The verdict in three sentences
For 40 technicians, a scheduling SaaS at 65 CAD per technician per month (about 45 EUR) comes to 31,200 CAD a year, and roughly 177,000 CAD over 5 years including setup and a 5 % annual price increase. A custom application priced at 65,000 to 110,000 CAD (45,000 to 75,000 EUR) on the market breaks even around year 3 in a 72,000 CAD scenario, provided your business constraints are genuinely specific. If your process looks like that of 80 % of maintenance companies, stay on SaaS; if PM contracts, on-call rotations and spare parts drive your schedule, custom wins.
The full cost of SaaS over 5 years
In the Greater Toronto Area (Mississauga, Vaughan, Markham, Scarborough), an HVAC maintenance company with 40 technicians typically handles 1,500 to 2,500 service contracts, emergency call-outs and night on-call shifts. Field service SaaS (ServiceTitan, Jobber, Housecall Pro and similar) charges roughly 45 to 100 CAD per technician per month depending on modules.
| Item (2026 order of magnitude) | SaaS at 65 CAD/tech/month | Custom app at 72,000 CAD |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 31,200 CAD + 4,300 CAD setup | 72,000 CAD + 7,200 CAD maintenance |
| Year 2 | 32,760 CAD (5 % increase) | 7,200 CAD |
| Year 3 | 34,400 CAD | 7,200 CAD |
| Cumulative at 3 years | about 102,700 CAD | 93,600 CAD |
| Cumulative at 5 years | about 176,700 CAD | 108,000 CAD |
| Growing to 60 technicians | +15,600 CAD/year | +900 CAD/year hosting |
| Ownership of code and data | No, limited export | Yes, full reversibility |
The numbers cross at about 3 years. That stretches to 4 or 5 years if the custom project drifts toward 110,000 CAD, and shortens if headcount grows.
When SaaS is enough, when custom makes sense
The real criterion is not price but the gap between your operations and the SaaS model. The more you work around the tool (side spreadsheets, re-keying, phone calls to compensate), the stronger the case for custom.
| Business constraint | Market SaaS | Custom |
|---|---|---|
| Simple scheduling by zone and skill | Very well covered | Overkill |
| PM contracts with regulatory frequencies (refrigerants, boilers) | Partially | Dedicated recurrence engine |
| On-call rotations with rest rules | Often missing | Rules coded to your agreement |
| Parts stock in each van | Paid, generic add-on | Linked to scheduling: no part, no booking |
| Integration with your ERP or QuickBooks | Standard connectors | Custom API |
| Signed service report with refrigerant log | Imposed template | Form matching your clients' requirements |
| Time to go live | 4 to 8 weeks | 4 to 6 months |
How to scope a custom project without drift
The main risk with custom software is scope creep. Three rules keep it under control:
- A first release of 10 to 12 weeks limited to scheduling, the technician mobile app and the service report. Parts and invoicing come later.
- A fixed price per release rather than time and materials, with a 10 to 15 % contingency.
- A 4-week parallel run: the SaaS stays live during cut-over, which costs about 2,600 CAD but protects operations.
Budget for maintenance too: 8 to 12 % of the initial cost per year for fixes, iOS/Android updates and hosting.
Mini case study
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Hypothetical persona: Mark, director of operations at an HVAC maintenance company in Toronto, 40 technicians. His SaaS costs 31,200 CAD a year, but his dispatchers re-enter on-call rotas into a spreadsheet every evening and phone technicians to check parts on hand.
He estimates the custom application would save 20 minutes per technician per day (no trip without the part, pre-filled report). Over 210 working days: 40 × 20 min × 210 = 2,800 hours a year. At a loaded cost of 50 CAD per hour, that is 140,000 CAD of recovered capacity, or roughly 4 extra jobs per technician per month. Even monetising only a quarter of it, the 72,000 CAD project pays back in under 2 years.
FAQ
Can we start on SaaS and switch to custom later?
Yes, that is often the best strategy: 12 to 24 months on SaaS let you document exactly what is missing. Just make sure the SaaS allows a full history export, ideally through an API.
Does a custom app work offline?
Yes, a well-built mobile app stores the day's jobs locally and syncs when the signal returns. Offline mode adds about 7,000 to 12,000 CAD to the budget and is essential in plant rooms and basements.
What does automatic route optimisation cost?
An optimisation engine built on a mapping API adds 9,000 to 22,000 CAD, plus 75 to 300 CAD a month of API usage for 40 technicians.
Who owns the code?
Under a well-drafted custom development contract, you do, with assignment of copyright. Require delivery of source code and documentation at each release.
What timeline should we plan for 40 technicians?
Allow 4 to 6 months in total: 4 weeks of scoping, 10 to 14 weeks of development, a 4-week pilot with 8 technicians, then full roll-out.
Let's scope your project. We compare the real 5-year cost of your SaaS and a custom application with you, with a first-release scope, an indicative budget and a timeline. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
