Build vs. Buy: caregiving software worksheet
Thinking about giving your families an app? There are three paths — build it yourself, buy a generic tool, or white-label a finished platform. This one-pager helps you decide with clear eyes, not just enthusiasm.
Score each factor (1 = poor fit, 5 = strong fit)
| What matters to us | Build our own | Off-the-shelf | White-label |
|---|
| Speed to launch (weeks, not years) | | | |
| Fits our budget (up front + ongoing) | | | |
| Carries our brand & domain | | | |
| Web + mobile apps for families | | | |
| Real medication & care support | | | |
| Security & HIPAA-conscious | | | |
| We set pricing / keep revenue | | | |
| Lets us focus on care, not software | | | |
| Column total | | | |
Questions to settle before you decide
- Do we want to run a software team, or deliver care? (Building means the former, forever.)
- What's the true cost of building — engineers, time-to-launch, and maintenance every year after?
- If we buy, can families get an app with our name on it — or someone else's?
- Who owns the data, and is it ever sold? (The only acceptable answer: we and our clients own it; never sold.)
- How fast can we actually go live, and who handles updates, uptime, and security?
- Will it still look like ours in 2 years — or are we renting someone else's brand?
A simple rule of thumb
If software is the product you sell, build it. If software is how you deliver the thing you actually sell — care — then buy it, brand it, and get back to caring. White-label is built for exactly that: your brand and pricing on a proven platform, live in weeks, hosted and supported for you.
Our decision