Comparisons · Prices as of August 2026 · Maths shown
Rent or build? Browser or a server of your own? Comparisons that also say when the other route wins.
We sell the alternative to the subscription. So these are not neutral reviews. That is why every page shows price date, assumptions, sources and the maths, so you can check it.
And every page also shows the case where the vendor wins. Small teams: Retool. One person: Webflow. Entry tiers: Zapier. A comparison that always ends in our favour would be advertising.
List prices with a source. Where a vendor does not publish, no invented total appears.
How we compare
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Both outcomes are shown
Including the scenarios where the vendor is cheaper. With break-even, where there is one.
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Only evidenced numbers
List prices with source and date. For agencies, freelancers and teams there is no calculation because nobody publishes prices.
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No percentage promises
No 99 percent accuracy, no 90 percent saving. Nobody can substantiate numbers like that.
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Your numbers decide
The calculator takes your users, your volume and your term instead of our assumption.
Tracking
Four decisions in measurement.
Without a savings calculation, because these are not about money but about which route fits your shop or website.
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Measuring in the browser or through a server of your own
When the browser is enough, what a server really solves and what it does not. The foundation first, then the server.
Read the comparison -
Shopify Google app or your own Tag Manager
Standard cases: the app. Custom rules or main site plus shop: your own Tag Manager. And what happens to the product feed.
Read the comparison -
Tracking app or your own Tag Manager
Rented measurement against one that belongs to you. What remains when the subscription ends, and when an app is still cheaper.
Read the comparison -
Analytics import or direct counting in the ad account
Two ways to bring conversions into the ad account. Why the numbers differ and which route is the better basis for bidding.
Read the comparison
Tools
Rent or build: nine tools calculated.
Where list prices are published, there is a scenario with the total over the term and a break-even. Where not, it says so.
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Tableau or a dashboard of your own
Two scenarios. With a small team the build only pays off after 29 months, with a wide rollout after 18.
Read the comparison -
Retool or an internal tool of your own
With small teams Retool wins clearly, and it says so. With many read-only seats a build pays off.
Read the comparison -
Segment or event routing of your own
Up to about 25,000 users a month Segment is cheaper. Above that every tier keeps costing monthly.
Read the comparison -
HubSpot or a marketing stack of your own
The base price is not the problem, the contact ladder is. Keep the CRM, review the rest.
Read the comparison -
Webflow or a website of your own
One person maintains the site: Webflow wins for over twenty years. A team with seats: it turns.
Read the comparison -
Zapier or workflows of your own
At the entry tiers Zapier wins. At high volume or long steps it tips. Without an invented total.
Read the comparison -
Fivetran, Airbyte or pipelines of your own
Many sources, little data: Fivetran. Few sources, lots of data: your own pipeline. The ladder is not public, so no calculation.
Read the comparison -
Google Analytics or an event layer of your own
For most, Google Analytics is enough. What it really does, where the limits sit, with sources. This page used to be wrong.
Read the comparison -
Hyros, Triple Whale or attribution of your own
If you are only starting to measure, the ready-made tool is the better call. Scope and pricing models, no accuracy percentages.
Read the comparison
Who builds
Agency, freelancers or an in-house team.
Without a cost calculation, because fees and salaries are published nowhere. What can be compared is the structure.
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Agency retainer or software of your own
Recurring work: retainer. A finished system: build once. And who owns the code at the end.
Read the comparison -
Individual freelancers or one integrated build
One task, one person: freelancer. Several disciplines: someone has to own the seams.
Read the comparison -
Build an in-house team or commission the work
Long term, the team. Until it exists, a commissioned build bridges the gap and leaves a system the team can take over.
Read the comparison
Tools for checking
Do the maths yourself.
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Cost calculator
Your subscription costs over years against a one-off build, with price rises, team growth and maintenance.
Open the calculator -
SaaS graveyard
736 discontinued services. What happens when the provider your tool runs on disappears.
See the graveyard
Common questions
About the method behind the comparisons.
How neutral are these comparisons?
Not neutral. We sell the alternative. That is why we lay everything open: price date, assumptions, sources and the maths. And we show the cases where the vendor wins.
Where do the prices come from?
From the vendors’ public pricing pages, with date and link. Discounts, annual prepayment and negotiated terms are not included.
Why is there no calculation on some comparisons?
Because the numbers are not public. Nobody publishes agency fees, salaries or Fivetran’s ladder. An invented number would only confirm our result.
What are the build costs on your side?
Assumptions for the described scope, not a quote. A real price comes after a conversation as a fixed price.
Does the calculation apply to us?
Only if your user count, volume and term match the assumption. That is why there is the calculator with your numbers.
Next step
Not sure what applies to you?
Tell us which tool you are paying for right now and how many people use it. We say honestly whether a switch pays off.
Reply within 24 hours. No obligation.