Salesforce vs Custom CRM: Build or Buy?
When Salesforce makes sense, when it does not, and what building your own CRM actually looks like in practice.
Salesforce is the default CRM choice for a reason — it is powerful, well-supported, heavily documented, and your next sales hire probably already knows how to use it. But "default" does not mean "best fit." Many businesses pay enterprise CRM prices for a platform that fights their workflow instead of supporting it, then spend even more on consultants and customization trying to force the fit.
Building a custom CRM sounds ambitious, but modern frameworks, component libraries, and cloud infrastructure make it far more accessible and cost-effective than most people assume. Here is an honest comparison of both paths — including the situations where Salesforce genuinely is the right answer.
When Salesforce Is the Right Call
Salesforce is worth the investment when your sales process follows relatively standard patterns, your team expects a familiar CRM interface, and you need access to the massive ecosystem of third-party integrations on the AppExchange. Enterprise organizations with dedicated Salesforce administrators, established implementation partners, and complex multi-department workflows get genuine value from the platform that would be expensive to replicate from scratch.
The AppExchange ecosystem is Salesforce strongest moat. Need CPQ (configure, price, quote)? Territory management? AI-powered forecasting? Document generation? There is almost certainly an app for that — and while each add-on costs money, the time savings over building equivalent functionality from zero can be substantial for organizations with standard enterprise needs.
When a Custom CRM Wins on Both Cost and Fit
Custom CRMs deliver the most value when your business process is genuinely unique and does not map cleanly to the standard contact-opportunity-account model that Salesforce assumes. Real estate brokerages with complex property-agent-buyer relationships, recruitment agencies tracking candidates across multiple pipelines, and niche B2B companies with industry-specific deal structures often spend more customizing Salesforce than a purpose-built system would cost.
The financial case is straightforward. A custom CRM costs more upfront but eliminates recurring per-user licensing that compounds every year. For a 50-person team, Salesforce easily costs $60K-150K per year when you include all licenses, add-ons, admin costs, and consulting fees. A custom build typically costs $40K-80K as a one-time investment, plus $200-500 per month in hosting and $5K-10K per year in maintenance. The breakeven point is often 12-18 months.
Salesforce vs Custom CRM vs Custom Software
| Feature | Salesforce | Custom CRM | Custom Software |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront Cost | Low — monthly subscription model | $40K-80K development investment | Custom delivers long-term savings |
| Ongoing Annual Cost (50 users) | $60K-150K/year all-in | $5K-15K/year hosting + maintenance | Custom saves $50K-135K/year ongoing |
| Time to Deploy | 2-8 weeks with consultant | 8-16 weeks for full MVP | Custom takes longer initially, pays off fast |
| Workflow Fit | Your team adapts to Salesforce | Built around your exact process | Custom eliminates workarounds entirely |
| Data Ownership | Stored on Salesforce servers | Your database, full control | Custom gives you complete data sovereignty |
| Scalability | Proven at massive enterprise scale | Scales with your architecture choices | Custom scales without per-seat cost increases |
| Hiring and Familiarity | Large talent pool knows Salesforce | Standard web tech — any developer can maintain | Custom uses widely-known tech stacks |
| Exit Strategy | Complex data migration to leave | You own everything — no vendor lock-in | Custom means you are never locked in |
The Verdict
Salesforce is the safer, more conventional bet if your sales process is standard, your organization has the budget for proper implementation and ongoing administration, and you value the familiarity factor when hiring new sales team members. It is a proven platform that has earned its market position through genuine capability.
A custom CRM pays off when you are spending more time fighting Salesforce workflows than closing deals, when per-user licensing costs are consuming budget that could fund product development, or when your industry-specific process simply does not fit the standard CRM mold. Scale Labs has helped Seattle businesses save six figures annually by switching from Salesforce to purpose-built CRM systems that do exactly what their team needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Scale Labs builds custom CRM systems that fit your workflow and eliminate recurring licensing costs. Book a free consultation to see if custom development makes sense for your team.