# Build vs buy calculator

Compare running your own observability stack against a service over three years.

## How it works

Building costs the engineers who build and run it, plus infrastructure. Buying costs the subscription and a short setup.

```
build = (people × salary + infra × 12) × 3 + build months
buy = subscription × 36 + setup
```

## Questions

### What does building often miss?

Upgrades, scaling, on-call for the stack itself, and the features you would need later.

### When is building right?

When you have unusual scale or rules, and a team that wants to own it long term.

## Related tools

- [Speed vs revenue calculator](https://powertraces.com/tools/speed-vs-revenue)
- [Observability ROI calculator](https://powertraces.com/tools/observability-roi)
- [SLA credit calculator](https://powertraces.com/tools/sla-credits)
- [Funnel drop-off calculator](https://powertraces.com/tools/funnel-drop-off)

[All tools](https://powertraces.com/tools)