Pros and Cons of Custom Software Development

Choosing between a ready-made tool and custom software development? Consider all the pros and cons presented in this article and finally make your choice!

Development of specialized software for your organization or a ready-made software solution? This question arises in every IT company. The decision should be made quickly, and the wrong choice can cost you a fortune. If you want to make the right decision, then you need to consider all the pros and cons of specialized software development.

But what is custom software? For those who are not aware of this term, we will make a little explanation. According to chicago software company Velvetech, a customized tool is a software solution that is designed exclusively for your business needs. It solves the problems of your company and is provided personally to you on request. It has its pros and cons which we will highlight in this article.

Let’s firstly consider the Pros of custom software solution:

Individual approach

Software for individual purposes is developed solely taking into account the client’s requests. The advantage of developing a customized software solution is the focus on meeting customer specifications and requirements. You have the opportunity to discuss all the needs and strict requirements in advance. Ready-made solutions most often combine a number of functions, but not all are needed. This leads to the fact that you have to use several tools to ensure the activity. While the individual software solution united all the necessary functions. Another advantage is that you don’t have to switch between apps, which saves time and resources.

Saving your budget

The budget issue is certainly important for every company. By choosing to develop an individual solution, you significantly save the budget. For many, it seems that the development of custom software is more expensive because ready-made programs can be found almost on the Internet. Yes, that is true, initially, the cost of developing an individual solution is much higher. And this is the main reason why many companies choose turnkey solutions. On the other hand, such tools have to be repeatedly refined and improved. As a result, companies have to install several software solutions to fully meet their needs. While a custom application initially has all the functionality you need. Thus, custom software saves your budget in the long run.

Support and service

Another plus of custom software is support and monitoring. if you choose software outsourcing, then in most cases you are offered a reliable support plan. This means that you do not need to spend resources on software support since the development company is engaged in this. Some people will say that it is the same as with ready-made software solutions. Nevertheless, in the case of a custom software tool, you will never end up in a situation when a tool you use every day suddenly becomes unsupported.

We have covered all the main advantages of custom software development. And now you may feel like you are ready to make a choice. However, there are also downsides that will make you think twice.

Time investment

The first disadvantage lies in the fact that it takes longer to develop a customized solution. You should first define your needs and draw up a clear list of functionality before the development starts. Custom software must fully meet your needs, so it is important to bring everything down to the smallest detail. This means that before you get a software product, you will have to wait until it is developed according to your requirements. While ready-made solutions can be used just today, and there is no need to wait. So, it is a matter of timing that you also need to consider.

Support and documentation

We considered support as a plus for dedicated software. However, it is also viewed as a disadvantage. Open-source software packages have open source documentation and many training resources over the Internet. Whereas individual software packages are provided with little or no documentation at all. This is one of the limitations for programmers in your company. To make any changes to the functionality or update the software, they will have to wait and make a request to the outsourcing company. While for ready-made software solutions, you are often allowed to implement plugins.

Limitation

While custom software has all the features your company needs, it is limited compared to off-the-shelf tools. Some people consider custom software a luxury you may not need. In IT technologies are developing at a tremendous speed, and as we know, the one who has the most advanced technologies wins. Implementing new technology solutions in custom software can take time. Also, it is quite common that the outsourcing firm may not have enough qualifications. In this aspect, off-the-shelf tools definitely have more flexibility.

Final thoughts

Overall, custom software has its advantages, and it is not for nothing that top companies choose it. Nevertheless, ready-made solutions are often much more economical to use. Before making a decision, you should conduct a thorough assessment and analysis of your business needs and predict the benefits that each of the approaches will give you. Take this decision seriously because the wrong move can be costly. Choose the most effective solution for yourself, which will bring you more profit without damage.

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