When custom software makes more sense than another SaaS tool

We build custom software for a living, so it may be surprising that our first advice is often not to build anything. If a good product already does what you need, use it. It’s cheaper, it’s ready today and someone else maintains it.

But there’s a point where off-the-shelf tools stop helping and start costing you. Here’s how to recognise it.

Start with SaaS. Usually.

Accounting, email, payroll, basic CRM and video calls are solved problems. Thousands of businesses need the same thing, and the products are mature. Building your own version of any of them is rarely a good use of money.

The same goes for early ideas. If you’re still working out what customers want, a no-code tool or an existing product can help you learn without a large investment.

Signs you’ve outgrown the tools

• Your team spends real time moving information between tools by hand.
• You’ve bent your process to fit a product, and the work has got worse.
• You pay for several subscriptions to cover one workflow, and there are still gaps.
• The part of your work that makes you different is exactly the part no product handles.
• Pricing grows with every user or record, and it has started to look like a salary.
• You need control over data, security or where information is stored, and the tool can’t give it.

One of these on its own isn’t a reason to build. Several together usually are.

The real cost comparison

It’s tempting to compare a monthly subscription with the one-off cost of building. That comparison misses most of the picture.

On the SaaS side, count the hours people spend working around the tool, copying data, fixing mistakes and managing extra subscriptions. Those hours are real even though they never appear on an invoice.

On the custom side, count the build and the ongoing care: hosting, updates, fixes and small changes over time. Custom software isn’t a one-time purchase. Anyone who says it is has left something out.

It isn’t all or nothing

Often the best answer is a mix. Keep the tools that work well and build the missing piece. That might be a small internal app that connects your CRM and your accounting system, or a customer portal that sits on top of the systems you already use.

This keeps the build small, costs less and leaves solved problems to the products that already solve them.

Questions to ask before deciding

1. What exactly isn’t working, and what does it cost us each month in time or money?
2. Is there a product that does most of this if we change our process a little?
3. Is this part of our work likely to change a lot, or is it fairly stable?
4. Who will look after the software once it’s built?

If the honest answers point towards building, it’s worth talking to someone who will look at the problem before the technology. See how we approach custom software development. If the answers point towards another tool, that’s a good outcome too.