Choose a SaaS subscription when the process runs the same way at a hundred companies in your industry. Choose a custom build when that process is the part of your operation you would not hand to a competitor. Then it comes down to the contract: currency, data export, timelines and who owns the code.
In short
- Apply the test process by process: payroll and expense reports on one side, the way you route a job on the other.
- The subscription is the visible number, not the whole cost. Add implementation, integrations and the work of getting your data out.
- Get it in writing before you pay: data export and the timeline once the scope is fixed.
When each option fits
A SaaS product fits a process that isn't part of what makes you competitive. It stops fitting when the process is specific to your operation: then your team adapts to the software instead of the other way around.
A custom build doesn't mean six months and a runaway budget. With a scope fixed at the start, a contained system can ship in weeks, and what stretches projects, almost always, is the scope changing along the way. More on what to check before a team in Mexico builds your system.
Add up a full year before you compare
Put both options on one sheet with the same line items: the subscription or the quoted build, implementation, training, integrations, and the work of getting your data out. Check how the subscription grows: Salesforce publishes its editions per user per month. If you plan to run the process for years, a build can come out cheaper over that horizon; if you don't, the subscription is the easier start.
Not sure which process goes on the sheet first? Here is a way to decide where to start automating your business.
Questions for a provider based in Mexico
- Currency.Walabi's published price is in Mexican pesos (MXN). Ask which currency the quote is in, which one you pay in, and who absorbs the conversion.
- Language.Walabi's free intro call is in Spanish, so plan for someone on your side who can take it.
- Hours.Ask which working hours overlap with yours and how you reach support outside those hours.
What to ask before you sign
These apply to a subscription and to a build. For the same comparison applied to a CRM, see custom CRM or Salesforce: when it's worth building your own.
- What happens to my data if I cancel? Ask for the export procedure in writing.
- Is there a lock-in term, or can I cancel month to month?
- Which changes are included in the fee, and which are quoted separately?
Criterion by criterion
| Question to ask | SaaS | Custom build |
|---|---|---|
| Which currency is the price in? | Ask whether the subscription is billed in your currency or converted monthly. | Ask before the scope is signed, and what happens if the rate moves. |
| Who holds your data, and how do you get it out? | Ask which servers hold it and get the export process in writing. | The same, plus who administers the server the system runs on. |
| How long until it runs on your data? | Ask how long sign-up takes and how long implementation takes with your data. | Ask how long once the scope is signed, and what happens if it changes. |
| Who owns the code when the contract ends? | Ask what you keep the day you stop paying. | Ask for one line in the contract naming the owner at the end. |
| What does Walabi offer on each path? | Walabi builds your own system rather than renting you someone else's. | Some ready-made products start at $799 MXN a month and go live in days; full builds are quoted by scope and take 4 to 12 weeks. |
Frequently asked questions
What should I get in writing before I pay anything?
Four things: how you export your data and in what format, who owns the code once the project ends, which changes the fee covers, and the timeline with the scope fixed. Ask for them as contract clauses.
What should I settle with a provider based in Mexico before starting?
Currency, ownership and data export, written into the contract before work starts. Walabi's free 30-minute call is in Spanish, so plan for someone on your side who can take it.
Does Walabi keep the code it writes for a client?
The code is Walabi's, with one exception: on a custom build for a company, Walabi either sells that company a usage license or, if the company pays for the full build, the code becomes the company's.
What makes a custom build run longer than the estimate?
The scope changing along the way, more than the building itself. Deciding what the system does before work starts keeps a contained project in the range of weeks.
If it's not clear which path your process falls into, a free 30-minute call, in Spanish, with a real person, maps what's already built against what would need building, without a fixed quote.
No off-the-shelf program fits how you work? See how we build custom software for your business: what it includes, how long it takes and who owns the code.
