The build vs. buy decision for your NetSuite customer portal. Compare total cost of ownership, timeline, and flexibility.
Many companies consider building a custom portal to get exactly what they want. While custom development offers maximum flexibility, it comes with significant costs, timeline, and ongoing maintenance considerations that are often underestimated.
| Feature | SuitePortal | Custom Development |
|---|---|---|
| Time to launch | Days | 3-12 months |
| Upfront cost | $0 to start | $50k-$500k+ |
| Ongoing maintenance | Included | Your team |
| Security updates | Automatic | Your responsibility |
| NetSuite upgrades | Handled | Rework required |
| Feature updates | Continuous | As you build |
| Scalability | Built-in | Architecture dependent |
| Support | Included | Your team |
| Customization | High | Unlimited |
| Risk | Low | High |
If you have truly unique requirements that no platform can address, custom development may be necessary. But these cases are rarer than expected.
Custom development gives you control over the roadmap. With SuitePortal, you're dependent on our feature development (though we're responsive to customer requests).
Contact us! Many features come from customer requests. Our API also allows custom integrations for unique needs.
Yes, through branding, configuration, and API integrations. You won't have source code access, but most customization needs are covered.
Initial build is typically $50k-$500k+. Ongoing maintenance, hosting, and updates often equal 20-30% of initial cost per year.
Unless you have truly unique requirements that can't be addressed by configuration or API integration, SuitePortal offers a faster, lower-risk, and more cost-effective path to a customer portal. The total cost of ownership is typically 5-10x lower over a 3-year period.
See for yourself why businesses choose SuitePortal.