6 In-House Development Examples (2025): When To Build vs Buy

The decision to build software in-house is rarely about technical capability anymore. With AI, APIs, and modern app platforms, almost any team can build internally. The question is whether the benefits of owning the tool outweigh the investment of building and maintaining it.

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In this guide, we’ll cover:

• How in-house compares to outsourcing or off-the-shelf tools
• 6 examples of tools modern teams build in-house
• Best practices for building software in-house

Let’s start by looking at what in-house development entails.

What does in-house development mean today?

In-house development means building software with your own internal team. You’re not bringing in a third-party dev shop or relying on pre-made tools. Instead, you’re assembling your own engineers (or product team) to design, code, test, and deploy the software yourself.

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However, the old model of spinning up a big engineering team to code every feature from scratch has given way to something more pragmatic. Cloud infrastructure, APIs, low-code platforms, and AI tools have dramatically lowered the barrier to building internal software. 

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Now, a product manager and a couple of engineers can ship apps and workflows in days, and sometimes, even non-technical teams can contribute.

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At the same time, the bar for deciding what’s worth building is higher than ever. Developer capacity is limited, SaaS ecosystems are deeper, and most businesses can’t afford to spend months reinventing tools that already exist. The smartest teams focus their in-house efforts on tools that align closely with unique workflows or give them a competitive edge.

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Many organizations are embracing a hybrid approach. They’re keeping core, differentiating projects in-house while outsourcing or purchasing solutions for more generic needs.

In-house development vs outsourcing vs off-the-shelf: Key differences

Most tools fall into one of three categories: those built by your own team, those outsourced to a vendor or agency, or those purchased off-the-shelf from a SaaS provider. Each approach has its tradeoffs.

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Before you commit to a path, it’s worth considering how each option stacks up across these key dimensions:

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In summary:

• In-house solutions are ideal if customization and long-term ownership are the top priorities.
• Outsourcing is a solid middle ground when you lack internal bandwidth but still want something semi-tailored.
• Off-the-shelf solutions are great for speed, especially when solving a common, well-defined problem (think CRM, payroll, or analytics dashboards).

6 examples of apps that teams commonly develop in-house

Modern companies across industries build a variety of internal tools to simplify operations. Below are six common in-house software development examples:

1. Internal admin dashboards

Nearly every business-critical app eventually needs an admin interface for non-developers to modify data or settings safely. If you run a SaaS product, your support team might need to look up a user, check their plan, reset a password, or issue a refund. An in-house admin panel gives them a secure way to do that, without relying on engineers or touching production databases.

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Off-the-shelf tools like Forest Admin exist, but many teams prefer in-house-built dashboards to match their data model, roles, and workflows more precisely.

Teams typically build admin dashboards using:

• Internal tool builders like Superblocks that accelerate the build process. With Clark AI, you can generate full dashboards from a natural language prompt, then fine-tune the interface and logic using the visual builder or in code.
• Web frameworks like React, Node, Django, or Laravel, for full control. Even then, most devs often leverage component libraries or templates to accelerate development. 

2. Finance or RevOps tools

Finance and revenue teams often hit a wall with spreadsheets. In-house tools fill the gap by allowing teams to pull together everything they need into a single, interactive interface. This could be from Salesforce deals, Stripe payments, internal usage data, and even spreadsheets. 

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A common example is a revenue dashboard that combines pipeline stages with real-time usage metrics to support planning and forecasting.

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Teams typically build with:

• Internal dev platforms that integrate with multiple data sources, apply custom logic, and visualize metrics in one place

• Custom web apps using frameworks like React or Django for complex calculations, modeling, or finance-specific workflows

3. Customer support portals

Support teams move faster when they can take action without relying on engineering. In-house portals give them the ability to refund orders, credit accounts, reset 2FA, and more, all from a secure interface with proper permissions and audit trails in place.

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These tools often pull in data from ticketing systems and internal databases. For example, a support agent might search for a customer, review their recent activity, and issue a refund all from one screen.

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Teams typically build using:

• Low-code or no-code tools that connect easily to internal systems and support granular access control
• APIs and internal data sources to bring together context from tools like Zendesk, Salesforce, Stripe, Postgres, and others.

4. Developer portals

Internal developer portals centralize tools and information for engineering teams. One of the most well-known examples is Backstage. It was built by Spotify to give their developers a single pane of glass for all microservices and infrastructure. Backstage catalogs all services, who owns them, their documentation, deployment status, and more. Many companies have similar portals to boost developer productivity.

