The average SaaS company spends $343/employee/month on software. Custom replaces the expensive ones.
If your team is paying $5,000–$15,000/month across 12–20 SaaS tools, there are 2–4 tools in that stack that could be replaced with custom software at a cost that pays for itself in 12–18 months — and that you own forever after. We identify the replacement candidates and build them.
SaaS subscription costs compounding as the team grows, with 3–5 tools that don't fit the workflow exactly but are too expensive to replace with custom
SaaS subscription costs don't feel expensive when you're signing up for each tool individually. $199/month for the project management tool, $299/month for the CRM, $149/month for the time tracking tool, $99/month for the email automation platform. Add them up across a 20-person team and you're at $8,000–$15,000/month — $96,000–$180,000/year — on software that only partially fits your process.
The SaaS build-vs-buy decision is usually made incorrectly: teams evaluate the purchase price of the SaaS tool vs. the estimated cost to build a custom equivalent, and build always looks more expensive. The correct comparison includes: the annual cost of the SaaS subscription × the number of years you expect to use it, the productivity cost of the workflow workarounds the tool requires, and the growth trajectory of the subscription cost (per-seat pricing compounds as the team grows).
A custom tool that costs $28,000 to build and eliminates a $2,500/month SaaS subscription pays for itself in 11 months. In month 12, the $2,500/month is pure savings — and it grows as a percentage of the subscription cost you've eliminated.
Custom software that replaces the 2–3 highest-cost, lowest-fit SaaS tools in your stack — paid for in 12–18 months of subscription savings
Internal tooling replacements
Custom internal tools that replace generic SaaS tools with ones designed for the specific workflow — reporting dashboards, operational portals, data management tools, scheduling systems.
CRM alternatives for specific verticals
Salesforce, HubSpot, and Pipedrive are generalist tools. A custom CRM built for the exact sales process your team uses — with the fields, views, and automations relevant to your business — is faster to use and doesn't require the consultant to configure.
Project management replacements
Asana, Monday, and ClickUp have features your team doesn't use and are missing features you've requested for years. Custom project management tooling built for your specific workflow.
Reporting and analytics replacements
Looker, Tableau, and Domo are powerful but expensive and require technical users. Custom reporting dashboards that non-technical team members can use directly.
Workflow automation replacements
Zapier and Make (Integromat) work for simple automation but cost significant monthly fees for complex workflows. Custom automation built on Convex scheduled functions costs a fraction of the subscription at scale.
One honest number to start.
Fixed-scope, fixed-price. The number below is the starting point — final scope is built from your brief.
Custom software that replaces the 2–3 highest-cost, lowest-fit SaaS tools in your stack — paid for in 12–18 months of subscription savings
Three steps, every time.
The same repeatable engagement on every project. No surprises, no mystery, no billable ambiguity.
Brief & discovery.
We send you questions, then get on a call. Output: a written scope with every step, feature, and integration listed.
Build & ship.
Fixed schedule, weekly reviews. No scope creep unless you change the scope — and if you do, we reprice it transparently.
Warranty & retainer.
30-day warranty on every launch. Most clients stay on a monthly retainer for ongoing features and maintenance.
Why Fixed-Price Matters Here
The ROI calculation on a custom tool requires a known cost. Fixed price makes the calculation possible.
Questions, answered.
The candidates are tools that: (1) cost more than $1,000/month, (2) have significant workflow friction that your team has adapted to but resents, (3) use 20–30% of their features, and (4) have per-seat pricing that grows with headcount. Start with the highest cost + lowest fit.
If you're in an annual contract, the migration can be built during the contract period and deployed at renewal time — so the subscription is cancelled on the renewal date.
Custom internal tool replacements: from $15k for focused tools. Full operational platform: from $30k. Fixed-price.
Tell Ryel about your project.
Describe what you’re building and what outcome you need. You’ll have a written, fixed-price scope within the week.