Build vs Buy LIMS
Should you develop a custom LIMS in-house or purchase a commercial solution? Compare the trade-offs.
Trusted by leading diagnostic labs and life sciences companies
Build Custom LIMS
In-House Development
Develop a custom solution tailored exactly to your workflows. Requires significant development resources and ongoing maintenance.
Pros:
- Exact fit to your workflows
- Complete control over features
- No vendor dependency
- Integrate with any system
Cons:
- High development cost
- Long time to market
- Ongoing maintenance burden
- Knowledge concentration risk
Buy Commercial LIMS
Vendor Solution
Purchase a proven commercial solution with established features, vendor support, and regular updates.
Pros:
- Faster implementation
- Proven, tested solution
- Vendor support and updates
- Lower total cost (often)
Cons:
- May require workflow changes
- Ongoing licensing costs
- Vendor lock-in risk
- Limited customization
Key Decision Factors
Total Cost
$500K-$2M+ initial, ongoing maintenance
$50K-$500K implementation + annual license
Time to Value
12-36 months to production
3-9 months to go-live
Resources Needed
Development team (5-15+ FTE)
Project team (2-5 FTE)
Risk Level
High - project failure common
Lower - proven solutions
Our Recommendation
For most laboratories, buying a commercial LIMS is the better choice. Custom development rarely makes sense unless you have truly unique requirements that no commercial solution can meet AND you have the resources to build and maintain the system long-term.
Even highly customized labs typically find that a configurable commercial LIMS with professional implementation services meets 80-90% of their needs at a fraction of the cost and risk of building from scratch.