← All posts
Andre Rizzo
Andre Rizzo
Founder & Lead Developer
Software··6 min read

Custom CRM or SaaS?

HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive vs custom. Real costs and benefits.

Three quarters of SMBs use SaaS. For peculiar processes, custom is strategic.

SaaS wins

Standard sales, 5+ reps, native integrations.

Custom wins

Atypical processes, proprietary integrations, scale, specific AI.

3-year cost

SaaS €21-72k. Custom €58-165k. <10 users: SaaS wins.

Hybrid pattern

SaaS core + custom microservices + targeted AI.