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Build vs buy calculator

Five inputs, a 36-month side-by-side comparison, discounted at 8% per year. We don't always recommend building — sometimes buying is the right call. The numbers will tell you.

How big is the feature you're considering?

Roughly. We'll use this to estimate build duration.

In-house team blended cost per month?

Salaries, taxes, benefits, tools, allocated overhead. USD per month for the whole team.

For reference, a typical US three-engineer team blended cost lands around $45k–$70k / month.

How urgent is the launch?

If buying is faster, the time difference becomes part of the opportunity cost.

Revenue per month at risk while waiting?

The deals you'd close, the churn you'd avoid, the costs you'd save. USD per month. Zero is fine if there's no measurable revenue tied to this.

Off-the-shelf SaaS price per month?

The realistic list price including any per-seat or per-volume costs.

We assume a one-off integration cost of ~10% of the build cost on top of the subscription.

Recommendation

Fill in the steps to see your 36-month comparison.

Build NPV (36 mo)
Buy NPV (36 mo)
Build months
Opp. cost lost

Side-by-side · 36 months

Cost lineBuildBuy
Initial build / integration
Monthly run cost × 36
Opportunity cost while waiting
Discounted total (NPV, 8%)

We discount future monthly cash flows at 8% per year, compounded monthly. Build is mostly upfront; buy is spread out.

Email me the full report

We'll send the 36-month model with assumptions, a chart, and a one-paragraph plain-English recommendation you can share.

Numbers stay in your browser unless you submit. Privacy.

Free consultation, no commitment

Want to pressure-test
this against your real numbers?

Send us your scope or hop on a free 30-minute call. We'll plug in honest numbers and walk through the trade-offs with you.

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