Strategic decision tool

Build vs.
Buy calculator

This tool is designed for customers evaluating a SaaS purchase or renewal and wanting to assess the feasibility and long-term total cost of ownership of building the capability in-house.

Adjust the parameters below to model your total cost of ownership and get a strategic recommendation.

Application being evaluated

Parameters

Buy

How long do you expect this solution to remain in active use? Longer lifespans increase total SaaS spend and can shift buy economics.
3 yrs
1 yr5 yrs
$
$

Annual SaaS Cost Total: $100K

compounded over lifespan
%
one-time
$
How much does this app need to be tailored to your specific business?
3 / 5
15
How differentiating is this app to your business?
3.0 - High Business Logic
1.05.0
Higher criticality increases required quality and resilience.
3 / 5
15

Build

Short delivery windows can add a rush premium to build cost.
6 months
1 mo2 yrs
Higher appetite means faster AI-assisted build velocity.
3 / 5
15
Dedicated engineering headcount for build delivery.
2 engineers
120
Planned implementation window for proprietary build.
6 months
1 mo2 yrs
$300K/yr total
$
Dedicated support/ops staffing for the built solution.
0 reps
020
$
Executive Summary
MODEL STACK

Using Claude 4.7 Opus as primary and Gemini 3.1 Pro as secondary at differentiation 3.0 / 5, the estimator updates your 3-year Build vs Buy view in real time.

3-Year Build Cost
$127K
3-Year Buy Cost
$325K
Delta (Build - Buy): -$197K
Applied primary model weight: 1.00 (Claude 4.7 Opus)
Build vs Buy Comparison

Side-by-side 3-year TCO comparison for vendor purchase vs proprietary build.

Vendor (Buy)
$415K

Includes license, implementation, and support-linked SaaS spend.

Proprietary (Build)
$394K

Includes development, maintenance, and ongoing support costs.

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3-Year Savings
$20K
Recommended option: Proprietary (Build)

Build estimate assumes 5x velocity via Vibe Coding.

Optional: save scenario & generate report

Saves your inputs and produces a summary analysis. Add your email if you want a copy in your inbox.

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