Huddle vs Custom Development

Why smart organizations choose Huddle over expensive custom development projects

76%
Cost Savings
vs Custom Development
12x
Faster Deployment
2 weeks vs 6+ months
$359K
3-Year Savings
Total cost difference

Complete Build vs Buy Analysis

Cost

Huddle

$799-$3,999/month
Predictable monthly cost
  • All-inclusive pricing
  • No setup fees
  • Transparent billing
  • 62+ modules included

Custom Development

$150K-$500K+
High upfront investment
  • Development costs
  • Infrastructure setup
  • Ongoing maintenance
  • Per-feature pricing

Timeline

Huddle

2-4 weeks
Deploy production-ready solution
  • Pre-built modules
  • Proven templates
  • Expert implementation
  • Go-live guarantee

Custom Development

6-18 months
Development and testing cycle
  • Requirements gathering
  • Design & development
  • Testing & debugging
  • Deployment & training

Risk

Huddle

Low Risk
Proven platform with 1000+ customers
  • 99.9% uptime SLA
  • Enterprise security
  • 24/7 support
  • Regular updates

Custom Development

High Risk
Custom code introduces unknowns
  • Technical debt
  • Security vulnerabilities
  • Maintenance burden
  • Vendor lock-in

Scalability

Huddle

Built for Scale
Handles millions of records
  • Cloud-native architecture
  • Auto-scaling
  • Global infrastructure
  • Performance monitoring

Custom Development

Scale Challenges
Requires additional investment
  • Infrastructure planning
  • Performance optimization
  • Load balancing
  • Database tuning

Maintenance

Huddle

Fully Managed
We handle all updates and security
  • Automatic updates
  • Security patches
  • Feature additions
  • Infrastructure management

Custom Development

Your Responsibility
Ongoing technical debt
  • Code maintenance
  • Security updates
  • Bug fixes
  • Feature development

Integration

Huddle

Native Smartsheet
Approved OAuth app
  • Real-time sync
  • No data migration
  • Preserve workflows
  • Expert support

Custom Development

Complex Integration
API limitations and challenges
  • Rate limiting
  • Authentication setup
  • Data mapping
  • Sync complexities

3-Year Total Cost of Ownership

Custom Development

Year 1 (Development)$300,000
Year 2 (Maintenance)$75,000
Year 3 (Enhancements)$100,000
Total 3-Year Cost$475,000

Huddle Platform

Year 1 (Pro Plan)$38,388
Year 2 (Pro Plan)$38,388
Year 3 (Pro Plan)$38,388
Total 3-Year Cost$115,164
$359,836 Saved
That's 76% less than custom development
Plus faster time-to-market and lower risk

Organizations That Chose Huddle Over Custom Development

American Red Cross

Non-Profit Organization

"We evaluated custom development but the 18-month timeline and $400K budget didn't make sense. With Huddle, we had our disaster response portal live in 3 weeks."
3 weeks
vs 18 months
$38K
vs $400K

Kronos

Technology Company

"The TCO comparison was clear - Huddle would save us 70% over building in-house. Plus we got to market 10x faster with proven functionality."
70%
cost savings
10x
faster delivery

When to Choose Huddle vs Custom Development

Choose Huddle When:

  • You need customer portals and external-facing applications
  • Your data is already in Smartsheet and works well
  • You want to deploy in weeks, not months
  • Budget is under $500K for a 3-year solution
  • You need proven, enterprise-grade security and reliability

Consider Custom When:

  • You need highly specialized industry-specific features
  • You have unlimited budget and 18+ month timeline
  • You have a large in-house development team
  • Requirements are completely unique and cannot be adapted

Ready to Skip the Custom Development Headache?

See how Huddle can deliver enterprise applications in weeks, not months, at a fraction of the cost.

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Join 1000+ organizations that chose Huddle over custom development