Custom software versus an off-the-shelf package
An honest comparison between custom software and a ready-made off-the-shelf package: cost, control, fit, lock-in and time-to-launch, so you know what fits your business.
- An off-the-shelf package (SaaS) is faster to launch and cheaper to start, but you adapt your process to the software.
- Custom software fits your process exactly and is yours, but costs more up front and takes longer to build.
- Choose an off-the-shelf package when your need is common and a good package exists.
- Choose custom when your process sets you apart, when you're gluing several tools together, or when SaaS monthly costs add up over the years. With us, custom starts from €5,000 with a fixed project price.
It's not a question of right or wrong
Almost every business reaches a point where a spreadsheet no longer cuts it. Then the question is: do I buy an existing package, or have something built to fit? Both choices are valid. An off-the-shelf package is software made by someone else for a broad group of users, often with a monthly subscription (SaaS). Custom software is built around your specific process. The right choice doesn't depend on what's best in general, but on what fits your situation. Below we lay out the five factors that make the difference.
Custom versus off-the-shelf on five points
An honest overview, without making either look better than it is.
| Off-the-shelf (SaaS) | Custom software | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Low to start, monthly subscription that grows with users | Higher up front (from €5,000), then little or no ongoing licence cost |
| Control | Limited: you work within the package's options | Full: you decide what it does and how it works |
| Fit with your process | You often adapt your process to the software | The software adapts to your process |
| Lock-in | High: your data and workflow sit with the vendor | Low: the code and data are yours |
| Time-to-launch | Usable immediately | Build time needed, depending on scope |
Prices are fixed amounts up front, excluding VAT. For custom work you get a fixed project price up front.
How to make the right choice
Choose an off-the-shelf package when your need is common
For accounting, email, invoicing or a simple web shop, excellent packages already exist. If thousands of businesses need exactly the same thing you do, building something custom is rarely worth it. You get proven software, fast, for a few tens of euros a month.
Choose custom when your process sets you apart
If the way you work is part of why customers choose you, you want software that strengthens that process rather than flattening it. An off-the-shelf package forces you into the mould of the average user. Custom is built around your way of working.
Watch the sum of subscriptions
An off-the-shelf package looks cheap until you glue three or four tools together, each with its own monthly fee that grows with your team. Over a few years that total can overtake the one-off cost of custom. Do the maths before you decide.
Think about what happens if you want to leave
With an off-the-shelf package your data and way of working sit with the vendor. If their price, direction or terms change, you have little choice. With custom the code and data are yours, so you stay in control. That's not a reason to always choose custom, but it's worth weighing.
Often the best choice is a combination
In practice it's rarely all or nothing. Many businesses use an off-the-shelf package for what's common, like accounting, and only have the part built custom that sets them apart or that ties loose tools together. An automation that lets two packages talk to each other, or a portal on top of existing software, gives you the best of both. That way you only pay for custom where it genuinely pays off. With us, such a standalone automation starts from €1,500.
Frequently asked questions about custom versus off-the-shelf
What's the difference between custom software and an off-the-shelf package?
Is custom software always more expensive?
When is an off-the-shelf package the better choice?
What is vendor lock-in and why does it matter?
Can I combine a package and custom software?
Torn between custom and a package?
Book a free, no-obligation call. We look at your situation honestly and we'll say so if an off-the-shelf package is the better choice.
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