A plain guide to choosing between off-the-shelf apps and custom software built for how your team actually works.
Ready-made tools are quick to start. Custom software fits your process. Both are fine choices, they just solve different problems.
Start ready-made when
Your process is standard and you need something running this week.
- You are testing a new idea
- Your team is small
- The tool covers most of what you need
Go custom when
You keep paying per user, you export data between five tools by hand, or the software forces your team to work in a way that slows them down.