People & Ops
No-Code Build vs Buy Calculator
Calculate total cost of ownership for build vs buy decisions including opportunity cost.
What this calculator does
The No-Code Build vs Buy Calculator compare building vs buying solutions, then compares your result against operator benchmarks (Buy usually wins for non-core functionality.). Enter your numbers below and you'll get a result, a benchmark band, and a plain-English interpretation in under two minutes.
Recommendation
Buy
Savings: $90,000 over 24 months
Build TCO
$104,000
Buy TCO
$14,000
Opportunity Cost
$72,000
Break-even
N/A
Formula
TCO = Upfront Cost + Maintenance + Opportunity CostBenchmarks: Buy usually wins for non-core functionality.
Sources: OpenView 2024 SaaS Benchmarks, ChartMogul Retention Reports, ProfitWell Pricing Studies, and Pressense operator data.
Frequently asked questions
When should I build?
When it is core to your differentiation and you have the engineering capacity.
About this calculator
Built and reviewed by the Pressense team, a strategy and systems partner working with B2B SaaS operators on unit economics, retention, GTM, and positioning. Every calculator in this library uses public benchmarks from OpenView, ChartMogul, ProfitWell, and KeyBanc, supplemented with anonymised data from the operators we partner with.