Custom or off-the-shelf software: how to decide

Off-the-shelf software costs less upfront. But if your teams spend their day working around the tool — double entries, Excel exports, parallel notebooks — the real cost silently explodes.

Our decision grid comes down to three questions. One: is your process standard (accounting, payroll) or specific to your trade? Standard goes off-the-shelf, specific deserves custom.

Two: does volume justify the investment? A tool used ten times a day by eight people quickly pays off its development. A one-off need doesn't.

Three: who will make the tool evolve? Custom software implies a lasting partner; demand source code ownership and operating documentation. It's your digital life insurance.