SaaS package or custom software—how do we choose?
Speed and vendor updates versus fit and control where you compete.
SaaS is fast to start, vendor-maintained, and subscription-priced. It is usually right for mature domains (accounting, email, basic CRM). Custom software fits where your process is a differentiator—or where packages force painful workarounds.
Decision filters: Does this process differentiate us? Are we living inside hacks in the package? Are data ownership and integrations critical? What does growth look like in 12–24 months? Commodity work → package. Competitive core → custom or hybrid.
Hybrid is common: accounting and email stay SaaS; operations panel is custom. You avoid reinventing the wheel and invest where value is created.
Choose with a process map and cost/benefit—not with a slogan that “everything must be bespoke.”