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How teams build them:

• Some build portals from scratch using frameworks like React or Vue. These portals typically integrate with internal APIs and tools, such as CI/CD systems (GitHub Actions, Jenkins), feature flags (LaunchDarkly), monitoring platforms (Datadog), and incident response systems.
• Others use commercial platforms, such as Port or OpsLevel, to speed up rollout and reduce maintenance.
• Internal platforms, such as Superblocks, can also be used to create developer portals. Examples include interfaces for managing feature flags or incident dashboards that consolidate AWS metrics, status pages, and alert controls in a single view.

5. Automated ETL pipelines

Data teams often need to move and transform data on a regular schedule. This includes syncing product data into a warehouse, generating daily reports, or running routine maintenance tasks.

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How teams build them:

• Workflow orchestrators like Airflow, Luigi, or Prefect are commonly used. They provide scheduling, dependency tracking, and monitoring tools out of the box.
• For lighter jobs, teams often use Python scripts, AWS Lambda functions, or database stored procedures triggered on a schedule.
• Internal platforms, such as Superblocks, enable teams to schedule recurring workflows. It has built-in logging, retries, and error handling.

6. Workflow tools for non-technical teams

Internal workflow tools help automate processes for teams like HR, marketing, and operations. These tools often fill the gaps that off-the-shelf software can't, especially when workflows need to match how a company actually operates.

Common examples include content approval systems, budget sign-off flows, internal request forms, and notifications that alert sales or support when something important happens.

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Companies often use:

• No-code or low-code tools, such as Airtable or Zapier.
• Internal tool builders, such as Superblocks, for complex workflows. They support custom logic, enforce enterprise-grade security, and scale with your team’s infrastructure.
• Simple integrations, such as a Slack bot connected to a Google Form for lightweight processes.

How to decide when to build in-house

The decision to build in-house versus buy off-the-shelf usually depends on how much control and flexibility you actually need.

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Here are a few signals that building in-house might be the better move:

• Your workflow doesn’t fit a standard mold: If you're constantly bending an off-the-shelf tool to match your process, you're probably better off with something custom.
• Security and compliance are non-negotiable: When handling sensitive data, building in-house often gives you tighter control over access, auditing, and deployment. Off-the-shelf software might offer compliance certifications, but you’re still entrusting data to an outside vendor.
• Long-term cost is a concern: If you have the engineering capacity, building in-house can be more cost-effective in the long run. You pay the development cost once and avoid per-seat or volume-based fees. However, note that in-house development comes with ongoing maintenance costs such as engineering time and infrastructure.
• You want to reduce tool sprawl: If you find your team “tool-hopping” to accomplish a single workflow, it might be time to build an integrated in-house system that consolidates those functions. In contrast, if your needs are fully met by a single off-the-shelf product, buying can reduce complexity.
• You need better integration with existing systems: Consider going in-house when deep integration is required with your existing architecture. A custom tool can hook directly into your internal databases, APIs, and security systems in ways an external SaaS might not support.

That said, in-house development isn't always the answer. For common, well-defined problems like payroll, CRM, or email marketing, off-the-shelf tools are usually faster and cheaper.

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Most teams today land somewhere in the middle: build what’s unique, buy what’s standardized. You might purchase a billing system but develop a custom admin UI around it that fits how your support team works.

Build vs buy: A quick decision guide

Here’s a quick way to think about when building in-house is worth it and when to consider buying:

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Common bottlenecks with in-house development

Building your own internal software brings many benefits, but it also introduces challenges.

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Here are some frequent pain points and ways to mitigate them:

Reinventing the wheel without a real need

It’s surprisingly easy to spend weeks or months recreating existing elements, such as basic UI components, authentication flows, and permission logic. While it feels productive at first, it often slows teams down and clutters your codebase with work that’s not core to the problem you're trying to solve.

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Using app builders with reusable building blocks or component libraries means you can move faster and focus on the logic that’s unique to your business.

Underestimating long-term maintenance

Without a plan for maintenance, you accumulate a tangle of tools that break with each update and lack clear ownership. This can trap engineers in a “maintenance hell” of fixing internal tools instead of building new features. 

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To counter this, treat internal projects like products. Document them, write tests, and schedule time for updates/refactoring.

