Comparison · AI strategy
Off-the-shelf vertical SaaS or custom AI agent
Subscribe to a ready-made AI software for your industry, or build an agent around your specific process. What works for an SME.
In brief
For most SMEs a ready vertical SaaS is the smart pick when the process is standard and you want results in days at a low subscription. A custom AI agent pays off when the process is a competitive edge, data is sensitive, or no SaaS covers the real flow: it costs more upfront but kills the perpetual fee and leaves you the code. The right question is how far your process diverges from the market standard.
Option A
Off-the-shelf vertical SaaS (subscription)
An AI software already built for your industry, with ready features and a recurring fee. You adapt to its logic.
Pros
- +Live in days, not weeks: no upfront build
- +Low, predictable entry cost (monthly or annual subscription)
- +Maintenance, updates and security handled by the vendor
- +Industry best practices already baked into the product
Cons
- −You adapt to the software, not the other way around: non-standard steps stay uncovered
- −A recurring fee that never ends and grows with users and volume
- −Lock-in: data and logic live inside the vendor, migrating is costly
- −Roadmap set by the vendor, not by your priorities
Best for
- Standard, common processes in the sector (e.g. B2B trade shows with Linkly)
- SMEs that want to validate fast without a high upfront spend
- Teams with no competitive edge to protect in that flow
Option B
Custom AI agent
An agent built around your real process, in your language and your systems, whose code you own.
Pros
- +Fits your exact process, including the exceptions a SaaS ignores
- +Client owns the code from day one, no lock-in and no perpetual fee
- +Data in-house or on European infrastructure, useful for GDPR/AI Act
- +Integrates with your existing systems without forcing a new standard
Cons
- −Higher upfront cost
- −Needs an internal owner to follow build and maintenance
- −Time to first result is weeks, not days
- −Evolutions and updates stay your responsibility over time
Best for
- Core processes that are a competitive advantage
- Sensitive data or strict compliance requirements
- Flows that no market SaaS truly covers
| Criterion | Off-the-shelf vertical SaaS (subscription) | Custom AI agent |
|---|---|---|
| Time to first result | Days (activation) | 4 weeks (first delivery) |
| Entry cost | Low (e.g. Linkly at linkly.events) | From €3,000/month |
| Cost over time | Perpetual recurring fee | From €3,000/month |
| Process fit | Your process adapts to the software | The software adapts to your process |
| Ownership and data | Inside the vendor (lock-in) | Client owns code and data |
| Maintenance | Included in the fee | On you after hypercare |
The verdict
This isn't an ideological choice, it depends on how far your process diverges from the standard. If the flow is common in your sector and you want results now with low risk, a ready vertical SaaS is often the rational pick: you pay little, go live in days, maintenance isn't your problem. But if that process is a competitive advantage, the data is sensitive, or no SaaS covers your exceptions, the custom agent pays back: more upfront, but it kills the perpetual fee and leaves you code and control. Many SMEs do well to start with SaaS where the process is standard and build custom only where the process is genuinely their own.
FAQ
What people usually ask us.
Isn't a vertical SaaS always cheaper than a custom agent?
Can I combine the two paths?
With a custom agent, am I left alone with the maintenance?
How do I tell if my process is standard enough for a SaaS?
Not sure which one fits your case?
20 minutes with the CEO to work out the right choice for your processes. No pitch, no obligation.
