When to Build vs. When to Buy: A Startup Tech Stack Story
In the early days of a startup, every decision feels like a bet — especially when it comes to your tech stack. One of the most critical (and most misunderstood) decisions you’ll face is whether to build software from scratch or buy existing tools. I’ve made both choices — and made mistakes on both sides. This post isn’t theory. It’s what I’ve learned as a founder, builder, and someone who has helped other companies scale through Nizek. If you’ve ever asked yourself “Should we just build this ourselves?” — this story’s for you.
Published
Mar 1, 2025
Topic
Startups & Innovation
🧱 The Case for Building
There’s something powerful about creating your own tool. It’s tailored. It’s lean. It’s yours. For example, we once built our own internal dashboard to manage delivery logistics for a client — something no off-the-shelf system could handle with the exact KPIs and workflow logic we needed.
✅ When Building Makes Sense:
• Core Differentiator: If the software is part of your value proposition (e.g., AI pricing engine, custom algorithms), build it.
• No Fit Exists: If every SaaS solution feels like a compromise and kills efficiency, it’s worth exploring custom.
• Long-Term Cost Control: You avoid scaling license fees as you grow — and you control the roadmap.
But — and it’s a big “but” — building means time, bugs, maintenance, and hiring the right talent. You’re trading cash cost for time and complexity.
💳 The Case for Buying
There’s a reason SaaS is booming: it’s faster, safer, and often cheaper in the short term. At Nizek, we’ve deployed Notion, Zoho, Jira, and Slack across dozens of projects — because there’s no point reinventing what already works beautifully.
✅ When Buying Makes Sense:
• Non-Core Systems: HR, CRM, email — if it’s not your startup’s secret sauce, buy it.
• Speed is Critical: If you need to launch yesterday, off-the-shelf tools give you a huge time advantage.
• Integration-Friendly: Tools like Zapier, Make, or native APIs let you stitch together powerful workflows fast.
Still, be careful. SaaS fatigue is real. Tool sprawl leads to fractured data and disconnected teams if not managed well.
⚖️ Build vs. Buy Framework
When facing the decision, I use this 3-question framework:
Question | If YES → |
|---|---|
Is this core to our product or IP? | Build |
Do we need it working now? | Buy |
Will we heavily customize this tool? | Build |
If you’re answering yes to multiple on both sides, consider a hybrid: buy now, build later once you’ve validated the need.
🧠 A Real Example: Our Shipping Assistant
When building Sawa, our AI-powered shipping assistant, we faced this dilemma with product tracking. We could build our own scraper, but we chose to integrate with APIs from vendors like Shopify, Noon, and Amazon.
Why? Because our real value lies in the AI — not the raw data source. Buying the integration saved months, letting us focus on building the intelligence layer.
Later, we may bring that part in-house. But early on, agility wins.
💡 Final Thoughts
Startups succeed by focusing on what only they can do. Don’t burn time rebuilding login systems, dashboards, or CRMs unless they give you a true edge.
Build what makes you different. Buy what gets you moving.
And remember: your stack isn’t permanent — it’s a tool. Use what gets you closer to product-market fit fastest. Adjust as you grow.
See you on the build line.
🧱 The Case for Building
There’s something powerful about creating your own tool. It’s tailored. It’s lean. It’s yours. For example, we once built our own internal dashboard to manage delivery logistics for a client — something no off-the-shelf system could handle with the exact KPIs and workflow logic we needed.
✅ When Building Makes Sense:
• Core Differentiator: If the software is part of your value proposition (e.g., AI pricing engine, custom algorithms), build it.
• No Fit Exists: If every SaaS solution feels like a compromise and kills efficiency, it’s worth exploring custom.
• Long-Term Cost Control: You avoid scaling license fees as you grow — and you control the roadmap.
But — and it’s a big “but” — building means time, bugs, maintenance, and hiring the right talent. You’re trading cash cost for time and complexity.
💳 The Case for Buying
There’s a reason SaaS is booming: it’s faster, safer, and often cheaper in the short term. At Nizek, we’ve deployed Notion, Zoho, Jira, and Slack across dozens of projects — because there’s no point reinventing what already works beautifully.
✅ When Buying Makes Sense:
• Non-Core Systems: HR, CRM, email — if it’s not your startup’s secret sauce, buy it.
• Speed is Critical: If you need to launch yesterday, off-the-shelf tools give you a huge time advantage.
• Integration-Friendly: Tools like Zapier, Make, or native APIs let you stitch together powerful workflows fast.
Still, be careful. SaaS fatigue is real. Tool sprawl leads to fractured data and disconnected teams if not managed well.
⚖️ Build vs. Buy Framework
When facing the decision, I use this 3-question framework:
Question | If YES → |
|---|---|
Is this core to our product or IP? | Build |
Do we need it working now? | Buy |
Will we heavily customize this tool? | Build |
If you’re answering yes to multiple on both sides, consider a hybrid: buy now, build later once you’ve validated the need.
🧠 A Real Example: Our Shipping Assistant
When building Sawa, our AI-powered shipping assistant, we faced this dilemma with product tracking. We could build our own scraper, but we chose to integrate with APIs from vendors like Shopify, Noon, and Amazon.
Why? Because our real value lies in the AI — not the raw data source. Buying the integration saved months, letting us focus on building the intelligence layer.
Later, we may bring that part in-house. But early on, agility wins.
💡 Final Thoughts
Startups succeed by focusing on what only they can do. Don’t burn time rebuilding login systems, dashboards, or CRMs unless they give you a true edge.
Build what makes you different. Buy what gets you moving.
And remember: your stack isn’t permanent — it’s a tool. Use what gets you closer to product-market fit fastest. Adjust as you grow.
See you on the build line.
Abdulaziz Aldhubaib
Abdulaziz Aldhubaib
