Custom line-of-business software

Custom software is an application developed for a single company, from its real processes rather than a template. It is justified when the way you work is an advantage that a standard tool would make you give up. Otherwise a market product costs less — and we'll say so.

The question isn't "custom or not". It's whether what you do differently from everyone else is what makes you win. If it is, adopting a standard tool means paying to resemble your competitors. If it isn't, custom is an ego expense.

The most common case we meet is the spreadsheet that became a system. It grew for eight years, one person really understands it, and the whole company depends on it. That isn't a tooling problem — it's an operational risk. Replacing it with a real application is mostly about turning one person's knowledge into a documented system.

When custom is justified

  • Your process is your advantage, and no market product follows it without distorting it
  • A critical spreadsheet runs part of the company and only one person masters it
  • You pay for software you use a quarter of, and the add-ons cost more than the base
  • Your data has to stay with you, for compliance or contractual reasons

When off-the-shelf is enough

Accounting, payroll, generic project management, email: these are well served by proven products, cheaper than anything we could build. Building custom there is a mistake, and we'll turn the work down.

What gets delivered

Frequently asked questions

What costs the most in custom software?

Vagueness. A poorly defined scope blows a budget far more reliably than a complex feature. That's why the scope is written and approved before development, including what is explicitly excluded from it.

Are we dependent on you after delivery?

No, and it's verifiable: you receive the source code and its documentation. Another developer can take the project over. If you stay, it's by choice, not because leaving is impossible.

How long does custom software stay usable?

As long as you maintain it — like any software. The difference is that you set the pace, instead of absorbing updates from a vendor who changes the product without consulting you.

Can we migrate from our current spreadsheets?

Yes, and that's almost always the starting point. Data migration is part of the project; it's also when accumulated inconsistencies come to light, which has value on its own.

Find out which AI product is actually worth building at your company

In 60 minutes you leave with a reading of your processes, the opportunities that justify a product, and an order of magnitude for cost and timeline. No commitment.

  • A map of your processes and where the bottlenecks are
  • Where AI genuinely changes something — and where it adds nothing
  • An estimate of the hours you could recover
  • Preliminary technical architecture and an order of magnitude for cost
  • A 90-day development plan, delivered within 48 hours of the meeting
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  1. We reply within 24 business hours.
  2. We book 60 minutes, by video call or phone.
  3. You get a written plan within the following 48 hours.
  4. No sales pitch, no persistent follow-up.

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