DATA DRIVEN DECISIONS
DATA DRIVEN DECISIONS
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No subscription, code you own
Most companies use a fraction of the features of generic software, and still pay every month while their distinctive process lives in workarounds. The honest answer: sometimes SaaS wins, sometimes custom does. Here is how to decide, with real numbers.
Updated: July 2026
Free
Feasibility study
€0/mnd
No subscription or licences
2-4 wkn
To go live
100%
Ownership of code & model
You own the code
No lock-in, own cloud
€0k cheaper
Over 36 months
Quick answer
Serious operations don't run on off-the-shelf software.
Custom software that fits your process exactly, and that you own.
01
| SaaS tool | Custom (Stratalytic) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | €100-1,000+/month, forever | One-off fixed price |
| Fit | Your process adapts to the tool | Built on your process |
| Ownership | Vendor owns platform & roadmap | You own code, model and data |
| Data | On the vendor's platform | In your own cloud (GDPR-clean) |
| Exit | Migration project | Nothing to exit from |
Note what is NOT in the custom column: speed of starting. A SaaS trial runs today; custom takes 2-4 weeks. If a standard tool genuinely fits your process, take the tool.
02
Choose SaaS when your process is standard: bookkeeping, CRM, e-mail marketing. The famous problem, companies using 6% of the features of generic software, only hurts when the remaining 94% gets in your way or the missing 6% is exactly your distinctive process.
Choose custom when the process IS your margin: how you handle orders, how you forecast, how you price. That logic does not fit a standard tool, and renting it monthly means your differentiator lives on someone else's roadmap.
03
On a custom document processing project you invest once and own the result. A comparable SaaS stack at €500/month costs €30,000 over five years, and at the end you own nothing and still pay.
Break-even between custom and SaaS typically sits at 2-3 years. For processes you will still run in five years, custom is structurally cheaper. See software development subsidies for the full subsidy picture.
04
Stratalytic is a Dutch AI consultancy that builds custom data and AI solutions: document processing, forecasting models and workflow automation. Fixed price, free feasibility study first, live in 2-4 weeks, and you own the result. Track record: €778k/year saved for an industrial market leader, 95%+ forecast accuracy in energy, €600k/year inventory savings in e-commerce.
Process
We assess honestly whether a standard tool fits or custom pays off, including the cases where our answer is 'take the SaaS tool'.
For custom: we test on your real data and processes, and report expected impact in euros before you commit.
2-4 weeks with agreed deliverables, fixed price.
Code, model and data are yours, running in your cloud, with documentation. Optional support plan, no lock-in.
FAQ
At Stratalytic we work with a fixed price and agreed deliverables, set after the feasibility study so you know where you stand up front. Large dev shops typically charge €50,000-150,000 for comparable work. The difference: we work AI-augmented with a small footprint, without project-manager overhead.
A SaaS tool is built for the average user: monthly payments, your data on the vendor's platform, deviating processes become workarounds. Custom is built on your process: one-off investment, you own code and data, and the system adapts to your way of working instead of the reverse. Rule of thumb: standard process → SaaS; distinctive or deviating process → custom.
Zapier, Make and n8n are integration platforms: strong for simple if-this-then-that automations between standard apps. They stall when real logic is needed: understanding documents, validating against master data, handling exceptions, or running a machine learning model. Custom starts where those building blocks end, without a per-task fee that grows with your volume.
An RPA bot repeats fixed click paths and breaks when a screen or format changes. An AI agent understands the content it processes, it reads a deviating order as well as a standard one and routes doubtful cases to a human. For document streams with variation, AI is structurally more robust than RPA.
With Stratalytic you own the code, the model and the data, contractually. The solution runs in your own cloud and is delivered with documentation so any developer can continue with it. Maintenance is available as a small support plan, but optional: there is no vendor lock-in.
Yes. Several Dutch schemes partly cover technical development, such as the MIT scheme with up to €20,000 (feasibility) or €350,000 (R&D collaboration). We handle the application as part of the project.
DIY with no-code/AI tools works for simple internal workflows where errors are cheap. Once a process is business-critical (orders, invoices, customer data), reliability rules: validation, error handling, monitoring, GDPR. An internal side-project takes months next to the day job; a specialist project is live in 2-4 weeks with agreed quality.
Sources & official references
Schedule a free consultation. We give an honest build-vs-buy assessment, including when our answer is 'take the SaaS tool'.