Standard software or custom software? The honest comparison

Comparison

The differences in detail

• The cost calculation: Standard software costs per user per month, permanently. Custom software costs a lot once, then little. The break-even point, depending on user numbers, typically lies between three and six years.
• The fit: If standard software fits ninety percent, it's almost always right. At seventy percent it becomes critical, because the remaining thirty ends up in manual work or workarounds — and those cost you daily.
• The risk: Standard software can be discontinued, prices can rise, features can disappear. Custom software can become expensive and depends on maintenance. Both are real.
• The middle ground: Standard software as a base plus custom additions where it doesn't fit. For most medium-sized businesses, this is the most sensible answer.
• Update dependency: Standard software brings new features and security updates automatically on a regular basis. Custom software must organize this maintenance itself — that belongs in the operating concept from the start, not in the calculation afterwards.
• Negotiating power: With standard software, you're one of many customers with no influence on the product direction. With custom software, you determine what gets built next — an advantage that rarely appears in the cost calculation.

Conclusion

What this means for you

The decision between standard software and custom software cannot be made generally — it depends on your starting position, your volume, and who will operate the solution later.

If you're unsure, start with the cheaper standard solution and only invest in custom development when it becomes clear exactly where it falls short. The reverse approach — building everything yourself first — is the more expensive source of errors.

If you're unsure: describe your situation to us in a few sentences. We'll tell you which of the two directions is more sensible in your case — even when it's the one where we have less to do.