Engineering Cost Intelligence Tools
Build vs Buy Calculator
Enter build effort, maintenance rate, and SaaS alternative cost to compute 3-year total cost of ownership and break-even point.
Calculations run locally in your browserTool
About this tool
Build vs Buy Calculator
The Build vs Buy Calculator computes 3-year TCO for in-house build vs SaaS alternatives including development, maintenance, and integration costs.
• Compare build vs buy 3-year TCO before a platform decision
• Calculate break-even point for an internal tool investment
• Model the long-term cost of choosing a vendor vs building in-house
• Justify a buy decision with TCO analysis for leadership
Next step
Continue with Utility Matrix tools for the next decision in this workflow.
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FAQ
What does this tool tell you?
The Build vs Buy Calculator computes 3-year TCO for in-house build vs SaaS alternatives including development, maintenance, and integration costs.
What affects the result most?
Build cost: initial_dev_days × team_daily_cost + ongoing_maintenance (20-40% of build cost/year). Buy cost: license_per_year + integration_cost + ongoing_customization. Make-or-buy decision factors: differentiation value, vendor lock-in, support cost, customization needs.
How should I use the result?
The calculation is deterministic — the same inputs always produce the same output — so the most useful workflow is to vary one input at a time and see which factor moves the result most. That tells you where to focus your attention before committing to a decision.
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