Chetu is the first firm to call if you want a large developer headquartered in the United States that states on its own site that the client owns the source code, with no licensing fees on completion. Black Badger, which publishes this guide and builds custom CRMs, ranks second and is the closer fit for a mid-size company that wants a one-time build scoped in writing.
The ranking, entry by entry
1 Chetu
Best for companies that want a large US firm with stated code ownership
Chetu is first for the buyer who wants scale and a clear ownership term. Its about page states the client will own the source code and intellectual property of its proprietary software, with no licensing fees on completion, which is the point of a custom CRM. It is headquartered in Sunrise, Florida, states over 2,800 developers, and names clients from small and mid-sized organizations up to Fortune 5000 companies.
Watch for. No rates are published, and delivery centers are in the US, the UK and India. Ask which model applies, whether dedicated team, on-demand developers or staff augmentation.
- 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
2 Black Badger Software Solutions
Best for mid-size companies replacing a rented CRM with one they own
This is our own entry, since Black Badger publishes this guide. We rank ourselves second, behind a much larger firm, because size is a fair thing to want and we are small. What we offer a mid-size company is narrower. We spent years implementing and migrating CRM platforms before we moved to building custom systems, so we know what the product you are leaving did well. Every build starts with discovery and a written scope, and you own the code and the accounts.
Watch for. We work mainly with companies of 50 or more employees and we no longer implement CRM products. If a product fits, we will say so.
- 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
3 Intellectsoft
Best for companies that want a mid-size firm with a US office
Intellectsoft ranks third. Its site calls the company mid-size by design, which suits a mid-size buyer that does not want to be the smallest account at a large firm. It has offices in Miami and London, teams across Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific, and has served clients since 2007. The industries it lists include healthcare, fintech, insurance, retail, construction and logistics.
Watch for. It has no pricing page and does not state a headcount. Engagement models range from dedicated team to outsourcing, so ask which one a CRM build would use.
- Based in
- Offices in Miami, Florida, USA and London, UK
- How it charges
- Quoted per project
- Main limit
- Teams sit across Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific
4 ScienceSoft
Best for healthcare, insurance and finance firms fine with time and materials
ScienceSoft is fourth. It is the longest established firm on this list, founded in 1989, with over 750 IT professionals and a head office in McKinney, Texas. Its stated focus industries are healthcare, insurance and investment. It ranks fourth for a mid-size CRM buyer because its site says more than 90% of its development projects are priced on time and materials, and many buyers of a first custom system want a fixed number.
Watch for. A fixed price is offered but is the less common route. The pages we read say nothing about who owns the code, so ask.
- 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
5 Azumo
Best for buyers who want published tier pricing and a nearshore team
Azumo ranks fifth and is the only firm here that publishes a price structure. Project pricing is set per Delivery Unit, with the unit price falling from the Starter tier to Growth and to Platform, and the site says price and timeline are shared before work begins. Its developers are in nearshore locations, mainly across South America, and it is based in San Francisco. It has been building apps since 2016.
Watch for. It does not publish a headcount, and its pricing page says nothing about who owns the code. Get the ownership term in the contract.
- Based in
- San Francisco, California, USA
- How it charges
- Per Delivery Unit, by tier, with a Custom tier
- Main limit
- Nearshore developers, mainly in South America, billed in Delivery Units
6 thoughtbot
Best for companies that want their own staff taught as the system is built
thoughtbot is sixth. It fits a company that wants a design and engineering team to build the product and teach its own staff along the way, and it also sells design, product management and fractional leadership. Delivery is fully remote. Its development list leads with Ruby on Rails, Hotwire, React and React Native, so a company with a different stack in mind should raise that first.
Watch for. The pages we read do not state a pricing model, a head office or who owns the code. Raise all three in the first call.
- 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
7 10Pearls
Best for companies that want large nearshore or offshore teams
10Pearls ranks seventh. It is a mid-to-large firm, founded in 2004 with over 1,400 people, that lists nearshore and offshore development as separate services. It has offices in Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica and Pakistan among others and an office in Washington DC. The firm describes itself as an AI-native digital development company and lists healthcare, financial services and telecom among its industries.
Watch for. No pricing page is linked, and the process starts with a discovery call. Ask where the people on your project would be based.
- Based in
- Not stated on its site, offices include Washington DC, USA
- How it charges
- Quoted per project
- Main limit
- Nearshore and offshore delivery from Latin America and Pakistan
How this list was ranked
This list ranks firms, not products, for a company of roughly 50 to a few hundred employees that has decided to have a CRM built. We ranked on what each firm states on its own site about how it prices work, who owns the code, how large it is and where it is based. Each entry repeats only what the firm publishes.
What we hold on these firms does not cover their CRM work in particular, so ask every firm here, including us, for CRM systems it has delivered. Black Badger publishes this guide and is the second entry. It is not first, because a buyer who wants a large bench should start with a large firm.
Questions buyers ask
How do we choose a custom CRM developer?
To choose a custom CRM developer, ask four things before price. Ask who owns the code and the accounts when the work is done and how the work is priced. Ask who will be on the project and where they are, and what CRM systems the firm has delivered. A firm that answers those plainly deserves a scoping call.
Who owns the code in a custom CRM project?
The contract decides who owns the code, so read it. Among the firms on this list, Chetu states on its about page that the client owns the source code and intellectual property. Black Badger sets up every account in your name and you own the code. Where a firm's site is silent, ask for the term in writing.
Is time and materials or a fixed price better for a custom CRM build?
Time and materials bills for the hours worked and suits work that is still being defined. A fixed price suits work that has been scoped in detail. A first custom CRM is usually easier to approve internally with a written scope and a firm number.
Why is Black Badger on its own list of custom CRM developers?
We are on our own list because we build custom CRMs and leaving ourselves off would hide who publishes the guide. We say which entry is ours, we rank a larger firm above us, and each other entry states only what that firm publishes about itself.