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Comparisons Guides

Custom against off-the-shelf, web against native, and the stack choices that decide what your product costs to maintain over time.

Straight comparisons of the decisions that shape a project: custom software against off-the-shelf, web against native, and the stack choices that decide what your product costs to maintain.

Comparisons14 min

One question settles most of this decision. Plus the real five-year cost comparison and the middle path that suits more companies than either extreme.

July 20, 2026Read

Comparisons14 min

The three options are not priced on the same thing. How to match the arrangement to the shape of your work, including when to hire none of them.

June 8, 2026Read

Comparisons13 min

Why we reach for Next.js, tRPC and Prisma by default - end-to-end type safety, one language across the stack, and a boring path to production.

April 30, 2026Read

Comparisons14 min

We build on Next.js and for many business sites WordPress is the right answer. The honest comparison, with three-year costs both ways.

March 19, 2026Read

Comparisons14 min

Looking dated and not working properly are different projects with a four-fold cost difference. A two-day audit that tells you which one you need.

March 9, 2026Read

Comparisons14 min

Both models work and both fail. Which is right depends on how well-defined the work is, and the hybrid that suits most projects better than either.

February 25, 2026Read

Comparisons13 min

What each approach costs your visitors, why the binary is outdated, and the five questions that settle it for your project.

October 30, 2025Read

Comparisons14 min

Native app, web app or PWA? Not a technology question - it is about who your users are and what you can afford to maintain. How to choose.

September 5, 2025Read

Comparisons13 min

The four questions that decide it, honest cost comparisons, the hidden line nobody quotes, and when replatforming is the wrong answer.

August 15, 2025Read

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Browse the rest of the Shunya engineering and product hubs.

Comparisons Guides

Custom Software vs Off-the-Shelf: How to Decide

Agency vs Freelancer vs In-House: How to Decide

Next.js, tRPC, Prisma: Our Default Production Stack

Next.js vs WordPress for Business Websites

Website Redesign vs Rebuild

Fixed Price vs Time and Materials

Single-Page App vs Server-Rendered

Mobile vs Web vs PWA: How to Choose the Right Platform

Choosing an E-commerce Platform

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