Build vs buy: a guide for internal tools

Hey everyone! We just dropped our latest report: The Build vs. Buy Shift: How Vibe Coding and Shadow IT Have Reshaped Enterprise Software. We surveyed 817 Retool customers and builders and the findings are a bit of a wake-up call for the SaaS world.

As AI and vibe coding go mainstream, the old economics of software have completely shifted. Here are a few highlights:

  • SaaS is under pressure: 35% of teams have already replaced at least one SaaS tool with a custom build.
  • The rise of shadow IT: 60% of builders have shipped tools outside of official IT oversight in the past year.
  • The 2026 Outlook: 78% of respondents expect to build even more of their own internal tools this year.

Read the full report here →

For internal tools in 2026, our team is mostly:

  • :hammer_and_wrench: Building more in-house
  • :shopping_cart: Buying off-the-shelf tools
  • :balance_scale: Blending both (platform + custom builds)
  • :thinking: Still figuring it out
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