Decide per process, not per company
The first mistake is treating build vs buy as one decision for the whole company. It isn't. Most companies should buy some things and build others. Accounting, email and document storage are almost always bought. The core of how you deliver work to clients might be worth building.
So run this framework once per process or area: sales, operations, scheduling, HR, client communication, reporting. Our custom software vs SaaS article covers the general trade-offs. This one gives you a method.
The six questions
Score each question from 1 to 5 for the process you're considering. Low scores point to buying, high scores to building.
- Differentiation: is the way you do this part of why customers choose you? (1 = no, it's standard; 5 = yes, it's our edge)
- Fit: how much do the best off-the-shelf tools force you to change how you work? (1 = not at all; 5 = a lot, and we'd lose something)
- Connections: how many other processes does this one hand work to or receive from? (1 = it stands alone; 5 = it's the hub)
- Scale: how many people need to use it, and how fast is that growing? (1 = a few, stable; 5 = many, growing)
- Change: how often does this process change? (1 = rarely; 5 = regularly, as we grow or win new kinds of work)
- Workarounds: how much time do people spend working around current tools? (1 = none; 5 = hours every week)
Reading the score
With six questions scored 1 to 5, totals range from 6 to 30.
Treat the score as a structured conversation, not a formula. If one question scores a clear 5 for a serious reason, such as a regulatory requirement no tool handles, it can outweigh several low scores.
- 6 to 13: buy. Pick the best standard tool, configure it lightly and adapt your process to it.
- 14 to 21: grey zone. Look hard at the five-year cost comparison below and at hybrid options. Often the answer is to buy for now and revisit in a year.
- 22 to 30: build. The process is specific, central and costly to work around. Standard tools will keep charging you, in fees and in hours.
A worked example
Here's how the scoring might play out in a hypothetical company: a building maintenance firm with 60 staff, most of them in the field.
For accounting, the scores are low across the board: standard process, good tools available, few workarounds. Total around 8. Buy, and keep the current package.
For scheduling and job management, the picture is different. The way they plan recurring maintenance across client sites is part of why clients stay (differentiation 4). The field service tools they tried forced a different planning model (fit 4). Every other process depends on jobs: invoicing, payroll prep, client reports (connections 5). Forty field staff and growing (scale 4). Contracts change often (change 3). Planners spend hours a week reconciling spreadsheets with the tool (workarounds 5). Total 25. Build.
The resulting decision isn't 'build everything'. It's a custom operations core with accounting connected to it. That pattern is common, and it's usually the right one.
The five-year cost comparison
Compare total cost over five years, not the first-year price. Buying looks cheaper in year one almost every time.
For buying, add subscriptions for everyone who should use the tool, add-ons and higher tiers, integration tools and consultant hours, the time people spend on workarounds, and expected seat growth. For building, add the fixed build price, hosting, support after the included period and changes over time.
As a reference point, at Company Maxxing: Core is €18,000 for one company with up to five roles and three months of support; Maxxed is €48,000 with unlimited roles, the AI layer, up to four integrations and six months of support; Empire starts at €120k for groups. Extra integrations are €4,500 each, and Maxxing Care is €2,900 per month after the support period. There are no per-seat fees. Our SaaS sprawl cost article walks through the buy-side calculation step by step.
The options in between
Build vs buy isn't binary. There are several middle paths, each with its own trade-offs.
- Buy and configure: a standard tool with custom fields and automations. Good when fit is mostly right.
- Buy and connect: keep several standard tools and add integrations. Good for a while; watch for sprawl.
- Low-code build: an internal team builds on a platform. Good for simple workflows; watch for lock-in and a single builder.
- Custom core, bought edges: build the system at the centre of your process and connect specialised tools like accounting. This is where most mid-sized companies end up when they build.
Risks on each side
Both paths have risks. Neither is safe by default.
- Buying: price increases, features you need locked behind higher tiers, vendor changes you can't control, data spread across tools, and a process shaped by someone else's product.
- Building: choosing the wrong builder, scope that grows, a system nobody adopts, and dependence on the people who built it.
- Buying, reduced by: annual reviews of fit and cost, owners for each tool, and export tests so you know you can leave.
- Building, reduced by: fixed prices per phase, working software early, involving users from week one, and owning the code, data and documentation.
Who should be in the room
The decision shouldn't be made only by the owner, only by finance, or only by whoever is most enthusiastic about technology. Include the person who runs the process day to day and one or two people who use the current tools most. They know where the workarounds are, which is the part of the score most often underestimated from the top.
Common mistakes
Building because it's exciting, when a standard tool would do. Buying because it's the default, when the team is already spending hours every week working around it. Comparing first-year costs instead of five-year costs. Deciding without talking to the people who do the work. And treating the decision as permanent: a process that scored 12 two years ago might score 24 today.
Make the decision
Score your main processes this week. For the ones that land in the build zone, get a fixed quote and compare it with five years of the alternative. If you'd like a second opinion, apply and show us the process. We'll tell you honestly if buying is the better answer. If building is, you'll get a fixed price and a first working version on your own data within 24 hours of kickoff.