Website, Web App or Custom Software: How to Choose Honestly
The honest decision framework we use with clients — including when the right answer is 'none of these yet'.
Start with the job, not the technology
If your goal is presenting information and generating enquiries, you need a website. If users must log in, manage data or complete transactions, you need an application. If no product fits your internal process, you may need custom software.
The upgrade path most businesses miss
Many businesses justify custom software when a configured off-the-shelf tool covers 90% of the need. The gap between 90% and 100% rarely justifies build cost. We say this honestly in discovery.
When custom software is right
Your process is genuinely unique, existing tools are end-of-life, or software is your product (SaaS). In those cases custom build is not a luxury — it is the strategy.
A feasibility assessment first
Before any build, we produce a feasibility assessment: requirements, alternatives, costs and payback. It saves clients from expensive mistakes and makes the build decision rational.
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