The Problem
Why teams leave Braze
Minimum $50K+/year contracts
MAU-based pricing penalizes growth
SMS and push channels cost extra per message
Complex implementation requires dedicated engineers
Data point limits on lower tiers
What We Build Instead
Your custom marketing tool
Multi-channel messaging (email, push, SMS, in-app)
Customer journey builder with branching logic
Real-time event triggers and segmentation
A/B testing across all channels
Custom analytics and attribution
Flat-rate pricing regardless of user count
The Math
Braze vs. custom build
Based on 15 seats at $200/seat/month, with ~10% annual SaaS price increases.
Keep paying Braze
Build with 86 SaaS
3-year savings with 15 seats
$46,300
39% less than Braze
Pricing Breakdown
Braze tier pricing vs. one-time custom build
Compare what you pay per seat across Braze's tiers against a single investment in software you own forever.
| Tier | Monthly/Seat | Annual/Seat | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growth | $150/mo | $125/mo | Push, email, in-app, Basic segmentation, Campaign analytics, 10M MAU included |
| Advanced | $300/mo | $250/mo | SMS/MMS, Canvas journeys, A/B multivariate testing, Custom events |
| Enterprise | $500/mo | $420/mo | WhatsApp, Predictive analytics, AI recommendations, Dedicated support, SLA |
| Custom Build by 86 SaaS | $35,000–$65,000 one-time | $0/seat | Unlimited users, full ownership, no recurring fees |
Migration Timeline
From Braze to ownership — week by week
A structured migration plan to move off Braze in 10-14 weeks with zero downtime.
Discovery & Audit
2 weeksAudit messaging channels, journey flows, segmentation rules, and event tracking
Architecture & Design
2-3 weeksDesign multi-channel messaging platform with event pipeline and segmentation engine
Core Development
5-7 weeksBuild push, email, SMS, in-app messaging, journey builder, and analytics
Data Migration & Testing
1-2 weeksMigrate user profiles, segments, and validate message delivery across channels
Deployment & Training
1 weekDeploy messaging platform and train marketing team on campaign management
Total build time
10-14 weeks
Feature Comparison
What you keep, what you skip, and why
A transparent comparison of Braze features vs. your custom-built alternative.
| Feature | Braze | Custom Build | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Push Notifications | |||
| Email Campaigns | |||
| In-app Messages | |||
| SMS/MMS | |||
| Journey Builder (Canvas) | |||
| User Segmentation | |||
| A/B Multivariate Testing | |||
| Event Tracking | |||
| Currents (Data Streaming) | Use your own event streaming — Kafka, Pub/Sub | ||
| Flat-rate Pricing | No MAU-based pricing — fixed monthly cost |
Your custom build focuses on the features your team actually uses — typically 15-20% of what Braze offers — built exactly for your workflow.
How It Works
From Braze to ownership in 10-14 weeks
Free Audit
We analyze your Braze usage and identify exactly which features your team actually uses.
Scope & Build
We build your custom marketing tool with only the features you need. 10-14 weeks.
Deploy & Migrate
We deploy to your infrastructure, migrate your data from Braze, and train your team.
You Own It
Full source code, documentation, and optional maintenance retainer. No vendor lock-in. Ever.
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