Convert an Access Database to a Web App: Australian Costs (2026)

Many Australian businesses still run on a Microsoft Access database that someone built years ago. It mostly works. But it only runs on office PCs, it struggles when several people use it at once, and often nobody left in the business can change it.

This post covers what it costs to convert an Access database into a web app in Australia, how long it takes, and how to move across without stopping work. Support for Access 2021 ends on 13 October 2026, so many businesses are weighing this up now.

Prices are in Australian dollars. Hireadev isn't registered for GST, so no GST is added.

Signs it's time to move off Access

Two or three of these is usually enough to start the conversation.

• Several people use it at once and you get locked records, lost changes or "database is locked" errors.
• Staff at home, in another office or on a job site can't use it, or it crawls over a VPN.
• The whole business sits in one file on a shared drive, and nobody is sure the backups work.
• Field staff need it on their phones.
• Data is typed into Access, then typed again into Xero or MYOB.
• The person who built it has left, and adding one field feels risky.

A web app fixes these. It works in any browser, on a PC, tablet or phone. The data sits in a proper database with regular backups. Reports become live screens, plus PDF or Excel exports for the ones people like to print or email.

What it costs

The price depends mostly on how much the database does, not how much data it holds. As a rough guide:

Most small and medium databases cost AU$25,000 to $80,000 and take 8 to 24 weeks. Larger systems can cost more.

The price goes up with lots of macros or VBA code to rewrite, reports built on complicated queries, and links to other systems that Access handled through macros. It comes down if you know which forms and reports people actually use, your data is reasonably clean, and you start with the part that hurts most.

How the move works

Switching everything over on one day is risky. Old databases nearly always do things nobody wrote down, and those gaps only show up once staff try to do their jobs in the new system.

A safer way is to build the web app beside Access and move across one part at a time:

1. Review. We go through your tables, forms, queries, reports and any macros or VBA code. You get a short written summary of what is there and what each option would cost.
2. Fixed quote. You see the price before any build work starts.
3. Build one part first. Usually the part that causes the most trouble, such as bookings or job tracking. Everything else stays in Access for now.
4. Move staff across for that part, then repeat with the next part until Access is no longer needed.

You get value sooner, a problem only affects one part, and staff learn the new system bit by bit. Small databases can move in one go, with the same data checks.

To keep your data safe, scripts copy it into the new database again and again until every record count matches. Then old and new run side by side for 2 to 4 weeks so you can compare results. When you switch over, there is a plan to switch back, and the old Access file is kept read-only so you can always look back.

When to leave Access alone

A rebuild isn't always the right call. Leave Access as it is if:

• It's stable, one to three people use it, and it isn't holding anything up.
• Nobody is asking for changes.
• The business is winding down or being sold, so the cost won't pay back.
• An off-the-shelf product already does what you need. Move to that instead.

There are cheaper middle options too. You can upgrade to Access in Microsoft 365, or move the data into SQL Server and keep the Access screens. Our guide to Access 2021 end of support explains both.

For your IT person

• Data moves to SQL Server, Azure SQL or PostgreSQL. The app is built with ASP.NET Core, Blazor or Next.js and hosted on Azure or AWS in Australian data centres.
• Sign-in can use Microsoft 365 (Entra ID) with two-factor authentication.
• VBA logic is rewritten and covered by tests, not copied line for line.
• Migration scripts keep each record's original Access ID for tracing. Record counts and sample records are compared daily during the side-by-side period.
• Integrations with Xero, MYOB and other tools use their official APIs.

Get a free Access review

Hireadev is run by Ryan Brooker, a Brisbane software engineer. We replace Access databases for businesses across South East Queensland and, remotely, the rest of Australia.

See the options and prices on our MS Access database replacement page, or book a free 30-minute Access review. We'll look at your database and tell you which option fits, even if it's the cheapest one.