Core banking TCO calculator
Put a licensed core banking platform next to a custom-built core and see the cost each year and over ten years.
Free, runs in your browser, no sign-up. Updated 2026-10-25.
Result
Enter your vendor's price for: Licensed core. Licensed core over 10 years so far: $0; Custom core: $1,572,800.
- Licensed core, 10 years
- Enter price
- Custom core, 10 years
- $1,572,800
- Licensed core, year one
- $0
- Custom core, year one
- $436,000
| Year | Licensed core | Custom core | Licensed core total | Custom core total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0 | $436,000 | $0 | $436,000 |
| 2 | $0 | $117,800 | $0 | $553,800 |
| 3 | $0 | $119,700 | $0 | $673,500 |
| 4 | $0 | $121,700 | $0 | $795,200 |
| 5 | $0 | $123,800 | $0 | $918,900 |
| 6 | $0 | $125,900 | $0 | $1,044,900 |
| 7 | $0 | $128,200 | $0 | $1,173,100 |
| 8 | $0 | $130,700 | $0 | $1,303,800 |
| 9 | $0 | $133,200 | $0 | $1,437,000 |
| 10 | $0 | $135,800 | $0 | $1,572,800 |
Repeating costs grow 5% a year for licensed core and 5% for custom core. One-off costs fall in year one.
Assumptions
Every number the result depends on, and where it comes from. Change any value and the result updates.
| Assumption | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Yearly licence increase | % | OceanLab assumption. Placeholder. Check the vendor's renewal and indexation terms.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| Yearly maintenance on the custom core, share of build cost | % | OceanLab assumption. No primary source. Bug fixes, dependency and security updates and small changes on software you own. Raise it for fast-changing products.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| Yearly growth in custom core running costs | % | OceanLab assumption. Placeholder for usage growth and price rises on hosting and team. Use your own forecast.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
Send this comparison to OceanLab
Opens an email to OceanLab with this result and a link to your inputs. Nothing is sent until you press send, and there is no sign-up.
How this is calculated
Each option, each year: one-off costs in year one, plus repeating costs that grow by a yearly percentage. A custom core also pays yearly maintenance as a share of its build cost, from year two.
The licensed side starts empty because licence and implementation prices are quoted per bank. Enter your vendor's quote to compare.
The result shows each year's cost, the running totals, the cheaper option over the horizon and the year the lead changes, if it does.
Questions about this tool
Why are the vendor prices empty?
Core banking vendors price per bank, often per account or customer, and do not publish list prices. Enter the quote you hold.
What should go in implementation?
Configuration, data migration, parallel running, integration with payments and card systems, and the partner fees for all of it.
Why is maintenance only on the custom core?
With a licence, upgrades are usually in the vendor's support fee. With software you own, your team pays for them. Add both sides' own teams in the team lines.
Is anything I enter sent anywhere?
No. The tool runs in your browser and there is no sign-up. Nothing leaves the page unless you choose to email your result to OceanLab.
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