You're running a business and you've got a problem. Your team is drowning in spreadsheets, your current software doesn't quite fit what you need, and you're wondering: should I build something custom or just buy something that already exists?

It's a big question. Let's break it down in plain English.

Think of it like buying a house vs building one

Buying ready-made software is like buying a condo. You move in tomorrow, everything works, but you can't knock down walls or add a room. You get what everyone else gets.

Building custom software is like building your own house. It takes longer and costs more, but you get exactly what you want. Every room is designed for how you actually live.

When buying makes sense

Sometimes the ready-made stuff is perfect. Here's when you should probably just buy something:

You need it yesterday. If you're in a rush and the software needs to work next week, buy something. Custom development takes time. We're talking months, not days.

It's a common problem. Need to track expenses? Send emails? Manage schedules? Yeah, there are thousands of tools that already do this well. Don't reinvent the wheel.

You're not sure what you need yet. If you're still figuring out your process, start with off-the-shelf software. You'll learn what you actually need before spending big money on custom development.

Your budget is tight. Ready-made software usually costs $10 to $100 per month. Custom software starts at $35,000. That's a huge difference if you're bootstrapping.

When building makes sense

Sometimes you really do need something built just for you. Here's when custom makes sense:

Your process is unique. If your business does things differently from everyone else, generic software will feel like wearing someone else's shoes. It kinda works, but it's never quite right.

You're stuck using 5 different tools. Are you copying data from your CRM to your accounting software to your project management tool? Custom software can combine everything into one system that actually talks to itself.

You need it to scale with you. Ready-made software often charges per user or has limits. When you grow from 5 people to 50, those monthly fees explode. Custom software costs the same whether you have 5 users or 500.

It's your competitive advantage. If the software is actually what makes your business special, you want to own it. Think about how Uber's app IS their business. They couldn't just buy that off the shelf.

The real costs (that nobody talks about)

Let's be honest about what this actually costs you.

Buying ready-made software

Money: $50-500 per month usually. Seems cheap at first.

Time: Setting it up takes a few hours or days. Your team needs to learn it.

Frustration: You'll hit limits. "I wish it could do this one thing..." You'll hear that a lot.

Lock-in: Your data is in their system. Leaving later is a pain.

Building custom software

Money: Starting at $35k for something simple, up to $200k+ for complex systems.

Time: 2-6 months to build, depending on what you need.

Maintenance: You'll need updates and bug fixes. Budget 10-20% of the build cost per year.

Flexibility: But here's the thing... it does exactly what you want. Nothing more, nothing less.

What most smart businesses do

They don't pick one or the other. They do both.

Start with off-the-shelf software for most things. Use QuickBooks for accounting, Gmail for email, Slack for team chat. These tools are cheap and they work.

But for the one or two things that are truly unique to your business? That's where custom development shines.

Real example from a Singapore client

We worked with a property management company here in Singapore. They were using:

Excel for tracking properties
WhatsApp for tenant communication
Email for maintenance requests
Another Excel file for financial reports

It was chaos. They were spending 15 hours a week just copying data around.

They didn't need custom accounting software (QuickBooks works great). They didn't need custom email (Gmail is fine).

But they DID need a custom dashboard that pulled everything together. One place where they could see which properties needed maintenance, which tenants hadn't paid, and how their portfolio was performing.

We built them exactly that. It cost $48k and took 3 months. Now they save 15 hours per week and they can actually see what's going on in their business.

Questions to ask yourself

Not sure which way to go? Ask yourself these:

Can I find software that does 80% of what I need? If yes, buy that and work around the missing 20%.

Will this software save me more than it costs? If custom software costs $50k but saves you $20k per year, it pays for itself in 2.5 years.

Is this a permanent part of my business? Don't build custom software for a temporary problem. But if you'll be using it for 5+ years, custom might make sense.

Do I have the budget and patience? Custom development isn't fast or cheap. If you can't wait 3 months and don't have $35k+, stick with ready-made for now.

The verdict

Most businesses should use off-the-shelf software for 90% of their needs. It's faster, cheaper, and good enough.

But if you've got a process that's truly unique, or you're stuck gluing together 5 different tools, that's when custom software changes everything.

Still not sure? Talk to us. We'll be honest about whether you actually need custom software or if there's something cheaper that'll work just fine.

About &7: We build custom web applications for businesses in Singapore. But we're also honest when you DON'T need custom software. Sometimes the best solution is the one that already exists.