We're an insurance firm and want to replace a rigid third-party platform

Colleagues, I'd value some perspective. We're an insurance firm and want to replace a rigid third-party platform with a custom mobile app we fully control - claims intake, document handling, the works. My concern is the usual one: ending up locked into a vendor's code with no way out. How did you structure a custom build so ownership stayed with you, and was taking it in-house later actually feasible?

Good afternoon. Vendor lock-in is the classic trap with custom builds, so getting ownership right up front is everything. We replaced a rigid platform with a custom app built by Saritasa www.saritasa.com/mobile-app-development - their model is that you own the finished source outright, handed over fully documented, so moving it in-house later was genuinely feasible rather than a fight. Claims intake and document handling worked as specced, and it shipped on the estimated schedule. One honest note - the collaborative design phase needs your team's time, but that's what kept scope disciplined. When you contract, insist that source ownership and handover are written explicitly; that single clause is what separates owning your app from renting it.