Custom software or a ready made app?
In short
Buy a ready made app when a well known one already covers most of your work, such as accounting, payroll or a standard online shop: it usually costs less and is supported for years. Choose custom software when your process is unusual, when you pay for many features you never use, or when staff keep copying data between tools by hand.
Side by side
| Question | Ready made app | Custom software |
|---|---|---|
| Fits your process | You adjust your process to the app | Built around the steps you already use |
| Cost to start | Usually lower: a subscription or licence | A fixed price for the first version, agreed in writing with Berri |
| Time to start | Often the same day | With Berri, usually a first working version in week 2 |
| Features | Many, including ones you may never use | Only what you agreed, added in small steps |
| Support | The vendor's helpdesk | With Berri, the people who built it run it and teach your team |
| Your data | Depends on the vendor's export options | With Berri, yours and exportable at any time |
| Best when | A popular product already does the job | No product matches how the work really happens |
Start with the ready made option
For accounting, payroll, GST filing or a standard shop, a popular product is almost always the better choice. It is cheaper, it is updated for law changes, and many people already know how to use it.
Berri says so in the first conversation when that is the case. Some of our service pages list exactly who a service is not for.
When custom software earns its cost
Custom software makes sense when the work is repeated and clear, but no app on the market handles it well. Signs include staff copying the same details between Excel, paper and phone calls, or a tool that forces a process that works well for you to change.
It is the wrong choice while the process is still changing every week. Settle the process first, then build for it.
A middle path: connect what you already have
Often the answer is neither a new app nor a big build. A small connection between tools you already use, such as reading Tally or Excel exports into one report, removes the copying without replacing anything.
Common questions
Is custom software more expensive than a ready made app?
Usually it costs more to start, because it is built for you. It can cost less over time when it replaces several subscriptions or hours of manual copying. Berri gives a fixed price in writing before any build, so you can compare honestly.
Can I start with a ready made app and switch to custom later?
Yes, and that is often wise. Use the app until you know exactly where it falls short. Make sure you can export your data, so a later tool can start from it.
Will Berri tell me if I do not need custom software?
Yes. If an off-the-shelf product fits your problem and budget better, we tell you in the first conversation.
Terms on this page: Tally (TallyPrime), GST (Goods and Services Tax).
Updated . Written and checked by the Berri team. What each status label means, and every fact we stand behind, is on the facts page.
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