Need software for your business? See which way costs you least.

Free calculator: rent a tool, buy one, pay someone to build it, or build it yourself with AI. Your own time counts.Free. Your own time counts.

Step 1

What are you considering?

Not sure? Tick several and compare what each one costs.

Pick at least one. You can pick several.

Other questions: pay per person or build your own? · is one project worth it?

Example numbers

Buying ready-made costs least: about $1,500 less than renting over 3 years

Rent$2,160worst $2,383

Buy ready-made✓ Likely cheapest$660worst $697

Pay someone$10,500worst $13,200

Build yourself$8,220worst $14,820

Total over years$660

Cash in the first 3 months$420

Building wins from25 people

A free account lets you save and compare your scenarios.

Calculators

Rent, buy or buildRent a tool, buy one, pay someone to build it, or build it yourself with AI. Your own time counts.On this page→Custom vs off-the-shelfPaying per person for a tool, or having your own built? See from how many people your own wins.Open calculator→Compare any costsLease or buy, two suppliers, hire or outsource: name your options and see which costs least.Open calculator→Software ROIFor product people: is one feature or project worth it? Net present value, payback and a score.Open calculator→

Where the numbers come from

Where each number comes fromPrice per person, a developer's quote, upkeep, your own hours: where to find each one, with sources.Read the guide→Cost to build an app with AIHours, tools and upkeep when you build it yourself, with two real cases from our own time records.Read the guide→What a developer chargesHow to read a quote and its yearly upkeep, with official US wage data.Read the guide→Total cost of ownershipAdd up all four ways to get software over 3 years: cash and your own time.Read the guide→Per-seat pricingHow a per-person plan grows with your team, and the headcount where building wins.Read the guide→Template vs custom appA ready-made template, a paid build, or your own: 3-year cost, upkeep and getting your data out.Read the guide→

Why you can check this number

Every result shows its arithmetic: plain totals over the years you choose, your own time at your hourly rate, and a worst case. Every outside figure links to its source, and our own assumptions say so.

Road map ROI is made by Cookie Tech, a technology company near Athens, Greece.

Tick what you're considering.
Rent, buy, pay someone, or build it yourself.
Answer a few questions.
Each one says where to find the number.
Read the result.
What costs least, the worst case, and what would change the answer.

Guides

All guides →

Build, buy or rentA decision framework, with the costs people forget.→RICE prioritizationReach, impact, confidence and effort, with a worked score.→Cost of delayPrice the weeks a feature waits in the queue.→

Questions

Is it free?

Yes. The calculators and the guides are free, with no sign-up. A free account only adds saved scenarios you can come back to.

Do I need to know what NPV is?

No. The calculator shows plain totals first. Net present value is in the Expert tab: each later year counts for a little less, at a rate you set, such as your loan rate, and it tells you whether that changes the answer.

What numbers do I need?

Only the ones for the options you pick: a price per person, a ready-made price, a developer's quote, or your own hours and what an hour of your time is worth. Each question says where to find the number, and examples fill in until you type your own.

Can I trust the result?

Every result shows the full calculation, so you or your finance team can check it. Figures that come from a source link to it, and the rest are labeled as our assumption. It does not know your market or your risks, so treat it as one input to the decision. For a large commitment, check the numbers with your accountant.