Is it cheaper to build or buy a sales platform?

At 60 seats and $120 a seat per month, buying a platform costs $259,200 over 3 years. Building one for $30,000 and running it at $3,000 a month costs $138,000. Owning it keeps $121,200 over the period and breaks even after 7.1 months. Buying = seats × price per seat × 12 × years. Building = one-time build cost + monthly run and support × 12 × years. Kept by owning = buying − building. Break-even months = build cost ÷ (seats × price per seat − monthly run and support).

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How much do you keep by owning your GTM platform?

At 60 seats and $120 a seat per month, buying a platform costs $259,200 over 3 years. Building one for $30,000 and running it at $3,000 a month costs $138,000. Owning it keeps $121,200 over the period and breaks even after 7.1 months.

Those are the defaults. Move the sliders to your own numbers.

Seats 60Price per seat, per month $120Period 3 yearsOne-time build cost $30,000Monthly run and support $3,000

Buying, over the period$259,200Seats × price, every month

Building, over the period$138,000Build cost plus run and support

Kept by owning it$121,200Over the period; negative means buying is cheaper

Months until building breaks even7.1 monthsNever, if run costs more than the seats

An estimate from your own inputs, not a quote or a guarantee. Your numbers stay in your browser until you send them.

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How the math works

Buying = seats × price per seat × 12 × years.
Building = one-time build cost + monthly run and support × 12 × years.
Kept by owning = buying − building.
Break-even months = build cost ÷ (seats × price per seat − monthly run and support).

What it leaves out

Your team's time during the build, and the tools a bought platform would not replace. It also leaves out the main reason to build, which is not cost: the data and the logic stay yours. At small seat counts buying is usually cheaper, and we will say so on the call.