Find out exactly when a custom-built tool becomes cheaper than your SaaS subscriptions — and how much you'll save over 3 years.
This free calculator compares the 3-year total cost of ownership between continuing on SaaS subscriptions versus investing in a custom-built tool. Enter your current monthly SaaS spend, expected growth, and a custom build cost to see your break-even point and 3-year savings in real time.
SaaS tools make sense when you're small. The economics shift fast when your team grows or your workflows get specific.
A 10-seat HubSpot Professional plan costs ~$14,400/yr AUD. At 20 seats it's ~$28,800. A custom CRM typically costs $20k–$35k once — and every seat after that is free forever.
SaaS is renting. If the vendor raises prices, changes features, or shuts down, you're exposed. A custom build is an asset you own — the code is yours and can be extended by any developer.
The average business uses 3–5 SaaS tools that don't quite fit — and pays staff to bridge the gaps manually. Custom software eliminates the tool sprawl and the hidden labour cost of working around it.
Common situations where businesses have found custom software more cost-effective.
Growing professional services firm
Month 19
~$12,000 saved over 3 years
Operations team replacing 3 SaaS tools
Month 25
~$15,000 saved over 3 years
Scale-up replacing HubSpot at 20+ seats
Month 11
~$50,000 saved over 3 years
Custom software isn't always the answer. SaaS is the right call when your team is small (under 5 users), your workflows are genuinely standard, or you need to move in days rather than weeks. We'll tell you honestly if off-the-shelf is the better fit for your situation.
The inflection point for most businesses is somewhere between $500–$1,500/month in SaaS spend — or when the number of manual workarounds and tool-switching costs more in staff time than a custom build would. If you're in that range, it's worth a free consultation.
Explore the types of custom software that replace off-the-shelf tools — with scope, timelines, and pricing.
Custom CRMs built around how your team actually sells — not how off-the-shelf software thinks you should.
From idea to production-ready SaaS in weeks, not months. Proper architecture, auth, and billing from day one.
Automate the manual work slowing your team down — integrations, workflows, and live reporting.
Dashboards, admin panels, and internal apps your team will actually use — built to fit your exact workflow.
Tell us what you're building. We'll tell you how fast we can deliver it — and what it'll cost.