With 6 hours of data entry saved per technician per month across 15 technicians at EUR 35 per hour, the app returns EUR 3,150 a month: payback on the remaining investment in about 14 months.
FAQ
How much does a pre-rescue audit of a web app cost?
Budget EUR 2,500 to 3,500 for a 5-day flash audit and EUR 4,000 to 6,000 for a full audit with a costed estimate. That is 5 to 10% of the rescue budget, and it prevents signing blind.
Can the former vendor refuse to hand over the code?
Without an assignment clause they may hold the copyright, but they cannot block a paying client forever. A demand letter followed by negotiation on any outstanding balance settles most cases in 2 to 6 weeks.
When should everything be rewritten?
When the audit shows more than 40% of the code must be redone or the technology is no longer maintained. Below that threshold, a rescue usually costs 30 to 50% less than a rewrite.
What timeline should I expect for a rescue?
Between 2 and 5 months depending on code quality, including 2 to 4 weeks of unavoidable stabilization. Be wary of any vendor promising go-live in 3 weeks without an audit.
How do I keep the rescue from failing too?
Keep the Git repository in your name, require acceptance testing at every milestone every 2 to 3 weeks and pay per delivered batch. These three rules remove most of the failure causes we see.
Let's scope your project. Send us the current state of your app and the accesses you hold: we will frame the audit, the indicative rescue budget and the time to production. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
