PortalJS vs Custom Solution
Skip months of development and costly mistakes with a proven data portal solution.
Trusted by leading organizations worldwide
Organizations who chose PortalJS over custom development
See what organizations achieved by choosing a proven platform over building from scratch.
We initially planned to build our data portal from scratch, estimating 18 months and $2M in development costs. PortalJS got us to market in 6 weeks with 90% cost savings while delivering exactly what we envisioned.
CTO
Chief Technology Officer
State Transportation Agency
After 8 months of custom development, we were still struggling with basic features that PortalJS provided out-of-the-box. Switching to PortalJS accelerated our timeline by 12 months and freed our developers to focus on our core business logic.
VoE
VP of Engineering
Environmental Data Initiative
Build vs Buy Analysis
See how PortalJS platform approach compares to building a custom data portal from scratch.
Development & Time to Market
| Feature | PortalJS Platform | Custom Development |
|---|---|---|
| Time to Launch | 4-8 weeks with full customization | 12-24 months development cycle |
| Initial Investment | Low upfront cost, transparent pricing | $500K-$2M+ development budget |
| Developer Productivity | Focus on business logic and unique features | Rebuild common portal functionality from scratch |
| Feature Completeness | Production-ready with proven features | Incomplete features and edge cases |
Risk & Maintenance
| Feature | PortalJS Platform | Custom Development |
|---|---|---|
| Technical Risk | Battle-tested platform with proven reliability | Unproven custom code with unknown issues |
| Security | Regular security updates and community oversight | DIY security implementation and maintenance |
| Bug Fixes & Updates | Community-driven improvements and fixes | Internal team responsible for all maintenance |
| Scalability | Pre-optimized for performance and scale | Custom scaling challenges and bottlenecks |
Technology & Architecture
| Feature | PortalJS Platform | Custom Development |
|---|---|---|
| Modern Stack | Latest React/Next.js with best practices | Technology choices limited by team expertise |
| Performance Optimization | SSG, CDN, and performance patterns built-in | Performance optimization is additional work |
| Mobile Responsiveness | Mobile-first design out of the box | Custom responsive design implementation |
| Accessibility | WCAG compliance and accessibility standards | Custom accessibility implementation required |
Features & Functionality
| Feature | PortalJS Platform | Custom Development |
|---|---|---|
| Data Visualization | Rich charts, maps, and interactive components | Custom visualization development required |
| Search & Filtering | Advanced faceted search with real-time filtering | Custom search implementation and optimization |
| API Integration | Pre-built connectors for popular data sources | Custom API integration for each data source |
| Content Management | Flexible CMS options and Git-based workflows | Custom content management system development |
Long-term Considerations
| Feature | PortalJS Platform | Custom Development |
|---|---|---|
| Team Expertise Required | Standard web development skills | Full-stack expertise across entire technology stack |
| Knowledge Transfer | Documentation and community resources | Institutional knowledge trapped with developers |
| Future Enhancements | Benefit from community improvements and features | All new features require custom development |
| Technology Evolution | Platform evolves with modern web standards | Risk of technical debt and outdated stack |