At Sea Change Advisors, we’ve helped dozens of companies weigh the tradeoffs between building proprietary systems and licensing SaaS tools. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but there is a right answer for your business, depending on your stage, needs, and long-term goals. I personally was enamoured with building my own solutions but have learned that it is not always the best decision.
Here’s a clear framework to help you decide when to build vs. buy.
Building software in-house means developing a custom solution that fits your specific business needs. It can be expensive and time-consuming, but it gives you full control over functionality and future direction.
Your business model depends on it
If your software is your product or a key part of your differentiation (e.g., a proprietary dashboard, customer portal, or data platform), building makes sense. In the case of BidClerk, our data collection could not be supported with an off the shelf solution, so we built it.
You have complex, non-standard workflows
Off-the-shelf solutions can struggle to adapt to highly specialized processes.
You need deep integration across systems
If you are managing multiple legacy tools, APIs, or third-party platforms, a custom solution can simplify and streamline the architecture.
You're optimizing for long-term cost and control
Over time, license fees and per-user charges can eclipse the cost of custom development, especially if you're scaling fast.
High upfront development cost
Long time to value (6–12+ months)
Ongoing maintenance and technical debt
Requires strong internal engineering resources
Sea Change Tip: Don’t build everything. Even when building, leverage open-source libraries, no-code platforms, or pre-built components to speed time-to-market.
Buying software, whether it is a SaaS subscription or licensed platform, means you get a proven, supported tool quickly. For most operational needs, buying is faster, cheaper, and lower-risk.
The solution is not core to your differentiation
Don’t build your own CRM, accounting software, or email marketing tool unless you are in that business.
You need to move fast
SaaS tools can be implemented in days or weeks, not months.
There’s already a strong solution in the market
If a mature, well-supported product exists, take advantage of the R&D others have already paid for.
You need predictable costs and lower risk
Buying comes with support, upgrades, and reduced reliance on internal dev resources.
Limited customization
Vendor lock-in or pricing changes
Data portability issues
Potential lack of integration with other tools
Sea Change Tip: Vet software vendors not just on features, but on scalability, integration, and roadmap alignment. A tool that works for 10 employees may not scale with 100.
| Question | If YES → | If NO → |
|---|---|---|
| Is this core to your value proposition? | Build | Buy |
| Do existing tools meet 80%+ of your needs? | Buy | Build |
| Do you have strong internal technical resources? | Build | Buy |
| Do you need it up and running in < 60 days? | Buy | Build (with roadmap) |
| Are you comfortable managing updates & support? | Build | Buy |
The smartest teams don’t lock into a binary decision, they evolve.
Start with an off-the-shelf tool to validate the process. Once you prove the business case, consider custom development to fine-tune or scale. Or buy a platform that allows for modular customization (via APIs or no-code overlays) to get the best of both worlds.
At Sea Change Advisors, we help SMBs and SaaS companies make confident decisions about their tech stack, workflows, and growth strategy, so you are building what matters and buying the rest.
Trying to decide whether to build or buy your next system?
We’ll help you map out the true costs, risks, and ROI of each path.
📩 Talk to Sea Change Advisors