Custom software development company vs. The ‘Franken-Stack’: When integration becomes your competitive advantage
Executive summary
- The reality: Organisations today manage a staggering number of SaaS applications, ranging from 106 to over 269, depending on company size.
- The waste: 2025 industry data reveals that 53% of SaaS licenses go unused, costing businesses millions in “shelfware” annually.
- The solution: A Custom Software Development Company can build apps from scratch, and they can also build the middleware to connect these disconnected tools.
- The shift: Moving from “renting capability” to “owning connectivity” restores control over data workflows and compliance.
What is a “Franken-stack”?
A Franken-stack is the result of reactive IT purchasing. It is a collection of business software and data systems added piece-by-piece over time without a unified integration strategy.
While the individual tools (like HubSpot, Xero, or SAP) are excellent “best-of-breed” solutions, their collective use often leads to:
- Data silos: Critical insights trapped in separate dashboards.
- Workflow friction: Teams relying on manual “swivel-chair” workarounds to move data between systems.
- Hidden complexity: A fragile web of point-to-point integrations that break when a vendor updates their API.
How does a company reach this point? It happens when individual departments solve their own immediate problems without a holistic architectural vision.
The “SaaS Sprawl” dilemma: 2025 data
SaaS has democratised software, but it has also introduced “Sprawl.” The commercial impact can be a direct hit to your bottom line.
- Direct cost: You are likely paying for seats you don’t use. Primary research from Zylo confirms that the average organisation has 269 different SaaS applications, yet 53% of those licenses are unused or under-utilised.
- Opportunity cost: When your data structure is dictated by hundreds of different vendors, you lose the agility to innovate. You are partially constrained by vendor roadmaps, pricing tiers, and integration limits.
Faced with this chaos, most CTOs believe they only have two extreme options: keep buying off-the-shelf tools, or try to build everything from scratch.
The strategic choice: Buy, build, or bridge?
For a CTO, the decision shouldn’t be binary. It is about applying the right model to the right problem. The winning strategy is rarely just “buy” or “build”; it is usually to bridge.
| Feature | Off-the-Shelf (SaaS) | Custom Software Development Company (Imobisoft) |
| Best use case | Standard functions (Email, HR, Payroll) | Unique workflows & integration |
| Cost driver | User count (Costs rise with scale) | Complexity (Costs rise with features) |
| Data control | Vendor-controlled environment | Client-controlled (Private Cloud/On-Prem) |
| Scalability | Tiered limits (Glass ceiling) | Architectural control (Built for high volume) |
Looking at this comparison, the natural question is: “Why invest in custom development when I could just use a tool like Zapier to connect them?”
The “glass ceiling” of no-code integration
Standard integration platforms (iPaaS) or tools like Zapier are fantastic for simple triggers. However, they hit a “glass ceiling” when business logic becomes complex.
You might need to hire a custom software development company when:
- Volume is high: You are processing transaction volumes that make metered iPaaS pricing prohibitive.
- Logic is bespoke: You need to apply specific UK compliance rules to data before it hits your ERP.
- Legacy is critical: You need to connect a modern API to a 15-year-old SQL database that has no standard connector.
When you hit these limits, the answer isn’t another subscription. It requires a fundamental shift in architecture.
Imobisoft’s approach: The “core & connect” strategy
We don’t believe in reinventing the wheel, unless the wheel is broken.
While off-the-shelf tools work for many, they often force you to change your business processes to fit their limitations.
Our strategy is Consolidation and Connectivity. We replace disjointed spreadsheets and rigid SaaS tools with a Bespoke core system that fits your exact workflow, while using secure API layers to connect with specialised third-party services.
Real-world example:
The “Connected” CRM: We recently deployed a smart, bespoke CRM solution for a client struggling with disjointed marketing tools. Rather than forcing them to buy yet another subscription that didn’t fit their needs, we built a solution that customised their exact business process:
- Centralised operations: A single backend now manages their website, mobile apps, and end-user data.
- Automated communication: We built robust integrations with SendGrid and Twilio, automating all marketing communications without human intervention.
- Enforced security: We implemented granular role-based access, ensuring staff only see the data relevant to their specific job function.
Not sure if your situation warrants this level of customisation? Check the matrix below.
The Decision Matrix: Do you need Custom Dev?
If you tick more than two of these boxes, custom development is likely your highest ROI path:
- Your team spends >10 hours a week on manual data entry.
- You have delayed a critical project because your current software “can’t do that.”
- You are worried about data accuracy between Sales and Finance.
- You are paying for “Enterprise” tiers of SaaS just for one missing feature.
Why leaders choose Imobisoft
When dealing with critical data infrastructure, sovereignty and accountability matter.
- UK-based team: We operate under the same GDPR and ISO 27001 frameworks as you.
- Enterprise standards: We build on robust Microsoft .NET frameworks, ensuring your custom code is maintainable and secure.
- Strategic partnership: We help you identify where to buy SaaS and where to build the custom connectivity that gives you a competitive edge.
Is your stack working for you, or against you?
Book a 30-minute technical discovery call with our UK team to map where SaaS ends, and where custom connectivity creates leverage.
FAQ
What does a custom software development company actually do?
A custom software development company designs, builds, and maintains software tailored to your specific business needs. Unlike generic SaaS vendors, they create unique Intellectual Property (IP) for you, often focusing on complex integrations, legacy system modernisation, and secure data workflows that off-the-shelf tools cannot handle.
Does custom software always lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)?
Not always. For standard, low-complexity needs, SaaS is usually cheaper. Custom software lowers TCO in scenarios where you have high user volumes (avoiding per-seat licensing) or complex workflows that would otherwise require expensive manual intervention costs or multiple disconnected SaaS subscriptions.
Is custom software as secure as major SaaS platforms?
Major SaaS platforms are highly secure, but they operate on a “shared responsibility” model. A custom software development company allows you to define your own security perimeter, keeping data in a private environment where you control exactly who has access and where data resides, critical for highly regulated industries.
Can you integrate with old legacy systems?
Yes. This is a primary use case for custom middleware. We can “wrap” legacy databases or on-premise systems with a modern API layer, allowing them to communicate securely with modern cloud tools without requiring a full system replacement.