Which SaaS tools are the best candidates to replace with your own system?
The strongest candidates are simple, vertical SaaS tools: time tracking, field-service scheduling, visitor management, appointment booking, or basic project tracking: where your team uses 30–40% of the features but pays for the whole platform. Poor candidates are deeply integrated or compliance-critical tools like payment processors, email infrastructure, or your accounting system. A rough rule of thumb: if you are paying more than ~€100/month for a tool your whole team uses, and half the feature menu goes untouched, the numbers usually favour building.
Side-by-side comparison
| Strong candidate | Poor candidate | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | One main job: scheduling, tracking, forms, or a simple dashboard | Multi-system integration hub, payment rail, compliance engine, or data warehouse |
| Feature use | Your team uses 30–50% of the features and ignores the rest | Heavy feature use, 20+ integrations, or deep configuration your team depends on |
| Per-seat cost | More than ~€100/month for your whole team | Enterprise pricing, volume negotiated, deeply embedded in budget lines |
| Switching cost | Low: we migrate your data as part of the build; you keep the old tool running until cut-over | High: roots in your ERP, accounting, or payment infrastructure; migration risk is real |
| Regulatory risk | Low to moderate: standard data privacy; we build GDPR-compliant by default | High: PCI DSS, FCA authorisation, complex audit trails, or legally mandated certification |
| Example tools | Clockify, Jobber, Simplesat, Typeform, basic CRM, visitor management, field-service scheduling | Stripe, Xero/Sage, HubSpot (full suite), email infrastructure, core banking platform |
| Typical ROI horizon | 12–24 months | Rarely positive within 5 years; often not worth the migration risk |
Related questions
A simple contact and deal tracker is an excellent candidate: that is a database plus a form plus a dashboard. A deeply integrated CRM with 20+ plugins, email sync, sales forecasting, and territory management is probably not. We will tell you honestly which side yours falls on during discovery.
Sources
- Retool 2026 State of Internal Tools: ~35% of organisations have already replaced a SaaS with custom software; ~78% plan to replace more
- Forbes: "If a product is essentially 'a simple database plus a form plus a dashboard,' customers will ask why they are paying recurring fees for something they can reproduce quickly."
- Rollout IT build and running-cost estimates
See what your SaaS spend looks like with a flat annual fee.
Enter your seat count and current monthly price. The calculator uses real build-cost estimates and shows you the five-year crossover.