Analyses

In-depth strategic analyses

Data-driven, evergreen material — on owning software instead of renting it, and on where a custom system beats a subscription.

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Analysis · Pillar

Custom, proprietary software instead of a subscription — why it's worth considering a move to dedicated systems

Subscription software is rented month by month, and the data stays with the vendor. An analysis of two models — renting and owning — of cost over a horizon of years, and of why AI has lowered the barrier to building custom systems.

10 min read

Analysis

Domain knowledge is a company asset — locking it into someone else's system is a strategic mistake

Subscription workspaces and knowledge bases — Notion, Confluence — charge per seat for access to knowledge the company itself creates, while the accumulated documentation stays with the vendor. A 2026 pricing analysis in PLN and USD, plus the alternative: a knowledge base the company actually owns.

12 min read

Analysis

B2B platform with a revenue-based commission — a tax on its own success

Subscription e-commerce platforms and B2B portals — Shopify Plus, BigCommerce, Salesforce Commerce — tempt with a single fee, but the bill grows with the company's revenue, as a percentage of sales. A 2026 pricing analysis in zloty and dollars, plus the alternative: a portal the company owns.

14 min read

Analysis

Project management apps on subscription — you pay for seats, not for work

Subscription project management systems — Asana, Monday, ClickUp — tempt with a low per-seat price, but the bill grows with every additional user, seat minimums, and automation limits, while project data stays with the vendor. A 2026 pricing analysis in PLN and USD, plus the alternative: a system the company actually owns.

13 min read

Analysis

SEO tools on subscription — the more you analyze, the more you pay

Subscription SEO and monitoring tools — Semrush, Ahrefs, Brand24 — lure you in with one price from the price list, but the real cost grows with every seat, keyword, mention and add-on, and the data collected stays with the vendor. A 2026 pricing analysis in PLN and USD, plus the alternative: your own tools, owned by the company.

13 min read

Analysis

Your mailing system can disappear overnight — the lesson from FreshMail's shutdown

Subscription mailing — Mailchimp, GetResponse, ActiveCampaign, Brevo — tempts with a low entry threshold, but the fee grows with every contact in your database, and the list stays with the vendor. A 2026 pricing analysis in PLN and USD, plus the alternative: a company-owned mailing system.

15 min read

Analysis

Subscription CRM: the bigger the team, the higher the bill for the same thing

Subscription CRM tempts with a low barrier to entry, but the cost grows with every seat, and your data stays with the vendor. A 2026 pricing analysis and the alternative: a dedicated CRM the company owns.

12 min read