Comparison · Software & technology
The answer
If off-the-shelf software covers your need and the process is not what sets you apart, buy it: building it would reinvent what exists. A no-code layer or a custom integration makes sense when the market covers most but not all of it, or when several systems must talk to each other. Full development only holds up when nothing exists or when the software is your advantage — and if the problem stays manageable, changing nothing is sometimes the best decision.
Facts checked on · Updated · Market Switzerland
This analysis is available in French and English.
A process costs you time or errors — spreadsheets, re-keying, emails — and you hesitate between buying existing software, configuring it yourself, or having something built that fits you.
The comparison
Ratings from 0 to 4, from the point of view of someone in your situation — higher is better. The reasoning behind each rating is in the analysis.
| Criterion | Keep | Existing software | No-code | IntegrationBynilson service | CustomBynilson service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up-front costWhat you invest before first use. | The highest investment, before any use. | ||||
| Recurring costSubscriptions, hosting, upkeep: what recurs every month. | |||||
| Time to valueHow long before the problem is solved. | |||||
| Fit to the processHow closely the solution follows how you work. | The original problem remains. | ||||
| RiskThe likelihood it fails, breaks or depends on one person. | Proven by other customers; the vendor handles upkeep. | Fragile as automations pile up. | |||
| DifferentiationWhat the solution gives you that competitors lack. | |||||
| ControlWho decides on changes, data and leaving. | |||||
| ScalingCoping with more users, data and volume. |
Carry on with your current tools — spreadsheets, email, software already paid for — organised better.
For
Against
Subscription software already used by other businesses for the same need.
For
Against
Configure a no-code tool or automations yourself on top of your existing software.
For
Against
Keep off-the-shelf software for the core and have what is missing built: connections, automations, a specific module.
For
Against
Software built for your process, which you own.
For
Against
The analysis
Most of a business’s processes — invoicing, scheduling, CRM, project management, HR — are covered by off-the-shelf software that others have already paid to develop. Buying it costs a subscription; rebuilding it costs months and endless upkeep.
Before any talk of development, do the honest exercise: try two or three products on your real case, and write down what is missing. If the list is short, configuration or a small integration solves the problem.
Custom development is justified in two cases: no software does what you need, or the software is exactly what sets you apart — your product, or a process that makes your advantage. Either way, you need a budget to build it and to maintain it every year.
If you are unsure how to get it built — hiring or handing it to a provider — the Hire a developer or outsource? guide compares both, and the SaaS cost calculator gives orders of magnitude for a software product.
Between buying and building there are two more modest routes. A no-code layer assembles existing tools and leaves you in charge; it becomes fragile as automations pile up and only one person knows how they hold together.
A custom integration keeps off-the-shelf software at the centre and has what is missing built: connecting accounting to the CRM, automating a re-keying step, adding a module. It is often the right answer when several systems must talk to each other.
Handing your data to subscription software does not relieve you: you must make sure the vendor can guarantee its security. Your customers can also ask you for the data they gave you in a common electronic format — check that the chosen software lets you export it.
Before signing, ask in writing how you get your data back when you leave. It is the question that costs most when forgotten.
Your recommendation
Five questions are enough for a first answer; the rest refine it. Every rule applied is shown under the result.
Recommendation
Answer 4 more key questions: without them, a recommendation would be a guess.
Missing
Decision rules v1.0.0
The costs
Every amount is an assumption to replace with your offers and quotes. The calculation includes the cost of changing nothing.
Cheapest over 60 months Off-the-shelf
Keep
Off-the-shelf
No-code
Integration
Custom
What this calculation shows
What it does not prove
Small team
Four people, a common need the market covers, hours lost every week, no development budget.
Off-the-shelf software. The need is common and does not set you apart: buy, configure, and keep your budget for your core business.
Why →Internal process
A team of about twenty, a partly covered need, someone comfortable with tools, no development budget.
A no-code layer. Assemble existing tools to cover what is missing — and document what was built.
Why →Systems to connect
Several programs that do not talk to each other, a blocking problem, nobody technical in-house, a budget of a few thousand francs.
Existing software with a custom integration. Have the connections built, not new software.
Why →The software is the product
Nothing exists on the market, the software is what you sell, many users, a technical team, a substantial budget.
Custom development. Here the software is your advantage: it must belong to you.
Why →Manageable problem
Few users, a need the market covers, an annoying but not serious problem.
Keep the current way of working. The cost of change exceeds the gain; tidy your tools and come back if the problem grows.
Why →What we do not know
The most uncertain part: what the problem really costs you today. Few businesses measure it; the calculation asks for your lost hours, and the decision often hinges on that one number.
Buy if off-the-shelf software covers your need and the process does not set you apart. Build only if nothing exists, or if the software is your competitive advantage.
A rule of thumb puts yearly upkeep at 10–20% of the development cost — an assumption, not verified data. Ask for it to be priced in every quote.
For a need the market partly covers, often. It becomes fragile as automations pile up or when only one person knows how they work.
You are. Swiss data protection law asks you to make sure the provider can guarantee its security; also check how to export your data if you leave.
Every fact on this page points to a source read on the date shown. Prices and availability are re-checked at least every 90 and 120 days.
A business that hands its clients’ data to booking software stays responsible: it must make sure the provider (processor) can guarantee data security (art. 9 FADP).
verified · read on
Le responsable du traitement doit en particulier s’assurer que le sous-traitant est en mesure de garantir la sécurité des données.In Switzerland, a person can request, free of charge, the personal data they provided, in a common electronic format, when processing is automated and based on consent or a contract (art. 28 FADP).
verified · read on
La personne concernée peut demander au responsable du traitement qu’il lui remette sous un format électronique couramment utilisé les données personnelles la concernant qu’elle lui a communiquéesNo vendor mentioned pays to appear here, and no link on this page is an affiliate link. What Bynilson sells is labelled as such and plays no part in the recommendation rules.
Research and writing assisted by AI tools; every fact was read on its source on the date shown, and the decision rules are written and tested by hand.
Useful steps whatever you decide.