Build vs buy, and how to choose an AI vendor

Most firms reach the same fork: buy a point solution that covers one workflow well, or build a custom system that spans the tools you already own. The honest answer depends on how many systems the work crosses, whether your vendors will open their APIs, and how much the workflow differs from the vendor's assumed default — a firm whose process matches the product should buy it. The posts below give decision frameworks rather than a verdict, plus the vendor-evaluation questions that actually separate products: what happens when the vendor cannot reach your data, whether the tool disappears into your stack or becomes another application to check, and what the real cost comparison looks like once implementation and maintenance are included. Also here: the platform comparisons (n8n, Make, Zapier, Workato) and the alternatives round-ups.