SaaS Option

Representatives: XiaoeTech (4800-7800 RMB/year), Knowledge Planet, Duanshu. Pros: ready in 1 day, no IT team needed, vendor handles maintenance. Cons: data on vendor platform, limited customization, per-user fees at scale. Year 1 cost: 5,000-15,000 RMB.

Custom Development

Pros: full data/code ownership, unlimited customization, no per-user fees long-term. Cons: high upfront (50,000-300,000 RMB), needs IT team, longer cycle (2-6 months).

Decision Framework

Choose SaaS if: under 1M revenue, no IT team, quick launch needed, budget under 30k. Choose Custom if: over 5M revenue, have IT team, deep system integration needed, data sovereignty required. Hybrid approach recommended by several 益阳 education companies: start SaaS to validate, migrate to custom once revenue exceeds 2M annually.