Build or buy? In five days you get a verdict in writing, with our name on it.
We build custom software for a living, which means "buy the off-the-shelf tool" is a recommendation made against our own interest, and we put it in writing when the case supports it. Build, buy, or combine, with the long-run cost picture behind it.When you need this
The demos all look great
Three SaaS vendors say their tool does exactly what you need. A dev shop says only custom will work. Everyone selling you the answer has a stake in it.
The costs don't compare cleanly
Seats grow, integrations bill separately, and custom needs maintenance. A subscription price and a build quote only compare after someone puts them on the same terms, over the same years.
The decision is sticky
Whatever you pick, you'll live with it for years. Migrating off a platform or rewriting custom software both hurt. Worth five days to get it right.
What you walk away with
A decision memo you can put in front of your team or your board, with the working behind every number.
- A clear verdict: build, buy, or a specific combination, stated on page one, not hedged across ten.
- A long-run cost model per path, licenses, seats, integration work, build cost, and maintenance, on comparable terms.
- A requirements-fit matrix, your must-haves against what each candidate tool actually does, checked against documentation and the product where trials allow, not just the sales page.
- The hidden constraints, data ownership, export paths, rate limits, customization ceilings, and what leaving each option would cost you later.
- A first step for the winning path, concrete enough to act on the week you receive it.
How the five days run
Requirements
One working session to pin down what the software must do, what it must never do, and what it needs to talk to.
Analysis
We evaluate the credible off-the-shelf candidates against your requirements, scope what a custom build would honestly take, and model both on the same terms over the same horizon.
Verdict
You get the memo and a live walkthrough. If the answer is "buy", we say so plainly and you save the cost of a build. That outcome is the point.
We recommend "buy" when the case supports it. A $2,500 analysis that stops an unnecessary build pays for itself many times over, and one that confirms "build" means you start with the requirements already written.
Questions we get
Why would a custom dev shop ever say "buy"?
What decides the price within the range?
We've already half-decided. Is it too late?
What if the answer is a mix?
You've been circling this decision long enough. Give it five days.
Tell us what the software needs to do and which tools you're considering. An engineer will reply with whether the analysis fits and a fixed price.
Free quote