Data integration isn't just a technical concern anymore - it's strategic. As companies adopt more SaaS platforms, cloud databases, and analytics tools, the need to connect everything becomes urgent. Whether you're syncing sales data, enriching customer records, or automating updates across internal apps, how you approach integration matters. And that usually comes down to one decision: should you build your own integrations with custom APIs or buy a dedicated integration platform?
The short answer: it depends. But if you’re looking for the faster, more scalable, and often more sustainable route, buying a tool like CONVAYR is increasingly the smarter choice.
Buying an integration tool means using a platform that’s purpose-built to connect your data sources. These platforms typically come with prebuilt connectors, intuitive user interfaces, and automation features that help you move data between services with little or no code. Some focus on marketing tools, others on enterprise data pipelines. Convayr is built specifically for businesses that rely on cloud software and want integrations to "just work" - without engineering overhead.
Modern integration tools aren’t just about syncing data. They often include advanced capabilities like complex filtering and transformations, which let you control when changes occur, and reverse ETL, which sends data back from your warehouse into SaaS tools for business users to access.
And perhaps the biggest draw? Time-to-value. Instead of spending months designing and coding custom logic, you can launch workflows in days. This speed translates into real business impact - faster decisions, better visibility, and fewer data silos.
Building integrations in-house gives you full control. Your development team writes code that connects directly to other platforms’ APIs. In theory, this means unlimited flexibility. You decide exactly what data gets pulled, how it’s transformed, and where it ends up.
But with that control comes complexity. APIs evolve. Platforms change authentication methods or rate limits without warning. If you're the one building the integration, you're also responsible for maintenance, monitoring, and fixing things when they break. And unless you’ve got a team of backend developers on standby, this can become a real bottleneck - especially as your number of integrations grows.
Building your own integrations might make sense if you're connecting with obscure or proprietary systems that off-the-shelf tools don't support. But for most modern software stacks, prebuilt connectors cover the basics - and more.
At first glance, buying and building seem like equal but opposite paths. In reality, the trade-offs are more nuanced. Buying is often more efficient, particularly for common use cases, while building offers deeper customization - but at a higher cost, both upfront and long-term.
Buying gets you up and running faster. It reduces reliance on in-house development and shifts the burden of maintenance to the vendor. You get a user-friendly interface, prebuilt logic for handling API quirks, and enterprise-grade security baked in. Subscription costs are predictable, and most platforms scale with usage, not headcount.
In contrast, building integrations requires deep technical knowledge - not just of your internal systems, but of every third-party service you want to connect. It also means absorbing the full cost of maintenance, updates, monitoring, and troubleshooting. And as your ecosystem grows, so does the complexity. Connecting ten apps manually doesn’t just mean ten scripts - it could mean dozens of point-to-point integrations, each with its own quirks and failure points.
For the vast majority of businesses, buying is the better investment - especially when you're working with widely-used platforms like Snowflake, Smartsheet, Hubspot, or Salesforce. These tools already have well-documented APIs, and platforms like CONVAYR offer out-of-the-box support to connect them seamlessly.
If you're a fast-growing company without a large engineering team, buying lets you focus on your product - not plumbing. You don’t need to train developers on every third-party API, nor do you need to worry about scaling your own integration infrastructure. Instead, you get a centralized platform with monitoring, error handling, and automation features included.
Buying also democratizes integration. No-code interfaces mean operations, marketing, and product teams can build and modify workflows without waiting on developers. This unlocks agility across departments and ensures data flows continuously - even as your stack evolves.
That said, there are scenarios where custom-built integrations are the right move. If you rely heavily on niche or legacy systems with limited API support, or need very specific logic that off-the-shelf tools can't handle, building your own solution may be necessary. Companies in tightly regulated industries - think healthcare or finance - may also choose to keep full control of their data pipelines to meet compliance requirements.
You might also consider building if you already have a strong internal dev team with capacity to take on integration work. But even then, the question remains: is maintaining integration code really the best use of their time?
If your answer is yes, and you're prepared to monitor, debug, and adapt these APIs as they evolve, then building could give you a tailored solution with no licensing costs. Just keep in mind that the "cost" is rarely limited to the initial build - maintenance and scalability quickly become the larger challenge.
Some businesses opt for a hybrid model - using a platform like CONVAYR for most integrations and building custom APIs only for edge cases. This is often the sweet spot: you get the speed and simplicity of a ready-made tool, with the flexibility to fill in the gaps where needed.
CONVAYR, for example, includes support for REST API connectors, allowing you to plug in more niche services while using the platform to handle the rest. You still benefit from centralized monitoring, scheduling, and a consistent interface - without having to manage everything in-house.
Here’s the bottom line: building APIs gives you maximum control, but that control comes with long-term costs and operational overhead. Buying an integration platform gets you scale, speed, and reliability - without having to reinvent the wheel.
If you're a growth-focused company using modern SaaS tools, buying a platform like CONVAYR is the pragmatic choice. It reduces risk, accelerates implementation, and keeps your team focused on delivering value, not maintaining fragile scripts.
But you don’t have to choose blindly. At CONVAYR, we help businesses assess their integration needs and tailor solutions that work for their stack, team, and future roadmap.
Ready to simplify your workflows and free up your team? CONVAYR lets you connect your SaaS tools and automate your data pipelines without code, complexity, or confusion.
Book a demo or start your free trial today.