
In 2024, worldwide spending on digital transformation reached $2.5 trillion USD. At this point, almost every business utilises digital solutions in its operations.
However, when choosing to go digital, businesses need to decide which solutions to use: off-the-shelf (market) solutions or opt for custom software development. Let’s talk about both their pros and cons and which will suit your business needs best.
As a software development company ourselves, you can learn more in-depth explanation on our website: https://www.altamira.ai/
Off-the-shelf solutions pros and cons
Market solutions are the most obvious choice if you’re looking to streamline operations and stay competitive. However, it comes with its own trade-offs:
Pros: efficiency and accessibility
Market solutions are a “safe” option if you’re on a tight budget and time constraints. They bring automation, generate insights and help you stay informed regarding market changes.
Market solutions also provide customisation, although somewhat limited. You can adjust them to fit your specific needs without the hassle of redesigning your existing infrastructure.
Cons: flexibility and costs
The trade-off of market solutions is that they aren’t guaranteed to fit your specific business needs since they’re designed to address the most common challenges in the market. In most cases, you’ll need additional adjustments to meet your needs fully, and it’s not a cheap process.
There’s also a possibility the market solutions you chose won’t integrate properly with your existing systems, causing disruptions.
Additionally, the software requires continuous maintenance, updates and patches, translating into additional expenses from your side.
Custom software development pros and cons
Custom software development is your choice when off-the-shelf solutions don’t meet your requirements. The tailored approach is the best option, but it is also quite costly.
Pros: Tailored Fit and Scalability
Since the software is built with your existing systems in mind, you don’t have to worry about integration. Needless to say, custom-built solutions are also designed to address your specific needs.
Unlike pre-built market solutions, custom software can scale with your business, grow and evolve to stay a complete match for your requirements. You have full control over the maintenance and security, which is especially important in some industries.
Cons: Time, Cost, and Complexity
Being perfect doesn’t come cheap, the custom software development process might take a lot of time and budget. Building software from scratch is a hard process, so it’s important to have clear goals in mind before starting the development.
On top of that, custom software usually requires an in-house support team and the resources to sustain it.
Which solutions suit your needs best?
The answer heavily depends on your budget and the time you have. If you want a simple, fast solution for your business and have limited funds — market solutions are your choice.
At the same time, if the challenges you face aren’t addressed on the market, custom software development will cover your needs.
Ultimately, if you have the budget and time, it’s always a good call to build a custom software. If not — off-the-shelf software would be enough.
Final words
Nowadays, using digital solutions in your business is a must to succeed. Whether you choose an off-the-shelf solution or a custom, it will ultimately ease the manual tasks for your employees and keep you afloat.