Expert knowledge for digital decisions

Standard CRM or Custom CRM – Which is More Economical?

Short answer

A standard product is quicker to set up and cheaper in the first few years. A custom solution becomes economical when licensing costs per person accumulate over the years, the process deviates significantly from the standard, or many interfaces are required. The calculation must include the operational costs of the custom solution – otherwise, it is incorrect.

The Honest Calculation

A comparison that only weighs licensing costs against development costs is misleading. Both sides must be fully considered:

	Standard CRM	Custom Solution
One-time	Setup, data migration, training	Concept, development, data migration, training
Ongoing	License per person per month	Hosting, maintenance, security updates
With changes	often additional costs or not possible	Development effort
Hidden	Workarounds for missing functions	Dependency on the service provider

When Standard is Sufficient

If your sales follow a common pattern: inquiry, offer, order, invoice. There are mature products for this, and building new ones would be wasteful.

When Custom Development Makes Sense

Recurring workarounds consistently cost time.
A central process cannot be represented in the standard.
Numerous users drive up licensing costs, even though most only need a few functions.
Data must not be with the provider for legal reasons.

The Middle Way

Often overlooked: a standard CRM as a base, supplemented by custom modules through its interfaces. This combines a quick start with tailored processes where it truly matters.

Key facts

Turning Point: When workarounds consistently cost time
Often Forgotten: Operational and maintenance costs of the custom solution