Should build vs. buy be the central debate?

The debate between building or buying onboarding tools for software applications often overlooks the real issue, which is using these tools strategically to solve actual problems. Purists argue that in-house development provides ultimate control, while pragmatists prefer third-party tools for their speed and efficiency. However, both approaches can fail if the underlying user experience (UX) is poor. Onboarding tools should be seen as band-aids for bad design rather than solutions to deeper issues like misaligned value propositions or asking too much of users too soon. The real debate should focus on designing effective onboarding that genuinely helps users achieve their goals, whether through building custom solutions, purchasing third-party tools, or blending both approaches. Ultimately, strategy and user-first design are more important than the specific tools used for onboarding.