Homegrown MarTech tools are regaining strategic importance
There’s a shift happening. More businesses are choosing to build their own marketing technology tools instead of relying entirely on third-party solutions. A year ago, that would’ve seemed unlikely. Back then, most companies were ditching their internal systems for commercial platforms. That’s no longer the case.
According to MarTech’s 2025 State of Your Stack Survey, almost 25% of the tools and capabilities marketers plan to add to their stacks will be homegrown. Meanwhile, another 60% are still expected to come from commercial vendors. So this isn’t about replacing commercial tools entirely, it’s about making smarter choices based on business needs, not vendor pressure. That’s what matters.
The appeal is simple. Homegrown tools are built to fit the business, not the other way around. You get direct control over how your system operates, how fast it evolves, and how tightly it integrates with everything else, from data pipelines to campaign automation. That kind of custom fit helps companies move faster, adapt quicker, and often find operational advantages that off-the-shelf software can’t deliver.
Now, this isn’t where everyone should go by default. Building and maintaining internal systems takes serious investment. You need the right team, the right architecture, and a clear sense of what problem you’re solving. Some companies genuinely gain more by sticking with commercial platforms that are robust and regularly updated. But for firms with specific workflows, data models, or customer experiences to optimize, building in-house makes all the difference.
This comes back to long-term strategic thinking. You don’t optimize by following the herd, you build where you need to, when it makes you stronger. As the data shows, more companies are beginning to understand that. In 2024, less than 10% of surveyed businesses were replacing commercial tools with internal ones. By 2025, nearly a quarter plan to go the other direction. That change doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a signal. Pay attention to it.
AI-Driven development empowers citizen developers
Artificial intelligence isn’t just a tool, it’s changing who gets to build the tools.
Until recently, developing internal software required a dedicated engineering team. Skilled coders, long timelines, complex infrastructure. But that’s shifting. AI is making it possible for non-developers, often called “citizen developers” — to create functional, reliable software without writing much code. This includes marketing teams designing their own process automation or campaign tools, tailored exactly to what they need.
This is why homegrown martech tools are seeing a resurgence. It’s not just a philosophical change, it’s a practical one. AI fundamentally removes friction from the development process. Marketers can now use AI systems to build custom applications that do what their team specifically needs, faster and cheaper than getting something off the shelf, integrating it, and adjusting their operations to match it.
This is a strategic point for C-suite leaders to watch. If your team can build something specialized in two weeks using AI, instead of waiting six months for a vendor update, that’s not a small operational difference. That’s an advantage. But it only works if the infrastructure is ready and governance is in place. You need visibility, compliance, and proper security practices around these emerging homegrown applications. Speed without structure leads to poor scalability.
AI enables democratization of development, and that changes who contributes to digital innovation inside your organization. Senior leaders should understand both the upside and the responsibility that comes with that shift. Letting more people build is powerful. Doing it without oversight, training, or clear standards is risky.
The MarTech 2025 State of Your Stack Survey doesn’t break down the exact impact of AI on citizen developers, but the trend is clear. The re-emergence of homegrown solutions is largely driven by these AI capabilities, they reduce technical barriers and shorten the gap between idea and execution. That’s the lever. And the companies who learn how to pull it will lead the market.
Key takeaways for decision-makers
- Homegrown martech is becoming a strategic asset: Leaders should reassess internal development capabilities as nearly 25% of marketers now plan to build in-house tools, indicating a shift in how organizations create differentiation and respond to fast-changing needs.
- AI is accelerating custom tool development: Executives should empower business teams with AI-driven development platforms to speed up delivery cycles and reduce vendor reliance, unlocking agility without sacrificing governance.
