{"id":7659,"date":"2020-12-03T13:50:48","date_gmt":"2020-12-03T13:50:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.price2spy.com\/blog\/?p=7659"},"modified":"2025-03-10T15:45:56","modified_gmt":"2025-03-10T15:45:56","slug":"off-the-shelf-vs-custom-developed-software-what-to-choose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.price2spy.com\/blog\/off-the-shelf-vs-custom-developed-software-what-to-choose\/","title":{"rendered":"Off-the-Shelf vs. Custom-Developed Software: What to Choose?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When thinking about automating their business, every company is faced with the dilemma of whether to buy or to build custom-developed software. The dilemma is especially common if the price monitoring software is needed.
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Some companies can be more focused on long-term goals, while others might have some important short-term goals in mind. Therefore, there are pros and cons to both options.  
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You might think that custom-developed software is a smarter option since it\u2019ll be done according to your needs. But, is that really always the case?
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Differences in Costs Between<\/strong> Off-the-Shelf and Custom-Developed Software<\/strong>
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Let\u2019s be honest – you want the best possible solution, but the pricing factor certainly plays an important role. Typically, custom-developed software is more expensive. It\u2019s built from scratch so that it fits your needs. On the other hand, for the off-the-shelf software, you pay only a one-time fee when you start using it. 
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Also, once you start using the custom-developed software you have to be aware that your team will need to do all the maintenance. With off-the-shelf software that is not the case. Their support team should be always at your disposal, so if anything doesn\u2019t work properly, they will be there to check it. 
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Therefore, you should consider your budget and what is that you exactly expect from the software. In most cases, your requests can be fulfilled without the need for custom development software<\/a> and for much less money. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which is Easier to Implement?<\/strong>
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While theoretically, having (or developing) custom-made software seems manageable, you need to think about your IT team workload. Most probably they are already involved in other everyday projects and it\u2019s questionable how much time this new software might require. 
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Keep in mind that custom-developed software requires more time to put into use. After determining the software scope you\u2019ll have to wait until it gets designed. This part might request a lot of time from your end as well since your developers need to collaborate with the ones that are developing the software.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Once the custom-developed software is developed, it\u2019s ready to be integrated with your system. However, this part can be the most challenging since new, unexpected problems can appear and postpone the integration.
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Thus, off-the-shelf price monitoring software can be a more practical solution. It requires a lot less time and effort which facilitates the whole process. But, you can think that this kind of software might not fit your needs. Truth to be told, off-the-shelf software solutions are not as stiff as they used to be. 
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The price monitoring software such as Price2Spy<\/a> can be used as a perfect example. We have more than 700 clients from different industries and countries, all with different requirements and needs. Besides the variety of features<\/a> and reports that we offer, from time to time we\u2019re faced with clients who need some additional features. That\u2019s not a problem! Price2Spy can be very customizable to your needs! Most importantly, you\u2019ll receive the same results, but with much lower costs<\/a>!
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