1 Black Badger Software Solutions
Best for companies leaving a platform they have configured for years
This is one of two lists where we rank ourselves first, and Black Badger publishes the guide, so weigh that. Replacing a rented platform is the work we do most. We build custom CRM, project management and operations systems, client portals and integrations for companies leaving Smartsheet, monday.com, Zoho, HubSpot, Salesforce or NetSuite. We spent years implementing and migrating those platforms before we stopped, so we know what a company uses in them. You own the code and every account.
Watch for. Do not cancel the platform until the new system holds your data and your team has used it. A build begins with discovery and a written scope, and the scope sets the cost and the schedule.
- Based in
- Clearwater, Florida, United States
- How it charges
- One-time build scoped in writing, then running costs such as hosting
- Main limit
- Works mainly with companies of 50 or more employees
What a custom build involves, and how to ask about one
2 Chetu
Best for larger replacements where code ownership must be in writing
The point of leaving a rented platform is to own what replaces it. Chetu ranks second because its about page says that, with the client owning the source code and intellectual property and paying no licensing fees on completion. It has over 2,800 developers, so it can take on a replacement that spans several business units. It is second because its named models are teams and developers, which you direct yourself.
Watch for. Decide who on your side will specify what the old platform did. With a team model, that job stays with you.
- Based in
- Sunrise, Florida, USA
- How it charges
- Rates not published
- Main limit
- Delivery centers in the US, the UK and India, and no published rates
3 ScienceSoft
Best for replacements in healthcare, insurance or finance
ScienceSoft is third. A platform replacement often uncovers requirements as it goes, and time and materials with a cap, the model ScienceSoft describes for most of its work, handles that while limiting the bill. The firm dates from 1989 and names healthcare, insurance and investment as focus industries. It trails Chetu on this question because the pages we read say nothing about who owns the code.
Watch for. Ask for the ownership term and the cap in writing. A replacement only frees you from rent if you hold the code at the end.
- Based in
- McKinney, Texas, USA
- How it charges
- Time and materials with a cap, or fixed price
- Main limit
- Time and materials is the usual model, and the site publishes no project rates
4 thoughtbot
Best for companies that want their own staff able to run the new system
thoughtbot ranks fourth. A system you own needs people who can look after it, and thoughtbot pairs design and engineering with teaching, placing senior people alongside a client team for a flexible time. For a company that plans to maintain its replacement in house, that is an advantage. It ranks fourth because its development list leads with Ruby on Rails, Hotwire, React and React Native, so a different stack needs a conversation first.
Watch for. The pages we read do not state who owns the code or how work is priced. Raise both before discovery.
- Based in
- Not stated on its site, a fully remote team
- How it charges
- Quoted per project
- Main limit
- Fully remote teams, and a specialty in Ruby on Rails and React
5 Itransition
Best for large companies replacing a platform used across departments
Itransition is fifth. With more than 3,000 professionals and work in manufacturing, retail, finance, healthcare, insurance and hi-tech, it has the people for a replacement that reaches many departments. Its home page also names managed IT services, which can cover running the new system afterward. It ranks here because the pages we read name no pricing model, and a replacement budget is usually set against a known license bill.
Watch for. Bring your current license cost to the scoping conversation, and ask how the firm would price the replacement against it.
- Based in
- Not stated on its site, with offices in the US and Europe
- How it charges
- Quoted per project
- Main limit
- Very large firm, and its site names no pricing model or head office
6 Slalom
Best for companies still deciding whether to replace or reconfigure
Slalom ranks sixth. It is a business and technology consulting company that does both systems implementation and digital product building, so it can look at a platform from either side. That suits a company that has not yet decided whether to leave. It is last on this list for the same reason, since the question here assumes the decision to replace is made and the job is the build.
Watch for. The site says Slalom works with more than 700 technology partners. Ask how it weighs building a system you own against implementing one of theirs.
- Based in
- Not stated on its site, 54 offices in 12 countries
- How it charges
- Quoted per project
- Main limit
- A consulting firm first, so custom builds sit inside a wider services mix