---
title: Build vs buy: rent a tool, build your own, or have it built?
description: Answer six questions about one process. See whether to rent a tool, build your own automation or have one built, and what each would cost.
url: https://www.streamlight.ai/tools/build-or-buy/
updated: 2026-10-29
---

# Rent a tool, build your own automation, or have one built

Six questions about one process, and the way that fits it best, with what each of the three ways would cost.

-   About a minute
-   No sign-up
-   Stays in your browser

## What you get

You get the way that fits your process best, and the reasons, from what you told the check. In the name, *buy* means renting a tool. You pay monthly for a new tool, or for the AI in a tool you already have. You also see a rough cost for each of the three ways, side by side. For a process that lives inside one tool, the best fit is often to rent a tool.

## How it works

1.  **Think of one process** you’d like to automate.
2.  **Answer six questions.** The questions cover how many tools the process runs across, who works on it, and how often it runs. For example, the process might run *inside one tool, like enriching leads in HubSpot*.
3.  **Read your result,** with the reasons behind it and the three costs.

## Questions

### When is renting a tool the right choice?

Renting a tool is usually right when the process lives inside one tool and runs the same way each time. An HVAC firm booking calls in ServiceTitan can switch on ServiceTitan’s own AI, for a monthly fee.

### When should I build my own automation?

Building your own makes sense when someone on your team has already set up a few automations in Zapier or Make. Platforms like Zapier cost about $30 to $150 a user a month. Your team’s time to build and look after the automation comes on top.

### When is it worth having one built?

Having one built is worth it when the process crosses several tools and several people, and runs often. For example, an order arrives by email and gets typed into Xero. Then the order goes onto the schedule, and someone texts the customer. The AI inside each tool sees only its own part, so the automation has to run the path between the tools. Having one built costs from $5,000, a fixed price agreed before we start, plus about $45 to $70 a month to run.

## Next

Want to see every step of that process before you decide? [Map it with the process mapper](https://www.streamlight.ai/tools/process-mapper/).

[All free tools ›](https://www.streamlight.ai/tools/)

## If the best fit is having one built, you can see it before you pay anything.

After a 30-minute call, we build a clickable prototype of your process in two to four days. The prototype runs on sample data, so nothing touches your real systems. If the best fit is renting a tool or building your own, you have your answer already.

[Book a call](https://www.streamlight.ai/book/) [Ask our AI assistant](https://www.streamlight.ai/#agent)