In 2020 the rule was clear: buy whenever you can. Building was expensive, slow and risky. In 2026 the rule has shifted. There are three cases where building makes sense again: and three where it's still a mistake.
What's changed
Compare options against the same scope, quality requirements and maintenance period. Include implementation, subscriptions, integrations and ongoing support in the calculation. For subscription software, check current plans and renewal terms, and model how costs change as users and usage grow.
Build if...
- Your process is what differentiates you, and every SaaS forces you to bend your process to fit the tool.
- The annual SaaS cost exceeds €25k and you'll use less than 40% of its features.
- Your volume already gets you on enterprise pricing and your tech team is underutilized.
Buy if...
- Thousands of companies have the same problem (CRM, invoicing, HR). SaaS always wins on economies of scale.
- Regulation changes fast (taxes, compliance). Let someone else maintain that for you.
- You don't have the capacity to maintain what you build for the next five years.
Building is cheap. Maintaining is expensive. The question isn't "can I build this?", it's "will I be able to maintain it in 2028 when the team is different?"
