Custom Software Development vs SaaS: Which Is Better?

Buy the common part. Build the part that is yours.

SaaS is the better buy when many companies share the workflow and the vendor already runs the hard parts: billing, hosting, and a support desk. Custom software is the better build when the workflow is how you make money and the packaged product forces a workaround every week. The expensive mistake is custom software that recreates a spreadsheet, or a SaaS subscription that your staff abandon.

Aqlithos builds the custom side, including products you will sell as SaaS. There is no second service URL for SaaS. The custom software page is the commercial home, on purpose.

A comparison you can take to a meeting

Use the row that matches the argument you are actually having.

If you are building a product to sell

Then you are not choosing someone else's SaaS. You are becoming the vendor. The twelve-factor notes are a useful external checklist for config, logs, and processes. Aqlithos still starts from the user, the billing event, and who gets paged. The later article on a scalable SaaS product with AI covers the AI slice. Read this one first if the argument is 'should we buy or build at all.'

Questions buyers ask

Does Aqlithos have a separate SaaS page?

No. SaaS product work is scoped on the custom software service so the site does not host two pages with the same offer.

Is Shopify custom software?

No. Shopify is the commerce product Aqlithos uses when you need a shop. FYBRIKO is the public example. A custom application is a different design.

Can we start on SaaS and leave later?

Only if you own your data export. Ask for that before you commit. Aqlithos will not promise a painless exit from a product it does not control.

Sources

• The Twelve-Factor App

Related articles

• How to Build a Scalable SaaS Product with AI Capabilities