The seat tax
Per-user monthly fees grow with your team, even when people only need a small part of the product. Review active users, unused seats and overlapping subscriptions.
SaaS independence
Fewer subscriptions. More say in your systems.
Work out what to keep, consolidate or replace. We assess the tools, dependencies and costs, then plan a controlled move to an open system where it serves the business better.
THOUGHTFUL SYSTEMS. PRACTICAL PEOPLE.
02 / SaaS independence
Get off the SaaS treadmill. Where it makes sense.
A growing pile of per-user subscriptions can still leave your team copying information by hand. We review what you use, what it costs and what your business actually needs, then build a keep, consolidate or replace plan.
Your systems. Your direction.
Connect on your terms.
Keep what works. Build the missing connections. Own the way forward.
- Your tools
- Your workflows
- Your control
Rethink the subscription stack
Why people are ditching SaaS
Software should earn its place in your business. When subscriptions overlap, workflows feel forced and useful features sit behind another upgrade, it is time to review what you actually need.
Renting assumptions
Off-the-shelf tools can make you fit your process around someone else’s workflow. A focused custom tool can follow your rules, approvals and everyday work.
Feature bloat
More features, add-ons and AI token packages do not automatically mean more value. Keep the capabilities your team uses and question the rest.
Build around the work
How to replace SaaS
Start with one workflow and a clear outcome. Compare the cost of keeping the subscription with building, running and maintaining a replacement.
AI-assisted custom builds
Build focused internal tools, scripts and automations with AI-assisted development. Test them against real tasks and agree who will support them before switching.
Focus on outcomes
Scope the result: an enquiry routed, a report prepared or repeated admin removed. Connect the tools that already work and replace the subscriptions that add little value.
Own your logic
Keep access to your source code, data and documented business rules. Change the process when your business changes, with a clear route to test and release improvements.
Keep subscriptions that justify their cost. Custom software still needs maintenance, security updates and someone responsible for keeping it working.
Further reading: Ditching SaaS Platforms With AI — Trailhead
A simpler website
Keep your website. Lose the plugin dependency.
For suitable business websites, we can rebuild your WordPress site in HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Keep the content, design and useful interactions, while removing the WordPress runtime, theme and plugin dependencies from the published site.
Keep what works
Review your pages, forms and integrations before rebuilding. Agree what stays, what improves and how your team will update the content.
Simplify what runs
Serve static pages without a WordPress database or plugin update cycle. Forms, bookings, shops and logins need an agreed replacement or a retained service.
Own the handover
Receive the source files, setup instructions and an editing process. Hosting, domain renewals, external services and ongoing care remain part of the running-cost review.
Keep
Retain the tools that meet your needs and justify their cost. Connect them properly so they work as part of the process.
Consolidate
Remove overlap where several tools do the same job. Simplify the workflow and reduce the number of places your team has to maintain.
Replace
Assess an open-source, custom-built or AI-assisted alternative, test the essential features and move users and data in controlled stages.
Three approaches we can explore
Open-source software, custom builds and AI alternatives, assessed against your workflows, access requirements and operating costs.
Adapt an existing solution
Open-source software
We look at open-source software that could replace a subscription or simplify your workflow, then assess the features, integrations and changes you would need.
When it may fit: An existing solution covers the core work and can be adapted to your team.
We include hosting, licensing, maintenance and support in the assessment.
Build around the way you work
Custom builds
We assess whether a focused custom tool would serve your business better than a broad subscription product. The scope follows the work your team actually needs to do.
When it may fit: Your process has specific requirements that existing tools do not handle well.
Ownership, documentation, integrations and ongoing care are agreed before a build.
Rethink repetitive work with AI
AI alternatives
We explore whether an AI-assisted workflow could take over repetitive steps, connect existing tools or reduce the need for another subscription.
When it may fit: The task can be tested against clear examples, with people reviewing important results.
We check accuracy, privacy, human approval and ongoing usage costs before recommending an approach.
Workflows we can assess
- Team communication
- Shared inbox & support
- Time & billable work
- CRM & sales pipeline
- Projects & team tasks
- Booking & scheduling
- Files & collaboration
- Internal documentation
04 / Setup, handover and care
Your system. A clear plan to run it.
We can set up the agreed solution on infrastructure you control and define who looks after it. Ownership should give you choices, with documentation and a practical route to take over or change support providers.
- Client-controlled accounts and access
- Data exports and migration documentation
- Backups and a tested recovery process
- Monitoring, updates and support responsibilities
- Training and a documented handover
- A rollback plan before migration
What is included
Clear work. A usable handover.
A useful starting point: one subscription or software category. We confirm the final deliverables in your scope.
- A SaaS inventory and licence-cost review
- Essential features and integration dependencies
- Export, migration and access risks
- A shortlist with current edition and feature checks
- Estimated hosting and ongoing operating costs
- A keep, consolidate or replace roadmap
Scope & investment
Start at the right level.
SaaS Independence Review
Understand what to keep, consolidate or replace before committing to a migration.
Includes: SaaS inventory, licence costs, workflow dependencies, export risks, open-source, custom-build and AI alternative assessment and an operating-cost estimate.
$750–$1,500
Indicative project ranges. Migration, configuration and managed operation are scoped separately from a review. Final scope depends on complexity, data quality, access and exceptions; you receive a defined scope before work begins.
Before we begin
A few practical questions.
Does open source mean free to run?
No. Hosting, migration, backups, updates, security and support still need a budget and an owner. We compare those costs with your current setup.
Can we move just one tool?
Yes. We can begin with one category, test the essential workflow and migration, and keep a rollback path before cutover.
Do we need to leave our business email provider?
No. Core email needs its own deliverability, security and recovery assessment. Keeping a managed email provider is often the sensible option.
Who controls the system afterwards?
We agree client-controlled accounts, data exports, documentation and support responsibilities so you can take over or change provider.
One useful place to start
Let’s make the first step useful.
One subscription or software category. A conversation can help define the scope and next step.