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Custom ERP/CRM vs SaaS: comparison
SaaS wins on time-to-start; custom wins when the process is the advantage or integrations will not fit a settings screen.
In short
Horizontal or vertical SaaS rents a standard product. Custom ERP/CRM (or custom on a core) models jobs, price lists and APIs the way you actually work.
- SaaS: subscription, updates, you adapt to the process
- Custom: investment, 18–24 month perimeter, explicit integrations
- Hybrid: SaaS CRM plus a custom piece (portal, configurator, sync)
| Criterion | SaaS | Custom |
|---|---|---|
| Visible cost | Per-seat fee | Project + 24–36 month run cost |
| Process flexibility | Configuration | Code and data model |
| Exit | Export often weak | Data under your control |
Questions
When is custom too much?
If you only need to track leads, or invoicing is ordinary and your accountant already has a system.
Can we keep SaaS?
Often yes: you only build the part the SaaS will not do.