Custom software or an off-the-shelf tool?
Buy a tool when one fits your process; have software built when none does.
| Custom web softwareSee custom web software | An off-the-shelf tool | |
|---|---|---|
| Fit to your process | Built around your process. | Its own process, shared by every company that uses it; you adjust it within its settings. |
| Time to start | Once it is built, after a written scope and offer. | Once it is chosen and set up. |
| Cost up front | A fixed price in the written offer. | Set by the tool’s own price list. |
| Running cost over time | Its database and domain, any changes you order later, and our monitoring after launch, a service you book with us. | The tool’s plan, for as long as you use it. |
| Who decides what changes next | You do. | Its maker, for all its customers. |
| Who owns the code and the data | Ownership and what you receive at the end are agreed in the offer for each project, before anything is built. | The code is its maker’s; your data is held in the tool, under its terms. |
| Connections to your other tools | The connections your process needs, where the other tools allow it. | The connections the tool offers. |
| Changes later | When you ask for them; every change we make is checked before it goes live. | When its maker releases them. |
When you need a change.
Sooner or later, most companies need something their software does not do. Here is what happens next.
With an off-the-shelf tool
You ask its maker, and its maker decides for all its customers at once. The answer can be no, a high price, or a place on a list, and some requests wait for years. A change made to the standard by a partner can make every later update harder. And when the tool updates, the way you work can change with it, whether you asked or not.
With custom web software
You tell us what you need. It is written down and priced before it is built, and every change is checked before it goes live. What comes next is your decision, not a place on someone else’s list.
The differences that matter.
Your process, or the tool’s.
A standard tool comes with its own process. Custom web software is built around yours.
Who owns the code and the data.
Custom web software goes live with everything a proper delivery includes, such as tests and documentation. Who owns it, and what you receive at the end, is agreed in the offer. A tool is used, not owned: its code stays with its maker.
What each option covers.
An off-the-shelf tool
A ready-made product, built by its maker for many companies with similar needs. It exists before you buy it, so you can see what you get before you decide. Its maker keeps it up to date for everyone who uses it.
Custom web software
Software built for the way you work, for the tasks no standard tool covers. It goes live only when everything works, and after launch we offer monitoring with a check every hour.
When an off-the-shelf tool is the better choice.
Most Swiss SMEs are happy with their business software, and for much of the work a good tool is the right answer.
Work that is the same in every company.
Bookkeeping, payroll and VAT follow the same Swiss rules for everyone. Buy a good tool made for them, and follow its way.
A tool made for your trade.
Software made for your industry often fits most of what you do from the start.
You use it the way it comes.
Small companies that stay close to the standard have fewer problems with their software, and its updates are easier.
The way of working is the problem.
Sometimes the process needs to change, not the software. Custom software that copies a process that should change helps no one.
Our rule: buy standard software for what every company does the same way. Have software built for what makes your company different, and for what your tools cannot do. If a good tool does the job, we will tell you.
If you build, start with the part that hurts most, not with replacing everything.
When your software vendor says no: your optionsWhich fits your situation?
When a tool fits your process, buy it; when none does, have it built.
See custom web software
Frequently asked questions.
Can we start with a tool and move to custom software later?
Yes. Use the tool while it fits your process. Once it no longer does, custom web software can be built for that work, and what you take with you from the tool depends on what it lets you export.
Can custom software work with the tools we keep?
Yes, where those tools offer a way for other software to connect. Our own products connect to outside sources: ReplyFlow brings in a location’s Google reviews after a Google sign-in, and SignalScore reads 12 public sources.
What does custom software cost?
It depends on what your software has to do. Once that is written down, you get a fixed price in a written offer, and nothing is built until you agree to it.
Tell us about your project. Send us a message and we will get back to you.