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Choosing Between Custom Software and SaaS for Asset Tracking
A pragmatic decision framework: when to build, when to buy, and the hidden costs of either choice.
AAmy Chen··7 min read
Build vs. buy is rarely about features — it is about total cost over five years.
Build wins when
- Asset tracking is your core competitive advantage.
- You have a unique workflow no vendor will ever match.
- You have engineers free for the next five years to maintain it.
Buy wins when
- Asset tracking is necessary but not differentiating.
- You want to start in a week, not a year.
- You value vendor accountability for security, uptime and updates.
The hidden cost of build
A custom build is never finished. Year 1 is the easy part. Years 2–5 are integrations, edge cases, migrations and a person whose job is "the asset tool". Cost: typically 4–8× the licence fee of an equivalent SaaS.
#build vs buy#asset tracking software#SaaS vs custom#TCO