For decades, the “build vs. buy” debate has shaped how businesses approach software needs. Do you invest in engineering time to build a custom solution, or do you purchase an off-the-shelf product, even if it only meets 70% of your requirements?

But with the rise of AI app builders, that question is quickly losing relevance. Today, you don’t need to choose between custom and convenient. You can have both at speed, at scale, and without the traditional constraints of time, budget, or developer headcount.

The traditional dilemma of cost, complexity, and compromise

Historically, building software internally meant months of planning, design, development, and maintenance. It required engineering talent, clear specifications, cross-functional coordination, and long development cycles. The upside was customization. The downside? Everything else.

Buying software, on the other hand, promised speed. Just sign a contract and get started. But the cost was flexibility. Most off-the-shelf SaaS solutions aren’t built for your specific needs. Teams end up overpaying for bloated features they don’t use, or worse, cobbling together multiple tools that don’t integrate well.

This trade-off led to internal inefficiencies: unused licenses, shadow IT, spreadsheet workarounds, and a growing burden on internal IT to make everything talk to each other. Meanwhile, innovation stalls while teams wait for procurement, contract negotiations, and a learning curve that few have time for.

AI app builders are a new model entirely

AI app builders change the game. These platforms use large language models (LLMs) to interpret business needs and generate software in real-time. Instead of long scoping cycles or pre-built templates, you describe what you need and the platform creates it for you.

This isn’t just another layer on top of a no code platform. AI app builders represent a new paradigm, going far beyond drag-and-drop interfaces. They capture intent, generate logic, and suggest system architectures in ways traditional tools can’t.

It’s a shift from rigid workflows to fluid, iterative creation (or vibe coding). But unlike early versions of vibe coding that lacked structure or scalability, modern AI app builders are being architected to generate production-grade systems, not prototypes.

Instead of choosing between build or buy, organizations now have a third option: generate.

You don’t need to buy software with unnecessary features, and you don’t need to build everything from scratch. You can spin up a fully functional tool tailored to your workflow in minutes, then iterate on it as your needs evolve.

Why this matters for enterprises

For enterprise teams, the implications are huge.

You no longer have to funnel every request through internal IT. Business users, operations leads, or product managers can prototype internal tools without deep technical knowledge, and then bring in engineering only when needed for security, data architecture, or integrations.

This democratizes software creation and brings agility back into large organizations. It also reduces the software sprawl that burdens procurement teams and IT departments. Fewer vendors, fewer contracts, and fewer disconnected tools.

And unlike traditional no code platforms, which are limited by pre-configured logic blocks and require complex onboarding, AI app builders are faster to start and easier to scale. They integrate LLMs directly into the development workflow, reducing time-to-value and unlocking a new kind of digital literacy across teams.

In a world where speed is a competitive advantage and customization is critical, AI app builders make it possible to move quickly without compromise.

As AI capabilities continue to mature, we expect the build vs. buy debate to fade into the background. The new standard will be: describe what you need and generate it instantly.

AI app builders, unlike traditional no code platforms, aren’t trying to simplify existing software creation methods. They’re redefining them entirely.

And for teams looking to stay ahead, reduce costs, and eliminate inefficiencies, the choice is no longer binary. The future belongs to those who are ready to adopt the tools that bring creativity, speed, and intelligence into the software development process.

Welcome to the era of generated software. Welcome to the end of “build vs. buy.”