Build vs Buy Calculator

AI-Powered Customer Support Platform - Total Cost of Ownership Analysis

Company Profile

$50M
8 engineers
5,000 users/month
3 product lines
6 months

Recommendation: STRONG BUY

Multiple high-risk factors make building inadvisable

3-Year Savings
$3,853,700
83.4% cost reduction
Build Timeline
12 months
vs 6 month requirement
Risk Level
11/15
3 risk factors

3-Year Total Cost Comparison

BUILD IN-HOUSE
$4,620,000
12 month development + ongoing maintenance
BUY WHITE-LABEL
$766,300
Launch in 3-5 weeks, fully managed

Cumulative Cost Over Time

Savings Insight: By choosing the white-label solution, you save $3,853,700 over 3 years. That's enough to fund 25 additional engineering positions working on your core product.

Year 1 Build Cost Breakdown

Engineering
$1,200,000
ML Training
$375,000
Mobile App
$180,000
PM/Design/QA
$585,000
Total Year 1$2,340,000

Risk Analysis for Building In-House

high RISK
Small team - likely to get distracted from core product
high RISK
No ML expertise - will need to hire or learn (6+ month delay)
critical RISK
Timeline unrealistic - need 12 months minimum

White-Label Solution Monthly Costs

Platform Fee
$16,000
Base + per user + per product line
Usage Costs
$4,800
Bedrock, Rekognition, Transcribe
Total Monthly
$20,800
$249,600/year
One-time setup fee:$17,500
Total Year 1:$267,100

Key Insights

TIME TO VALUE

Build: 12 months before launch
Buy: 3-5 weeks to go live

OPPORTUNITY COST

Building internally means 8 engineers diverted from core product for 12 months.

What could they build for your actual product instead?

MAINTENANCE BURDEN

Build requires 4 full-time engineers ongoing for maintenance, updates, and security patches.

Annual cost: $600,000

ROI TIMELINE

White-label solution starts generating value immediately with lower upfront investment.

Support cost reduction typically seen within 30-60 days

Next Steps

1
Schedule a Demo
See the white-label platform in action with your specific use case
2
Start 30-Day Pilot
Upload your product manuals and test with real customers - low risk, high value
3
Measure Support Cost Reduction
Track ROI within first 60 days - typical customers see 60-70% reduction in support tickets

This calculator provides estimates based on industry averages. Actual costs may vary based on specific requirements.

Contact us for a customized analysis based on your exact specifications.