Inconsistent approaches across teams

When every team builds internal tools differently, using different stacks, design patterns, or security practices, it leads to duplication and ultimately results in technical debt. Over time, that inconsistency makes it harder for new engineers to contribute or for tools to work well together.

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Establishing a shared foundation, whether that’s a standard tech stack or a centralized platform, helps teams stay aligned.

Lack of onboarding and visibility

Even the best internal tool loses its impact if people are unaware of its existence or struggle to understand how to use it. Documentation, intuitive UX, and discoverability matter just as much as performance. 

How Superblocks supports in-house teams

Superblocks is an enterprise app development platform for building internal software fast and securely. With Clark, its AI agent, and a fully governable architecture, teams can develop apps via natural language, visual editing, or code, all while meeting enterprise-grade security and compliance needs.

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Here are a few ways it supports internal development across technical and non-technical teams:

• It takes care of the foundation so you don’t have to: Superblocks gives you everything you need to start building right away. You’re not wasting time on boilerplate UI, setting up permissions, or stitching together integrations. Clark, the built-in assistant, helps you kickstart apps from a simple prompt, and from there, you can fine-tune using the visual builder or use raw code when needed.
• Built for technical and semi-technical teams: Superblocks democratizes software development. It enables engineers, architects, and non-technical builders to contribute directly to internal tools without creating security risks or tech debt. With Clark AI, anyone can describe what they need in plain language and get a working starting point.
• Keeps everything aligned under one roof: Instead of scattering dashboards, workflows, and scripts across different systems, Superblocks brings them into a single platform. Teams benefit from shared components, unified governance, and better visibility across tools.
• Ensures security and compliance are first-class: Superblocks is built for teams that need internal tools to meet the same standards as customer-facing software. Role-based access control, SSO, audit logging, and observability are all included. With the on-premise agent, you can keep sensitive data in-network without managing your own infrastructure.
• Lowers long-term maintenance overhead: Superblocks gives teams a consistent foundation to build on. You can reuse components, track changes with version control, and even export apps as raw React code if needed. Since the platform is fully managed, there’s no infrastructure to maintain. That means engineers can spend less time on upkeep and more time building what moves the business forward.

Read more: How game developers build internal tooling with Superblocks

In-house development best practices for 2025

When you decide to build software in-house, following best practices can ensure your internal tools are scalable and maintainable. 

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Here are a few best practices that can help teams avoid common pitfalls:

Standardize on a scalable platform

Avoid a wild west of one-off tech stacks for each internal app. Instead, choose a common platform or framework that can support multiple use cases. That could be an internal development platform (such as Superblocks) or a shared tech stack that gives teams a consistent way to ship apps.

Treat internal tools like products (Document and train)

Document your internal tools in the same manner as you would customer-facing products. Provide user guides or FAQs for employees, maintain an updated README for developers, and notify stakeholders of new features and changes. This ensures the tools are actually used effectively and lowers the barrier for new team members. Moreover, gather feedback from users (your coworkers) and iterate on your approach.

Prioritize UX, reliability, and security

Poor UX in an internal tool can hinder productivity as much as a bad customer UX can drive away users. Strive to make internal software intuitive and responsive.

And of course, security cannot be an afterthought. Internal tools often have access to sensitive data or the power to perform privileged actions. Implement proper authentication (e.g., Single Sign-On, 2FA for critical tools) and role-based access controls.

Build reusable components and services

As you develop multiple apps, you’ll notice common patterns. Perhaps, several tools need a user search bar, or many jobs need to send an email notification. Build these as reusable modules rather than duplicating code. 

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For UI, that might mean an internal component library (e.g, a shared set of React/Vue components) that all teams can use for consistency. For backend logic, consider internal APIs or microservices that multiple tools can call. 

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Adopting a platform with built-in building blocks is one way to get reuse from day one. For example, Superblocks’ components or a design system ensure that every new app doesn’t start from scratch on the basics.

Assign clear ownership

Every internal tool or service should have a designated owner. They are responsible for maintaining it, supporting users, and assessing when it needs upgrades or retirement. Some companies establish a center of excellence to oversee new in-house development proposals. 

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Alongside ownership, establish governance policies that determine who can initiate a new internal app, how code reviews and QA will be managed for internal projects, and how security reviews are conducted. Governance also involves maintaining a catalog of internal tools to help onboard new team members.

