A manufacturer with a product that sells in many variants asks me the same question every few weeks: "Should I buy Zakeke, Roomle or Threekit, or have one built?"
My honest answer starts with a single question back: does your configurator have to show the product, or understand it?
If it only has to show (rotate a model, pick a colour, look nice), buy a SaaS and do not overpay. If it has to understand (price it by your own rules, block impossible variant combinations, push a finished order into your ERP), a template will fight you forever and you build custom.
Here is the full breakdown, with the part most comparison posts skip: the three-year cost.
The one rule that decides it
Off-the-shelf configurators (Zakeke, Roomle, Threekit, ConfigOne and the rest) are very good at the visual layer. You get 3D in the browser fast, with no developer. For a standard product, a simple option list and a small budget, that is the right tool. I tell people this out loud instead of selling them a build they do not need.
They start to hurt the moment your pricing or your rules stop fitting the template:
- Your price depends on quantity tiers, wholesale levels and margins you do not want public.
- Option A changes what is possible for option B, and the combinations have to be validated.
- The finished configuration has to land in SAP, a custom ERP or a specific cart, not just an email.
That is where "understand" beats "show", and where custom pays off.
Build vs buy, side by side
| Criterion | Custom build | Off-the-shelf SaaS |
|---|---|---|
| Payment model | One-off project | Subscription, forever |
| Typical price | From ~EUR 15,000 once | ~EUR 8,000 to 100,000+ per year |
| Source code | Yours, on your repo and hosting | None, you rent access |
| Where price is computed | Server-side, not visible in devtools | Often client-side |
| Pricing and variant rules | Any logic you can describe | Within the template limits |
| ERP / shop integration | Any, over an API | Within the vendor's connectors |
| Vendor lock-in | None, data and engine are yours | Yes, both stay with the vendor |
The three-year cost nobody prints on the pricing page
This is the number that flips the decision for most mid-size manufacturers.
An enterprise configurator SaaS is not EUR 50 a month. Published and estimated ranges land somewhere between EUR 8,000 and 100,000+ per year once you need real variants, integrations and seats. Run that forward:
- Year 1: you pay, and you have a rented tool.
- Year 2: you pay again, same tool.
- Year 3: you pay again, and you still own nothing.
A one-off custom build is a single payment plus hosting (often tens of euros a month). The break-even against an enterprise subscription usually lands inside the first 12 to 24 months. After that, you own an asset instead of renting one, and the price list is a data change on your server, not a new licence tier.
That is the whole argument in one line: with SaaS you keep paying to keep using your own configurator.
The quiet technical trap: client-side pricing
One detail decides more than the price tag. In a lot of plug-in configurators, the price is computed in the browser. That means your quantity thresholds, wholesale prices and margins sit in JavaScript that anyone can open in devtools and read, or edit.
A custom build computes the price server-side. The browser receives a result, never the price list. For B2B, where your net prices are the thing you most want to protect, this is not a nice-to-have. It is the reason to build.
When I tell people to buy the SaaS
To keep this honest, the cases where I send people to an off-the-shelf tool and do not pitch a build:
- The product is standard and the options are simple.
- You need it live in days, not weeks.
- There is no ERP or pricing logic to integrate.
- The budget is small and a subscription is genuinely cheaper over your real horizon.
If that is you, Zakeke or Roomle will do the job. No build needed.
See the mechanics before you pay for them
I build custom 3D configurators, and I put ten of them online as live demonstrators so the mechanics stop being a promise. They are my own demos, not client work, and you can click any of them with no sign-up:
- A bioclimatic pergola configurator with a sun simulator and a rain test.
- A sauna and spa configurator with a cinematic Nordic render.
- A packaging configurator where the unit price drops with volume and you download a print-ready die-line.
- Visual CPQ for machine builders: lay out a production cell, with collision checks and a priced bill of materials.
The full set and the longer build-vs-buy comparison live on the custom 3D configurator page.
What a custom build costs
Ballpark, so you can judge fit before any call:
- From EUR 15,000 for one product line with real-time 3D and server-side live pricing.
- EUR 25,000 to 45,000 with a variant catalogue, dependency rules and an admin panel your team runs.
- From EUR 60,000 for a multi-brand or operator portal with deep ERP integration.
One fixed price after a short call, not a range with a hidden "from".
FAQ
Is a custom configurator always better than SaaS?
No. For a standard product with simple options and no integration, a SaaS is faster and cheaper. Custom wins when pricing rules, ERP integration, code ownership or a multi-year horizon are in play.
How long does a custom build take?
From about three weeks for a single product line to a few months for a multi-brand portal. A paid pilot on one real product is a good way to start.
Who owns the code?
You do. It goes to your repository and your hosting from the first commit. No licence to use your own tool, and you can hand it to another developer any time.
Can it integrate with my ERP?
Yes, over an API: SAP, a custom ERP, PIM, WooCommerce, Shopify or a clean page that pushes the order to your CRM.
Why server-side pricing?
So your wholesale tiers and margins are never visible or editable in the browser. Configurators that price purely in JavaScript have that problem by design.
Build or buy, decided for your case
Send me what you sell and how you price it today. I will tell you honestly whether to buy a SaaS or build custom, and if it is a build, a fixed quote within 48h. Email: [email protected]
Written by Dominik Groński GroDev, a solo full-stack developer building custom 3D configurators and Laravel back-ends for manufacturers across the EU, UK and US.
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