Configure or build: an honest comparison
Established CRMs such as HubSpot, Zoho and Pipedrive are good, and for many businesses configuring one well is the right answer. You get a mature product and a mobile app for a monthly fee. The usual problem is not the tool but the setup: default fields nobody uses, no automation, and leads typed in by hand.
A custom CRM makes sense when per-user fees add up across a large team, when your process does not fit a standard pipeline, or when the CRM has to sit inside other systems you run. We compare the real three-year cost of both for your situation before you choose.