Empower teams but prevent sprawl

There is a balance to strike between enabling teams to solve their own problems and not having a fragmented landscape of tools. Provide internal developers (and power users) with approved tools or sandbox environments to build what they need safely. 

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At the same time, consolidate where it makes sense. If two departments require a similar solution, consider collaborating on a single tool rather than developing two separate ones. The best practices here include regular communication (e.g., an internal tools show-and-tell meeting to share what different teams have built) and leveraging a common platform to host multiple solutions.

Design for extensibility

When building in-house, consider how other tools or future use cases might need to integrate. For example, if you make an internal HR onboarding app, consider exposing some of its functionality via an API. Maybe other systems (like IT’s equipment tracking) might call it or vice versa. This forward-thinking approach saves time in the long run.

Accelerate in-house development with Superblocks

Superblocks lets you enjoy the benefits of building in-house (flexibility, integration, custom UX) while minimizing the usual drawbacks (slow dev cycles, high maintenance). This makes it a compelling option for organizations looking to scale their internal tooling.

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This is made possible by our comprehensive set of features:

• Multiple ways to build: Start with Clark AI to generate apps in plain English, fine-tune them in the visual editor, and drop into full React code when needed — all within a unified workflow.
• Full-code extensibility: Build with JavaScript, Python, SQL, and React, connect to Git, and deploy with your existing CI/CD pipeline. 
• Integration with your existing systems: Work with your existing stack — databases, SaaS tools, warehouses, and any system with an API.
• Built-in integrations with popular AI models: Integrate OpenAI, Anthropic, and others to power AI workflows and assistants.
• Centralized governance: Enforce RBAC, authentication, and security policies from a single control plane.

• Standardized UI components: Build consistent apps using reusable elements aligned with your design system.

• Full portability: Export your app as raw React code and run it independently.

• Centralized audit logs: Every edit, run, and update is tracked in centralized logs for compliance and oversight.

• Fits into existing SDLCs & DevOps pipelines: Supports automated testing, CI/CD integration, version control (Git), and staged deployments so you can manage changes.
• Incredibly simple observability: Receive metrics, traces, and logs from all your internal tools directly in Datadog, New Relic, Splunk, or any other observability platform.

If you’d like to see these features in practice, take a look at our Quickstart Guide, or better yet, try Superblocks for free.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best examples of in-house development tools?

Some of the most common and valuable in-house tools include:

• Admin dashboards for managing users, roles, and IT operations
• Finance and RevOps apps for forecasting, approvals, and spend tracking
• Customer support portals that unify systems and allow secure actions like refunds or password resets
• Developer portals for managing deploys, toggles, and service ownership
• Automated ETL pipelines to move and transform data across systems

Is in-house development more expensive than outsourcing?

In-house development incurs higher upfront costs, as you're investing in your team and infrastructure. However, it often pays off in the long run through better integration, deep customization, and lower reliance on third parties.

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Outsourcing may be cheaper depending on licensing costs. It, however, comes with tradeoffs that include less control, slower updates, and long-term vendor lock-in. If the tool is core to your workflow or IP, in-house is the better long-term bet.

What tools support modern in-house software development?

Teams today use a mix of platforms to facilitate in-house builds. They include:

• Superblocks for internal apps, workflows, and jobs with built-in governance.
• Airflow or Prefect for scheduling ETL tasks
• React, Node.js, Django, or other frameworks when full-code flexibility is needed
• GitHub, CI/CD tools, and infrastructure-as-code for managing deployment and version control.

Choosing the right mix depends on your team’s skill level, security requirements, and how much you want to maintain.

How do I decide whether to build or buy internal tools?

Build if:

• Your workflow is complex or highly customized.
• You need tight integration with internal systems.
• Security and compliance are critical.
• You want long-term control over UX and functionality.

Buy if:

• The use case is common (CRM, payroll, etc.).
• You need something fast and don’t have engineering bandwidth.
• The tool is non-core to your competitive edge.

Often, the best approach is a hybrid one — buy for the baseline, and build for the parts that give you leverage.

Does Superblocks help with building secure internal apps?

Yes. Superblocks is built for teams that need to move fast without sacrificing security. It includes RBAC, SSO, audit logging, and observability out of the box. You can deploy via the on-premise agent to keep data in-network, and every app runs within a unified governance model.