Last year we needed to have a new fence built. Ours was falling apart and we had a new puppy who would easily get out. So we had a few options:

1. Do nothing (that’s always an option, even if it’s not a good one)
2. Hire someone to do it for us at great cost (like $10,000)
3. Do it ourselves for $2,000 + one weekend

Option #3 also required skill, expertise, and the right tools, which I don’t have. But luckily, my father-in-law and brother-in-law do.

So we opted to build it ourselves.

We faced a similar choice a couple of years prior, when we had to replace our HVAC. Except here we couldn’t do nothing, and we didn’t have the skills, expertise, tools, or access to the raw material.

We had to hire someone to replace it for us.

DIY Tools vs. Paying for Software

I just got back from Ecamm’s Creator Camp, where one of the biggest topics of discussion was this very idea around software: should you DIY or pay for a tool?

Now that AI can write reliable software for us, should we replace our software subscriptions with tools we’ve “vibe coded”?

It’s easy to think the answer is almost always yes, and to be honest, I’ve been doing it more lately.

I coded a replacement Stream Deck plugin for Apple Music because Elgato removed theirs. I even made some improvements to it. I also deleted Elgato’s Camera Hub app and created my own Teleprompter app.

The biggest projects are web-based: I replaced Senja with my own testimonials collector, and built my own beta reader software.

But the temptation to replace every subscription with software we need to support shouldn’t blind us to the fact that there are some things we shouldn’t replace. For example, I’ll likely never replace:

1. Kit, which sends my emails.
2. Ecamm, my recording and live streaming software.
3. My podcast hosts, RSS.com and Transistor.

So…how do you decide if you should replace software you pay for with something vibe coded?

How to decide when to vibe code a software tool

It comes down to skill, expertise, and the right tools…and your dependency on it.

With the fence (and not at all with the HVAC), we had the skill (being able to build), expertise (knowing how to build a reliable fence), and tools (namely an auger, which allowed us to sink the posts).

But we could also do nothing; that is, we didn’t have complete dependency on the fence. We could take the dog out and put him on a leash. We do have dependency on our HVAC…especially in bitterly cold winters.

What does this look like in software?

1. Skill: You don’t need to write the code anymore, but you still need to understand software security and maintenance.
2. Expertise: You need to know enough about the problem, and how to solve it, to build a solution for it.
3. Tools: The tools to actually deploy the software are much easier to use now, but do you know how to use the tools?
4. Dependency: If the software stopped working and you didn’t know how to fix it, how would that impact your business?

Let’s look at my examples again:

1. Stream Deck Plugin, Teleprompter: I had the skill, expertise, and tools, and 0 dependency on it. If they disappeared tomorrow, I’d be mildly inconvenienced.
2. Senja Replacement, Beta Reader: I have the skill, some expertise, and most of the tools. Again, virtually no dependency.
3. Kit, Ecamm, Podcast Hosting: I do not have the skill for this type of software, nor do I have the expertise (deliverability, concurrent streaming, file storage, etc.). I have some of the tools. But I have a deep dependency. If they went away tomorrow, I’d be screwed.

I suspect I’m at a slight advantage because I have software development experience. But these decisions are going to be different for you.

It’s up to you to evaluate if you want to spend time coding something, testing it, deploying it, and supporting it.

Need Help Figuring it out?

If you need help with this, or have been wondering how you should approach using AI to write or replace software for you, I’m cooking up something special.

It’s a cohort and course where I will walk you through how to figure out what to replace, how to use AI to replace it, and how to make sure this turns into a long-term solution for you. We’ll even have an example project to work through before you start building your own.

I’ll be with you every step of the way to help you. If you’re interested, join the waitlist below, and you’ll be the first to be notified when presale opens.