Custom vs SaaS · The Scoreboard
STOP RENTING
YOUR ADVANTAGE.
SaaS rents you software shaped for everyone else's business. Custom builds you software shaped for yours — code you own, fees you don't pay forever, integrations that actually exist, and an engineer who picks up when you call.
5+
Disconnected SaaS tools
Most operators are stitching this many today
38%
Features actually used
You're paying for 62% you ignore
$0
Per-seat fees with custom
Hire 100 · cost is the same
100%
Source code ownership
Yours · transferable · no lock-in
10 battle stats · 30-second read
THE
SCOREBOARD.
Hover any row. The winning side lifts off the board.
Alveryon · Custom-built
YOUR SOFTWARE
Off-the-shelf · Rented
THEIR SOFTWARE
Workflow fit
Built to YOUR ops
Your steps · your edge cases · your language
You bend to ITS
Generic flows · forced compromises
Data ownership
100% yours
Code · database · infra · all transferable
0% yours
Vendor owns everything · export = CSV at best
Per-seat cost
$0 forever
Add 100 employees · cost unchanged
$40–200/user/mo
Forever · scales linearly with headcount
3-yr total cost
$35–150k once
Plus optional support retainer
$180k+ ongoing
50-seat avg · before "premium" tiers
Time to ship a feature
Days
Direct line to the engineer who built it
Quarters · if ever
You vote · they decide · usually no
AI integration
Native · custom-trained
On YOUR data · YOUR workflows · YOUR voice
Bolt-on add-on
$30/user/mo extra · same generic model
Integration with your stack
Built specifically
Eagle · QuickBooks · Samsara · whatever you run
Marketplace lottery
Hope it exists · hope it works
Vendor lock-in
Zero
Source code is yours · host anywhere · keep forever
High
Migration = quote a 6-month project
Build time
14–30 days
Pilot live · iterate in production
0 days
But 6 months to bend it to your workflow
Who you talk to
Hendrick · directly
The engineer building your system
Tier-3 ticket queue
48hr response · scripts · no decisions
10 · for · 10 · custom-built · wins
Honest guidance
WHICH FITS
YOUR BUSINESS?
Recommended
01
CHOOSE CUSTOM IF
- You're running 5+ disconnected tools that should be one system
- Your workflow is unique enough that SaaS forces compromise
- You've hit pricing pain (per-seat fees scaling past $40k/yr)
- You need AI / voice / integrations the SaaS won't build
- You want data + code ownership that's actually yours
- You want a direct line to the engineer when something breaks
Honest alternative
02
STICK WITH SAAS IF
- You're early-stage and need to ship something tomorrow
- Your operation is genuinely standard · no edge cases
- You're happy paying per-seat forever as you scale
- You don't want anything technical to own or maintain
- You haven't hit the wall where SaaS becomes the bottleneck
- You value vendor support more than operational flexibility
See If Custom Fits
LET'S MAP YOUR FIT.
Book a 30-minute discovery call. We'll walk through your operation, identify which systems would benefit most from custom-built software, and tell you honestly whether custom is the right call for your business.
Free Estimate14–30 Business DaysFounder-Led Build