Build or buy is often decided on the first quote or the first monthly fee. That is understandable, but you use software for years. A package that is cheap in month one can have become expensive by year three. A system of your own that costs a lot to build can still tie you to one developer years later.
This article gives you four angles for making the choice over the long term. If you first want to check quickly whether a package fits your way of working at all, start with the checklist for off-the-shelf or custom software.
Total cost over several years
Put both routes side by side over the same period, for example three or five years. Include not only the visible amounts but also the costs hidden in hours.
When you buy
- Licences: often per user or per location. Calculate with the team you expect in three years, not the team you have now.
- Extra modules and higher plans: features you need later are sometimes only available in a more expensive plan.
- Programs on the side: if the package cannot do something, a second or third subscription is added, plus an integration between them.
- Workarounds: the hours your team spends retyping, exporting and checking by hand. They appear on no invoice, but they do cost money.
When you build
- The build itself: design, development, testing and transferring existing data.
- Hosting and security: servers, backups, certificates and keeping up with security updates.
- Maintenance: browsers, operating systems and connected services change. Software that is not kept up to date ages.
- New requirements: after the first version there are always changes. Set aside room for them.
Ownership of your data
Your customers, appointments, orders and invoices are your business’s memory. So for every route, ask:
- Can you export everything? In a usable format, including history, and not just a list of names.
- What happens after you cancel? How long does your data stay available, and is it demonstrably deleted afterwards?
- Where is the data stored? If the supplier processes personal data on your behalf, the GDPR requires a data processing agreement. Ask for it.
- Who has access? Can you set permissions per member of staff yourself and see who changed what?
With a system of your own this seems to be sorted automatically, but it still has to be arranged: who manages the database, who makes backups and who holds the access details?
How dependent will you become?
There is always some dependence. The question is on whom, and how easily you can get out.
- With a package: the supplier decides price, terms and features. Price rises or a feature being dropped simply happen to you.
- With your own build: you depend on the company or the one developer who knows the code. If they leave, someone else has to get up to speed.
- With sector software: you share the foundation with other businesses in your sector, and the supplier is responsible for hosting, updates and support.
Make it concrete: imagine you want to switch in two years. What do you take with you, how much work is that and who helps you? The answer tells you more than the brochure.
Who decides on further development?
Your business changes. A new location, a new service, a different way of scheduling. The software has to move with it.
- With a package you wait until the supplier picks up your request. If it does not fit their plans, it does not happen.
- With your own build you decide what happens, but you also pay for every change yourself.
- With sector software improvements that apply to the whole sector reach everyone at once, and your setup is adjusted to your own way of working.
The framework in five questions
- How specific is the process? The same everywhere: buy. What sets you apart: look further.
- What does each route cost over three to five years? Including licences as you grow, programs on the side, maintenance and hours lost to workarounds.
- Can you leave with all your data? If not, give that a lot of weight.
- Whom will you depend on, and how do you get free? A supplier, a developer or a company with several customers in your sector.
- Who decides what changes next year? You, the supplier, or both together.
Vorlyo offers the middle route: software per sector that already runs and is set up for your business, with a one-off investment for the setup and then a fixed monthly licence for hosting, updates and support.
Frequently asked questions
Over how many years should I compare costs?
Take a period in which you can reasonably expect to use the software, often three to five years. Then calculate with the team and the work you expect during that time.
Do I own my data with a package?
That is set out in the terms. Check whether you can export everything, what happens after cancelling and whether there is a data processing agreement.
What if the developer of my own software stops?
Then someone else has to take over the code. Make sure in advance that you have access to the code, the documentation and the hosting.
Does building make sense if I only have a few users?
Only if the process is genuinely unusual. With few users, licence costs weigh less and buying is often cheaper.