Build or Buy: Custom Tools vs Off-the-Shelf Software

When buying makes sense

• The job is the same in every business, such as accounting or email.
• A well-known product already does what you need without workarounds.
• You need it working today.
• The monthly cost is small compared with the time it saves.

When building makes sense

• You are paying monthly for features you do not use, or several tools that do not talk to each other.
• Staff copy information from one system to another by hand.
• The way you work is what makes your business different, and the software forces you to change it.
• Subscription costs keep rising as you add staff or locations.

Work out the real cost

Compare the total over two or three years, not the first month. Add up subscription fees per user, add-ons and the staff time spent on workarounds. Then compare that with a one-off build cost plus any small running costs.

In one of our projects, a client replaced off-the-shelf rota and payroll software with a tool built around how they work, and it now saves them over £400 a month.

A middle route

Often the best answer is both: keep standard software for standard jobs, and build small tools that join them up or handle the part that is unique to you. Small custom tools can now be built in hours or days rather than months.