Reducing costs while maximising efficiency is often a driving force in determining electronic data capture solutions (EDC) for clinical research. A self-customised EDC product becomes a more attractive option over a custom-built solution when it comes to minimising cost and working within a strict budget. A DIY solution empowers each clinical team with the ability to build their own electronic study and control the build process according to their unique specifications and timelines. However, with any DIY solution, there can be tradeoffs in cost and time, as each client’s team is responsible for building their study and quality-testing their CRFs. Corina Bereanu and Karina Loyo at Prelude Dynamics discuss what the advantages and tradeoffs are with each solution.