Insights

Off-the-shelf Or Custom Software Development – Make The Right Decision

Every business has its own set of requirements to function effectively. Your business is a reflection of your business idea. No matter what it is, whether it is for scheduling, accounting or customer relationship management, a right of software solution could help you keep your business running smoothly.

While most of the software applications you will use are off the shelf packages and you can find the same application running by the thousands of the people globally, bespoke or custom software applications are designed to fit in your critical business needs & deeds. So, which one is better to go for? Well, whether you go for custom software development or off-the-shelf, both of them have their own positive and negative points.

In this article, we’re going to explore the pros and cons of custom software development and off-the-shelf applications in order to help you take the right decision for your business.

The pros of off-the-shelf software application –
  • The software is quite cheaper as the cost of development can be spread over a huge number of users
  • The software can be highly sophisticated
  • It is easy to find technical support in the event of failure or any issue. Also, you can find a wide range of material or documentation available as there are tons of other users using it.
  • Ease of sharing files as there are lots of other people using the same software or application.
  • No need to spend hefty hours and money to get it developed for you.
The Cons –
  • Quite complex and includes many useless sections
  • May not get what you want from the application as it is designed keeping in mind the general users.
  • Requires a lot of time to learn.
  • You may have to change the way you work due to limitations of the application
  • Lack desired features or functionalities
  • As one small voice amongst many others your requests will not carry much weight
  • Not possible to gain a competitive edge
On the other hand, the pros of the bespoke or custom software development venture includes –
  • Tailored to fit your diverse business needs & deeds
  • Ease of customization lets you integrate it with any of the existing applications
  • Ease of use as it avoids unnecessary functionalities
  • It is very easy to modify or customize it over a time to cope up with the changing market requirements
  • Better support in the event of failure or any issue
  • Lets you leverage from a significant business benefit
The cons of custom software application development –
  • If you don’t have the source code, you’re at risk and depended on the developer
  • Choosing a wrong developer may ruin your app venture
  • Requires a lot of investment, in terms of time and money both
  • A large investment in your time is required during the development process and a bespoke application will take longer to implement.
  • It is tough to find support unless developer himself offers it

Well, if you don’t have complex requirements and wish to save a huge development cost, then off-the-shelf software applications are useful. However, if you wish to get an edge over the rivals and streamline your entire business process, custom software application development is something you should never overlook…!

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