Off-the-Shelf vs Custom: The Real Cost Comparison
Popular SaaS CRMs charge per user, per month — typically ?800 to ?4,000 per user for mid-tier plans. For a 15-person sales team, that's ?1.4 lakh to ?7.2 lakh every year, indefinitely, for a fixed feature set you may only use 60% of. A custom CRM is a one-time build cost (plus optional support) that does exactly what your sales process needs — the breakeven point against SaaS licensing is usually 18–30 months, after which the custom system is effectively free.
What Actually Drives CRM Development Cost
- Number of pipelines and stages. A single linear sales pipeline is far cheaper to build than multiple pipelines for different product lines or regions.
- Integrations. Connecting to WhatsApp, email, payment gateways, or an existing ERP each add development time.
- Automation complexity. Simple reminders and lead-assignment rules are inexpensive; multi-step conditional workflows cost more.
- User count and roles. More role types (rep, manager, admin, read-only) means more access-control logic to build and test.
- Reporting depth. A basic dashboard is quick; custom forecasting models and cohort analysis take longer.
Typical Price Bands
Based on projects we've delivered, a realistic range looks like this:
- Starter CRM (?80,000 onward): Single pipeline, up to 5 users, basic reporting — right for a small sales team that just needs to stop using spreadsheets.
- Growth CRM (?2,10,000 onward): Multiple pipelines, workflow automation, WhatsApp/email/payment integration, up to 25 users.
- Enterprise CRM (custom quote): Unlimited users, custom modules, advanced forecasting, dedicated support SLA.
See our full CRM development pricing for current plan details.
Questions to Ask Before You Commit
- Do you own the source code outright, or is it licensed back to you?
- Where will the data be hosted, and who controls backups?
- What happens if you need to add a new pipeline stage six months from now — is that a change request or a rebuild?
- Can it integrate with the messaging channels your sales team already uses, like WhatsApp?
The Bottom Line
If your sales process is genuinely standard (basic lead-to-close pipeline, no unusual approval chains), an off-the-shelf CRM is often the faster and cheaper choice in year one. If your process has grown organically around spreadsheets and WhatsApp groups because no off-the-shelf tool fit, a custom build usually pays for itself well within two years and removes the recurring per-seat tax entirely. Book a free requirements call and we'll tell you honestly which path makes more sense for your team.