Building a Custom Kanban Board for Dynamics 365 vs. Buying from AppSource
A practical comparison of building a custom PCF Kanban control for your model-driven app against buying a third-party Kanban board app from AppSource, so you can pick the right path for your sales or service team.
We compare building a custom PCF Kanban control for Dynamics 365 model-driven apps against purchasing third-party solutions from AppSource. Learn the pros, cons, costs, and flexibility to decide the best path for your sales or service team’s workflow. Solzet is a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement and Power Platform consultancy headquartered in Yerevan, Armenia. We build custom PowerApps Component Framework (PCF) controls in TypeScript and React, including our own Solzet Kanban Board, so we can speak to both sides of this decision from real delivery rather than theory.
Custom PCF control vs. AppSource app, side by side
Both paths give your team a drag-and-drop board inside Dynamics 365. The difference is in fit, cost over time, ownership, and control. Here is how they compare on the factors that usually decide it.
| Factor | Custom PCF Kanban control | AppSource Kanban app |
|---|---|---|
| Fit to your workflow | Exact fit. The board, columns, cards, swimlanes, and drag rules map to your entities, fields, and business process flow. | Fits the vendor’s model. You adapt your process to the app’s assumptions, and some fields or entities may not be supported. |
| Time to first working board | Longer up front. A focused PCF control is typically a matter of days to a few weeks depending on scope. | Fast. Install from AppSource, point it at a view, and you have a board the same day. |
| Cost model | A one-off build cost, then low running cost. You own the source and there is no per-user license on the control itself. | Low or no build cost, but usually a recurring per-user or per-tenant subscription that grows with your team. |
| Ownership and IP | You own the source code and the managed solution. It cannot be taken away or sunset by a third party. | You license the app. Your access depends on the vendor staying in business and keeping the listing current. |
| Data and security | Runs inside your Power Apps runtime on Dataverse, honoring your security roles. No data leaves your tenant. | Depends on the vendor. Some run fully in-tenant, others route data through external services you must review. |
| Maintenance and upgrades | You or your partner maintain it, including Microsoft release-wave updates. Predictable, but it is on you. | The vendor maintains it, which is convenient, but you inherit their roadmap, pace, and any breaking changes. |
Neither column is always right. An AppSource app wins on speed for a standard board, and a custom control wins on fit, ownership, and running cost when your workflow is specific.
Which path is right for your team
Buy from AppSource when
- •You need a working board today and your process fits a standard columns-and-cards view.
- •Your requirements are common: move opportunities, cases, or tasks between statuses by dragging.
- •You are comfortable with a recurring per-user subscription and the vendor’s roadmap.
- •You do not need the board wired into custom entities, business process flows, or unusual rules.
Build a custom PCF control when
- •Standard controls and every AppSource option leave a real gap in how your team actually works.
- •You need the board on custom entities, with custom swimlanes, colors, card fields, or drag validation.
- •Data residency, security roles, or IP ownership rule out routing records through an external service.
- •You want to own the source and avoid a per-user license that scales with headcount.
What Solzet delivers on the custom path
If a custom control is the right call, here is what the build actually looks like. Every point below maps to how we deliver PCF and Power Platform work today.
A control built for your model, not a generic one
We build the Kanban control against your Dataverse entities, views, and business process flow so the columns, cards, and drag rules match how your sales or service team already works, rather than forcing your process into a fixed layout.
Native PCF, not an iframe workaround
The control is a real PowerApps Component Framework control written in TypeScript and React. It runs inside the Power Apps runtime on model-driven forms and views, honors your security roles, and keeps every record inside your tenant.
Shipped as a managed solution with source
You receive the control as a managed solution plus the source code and documentation, deployed through solution-based application lifecycle management. It moves cleanly from development to test to production and stays maintainable after handover.
A head start from the Solzet Kanban Board
We already ship our own Solzet Kanban Board PCF control that turns any Dynamics grid into a visual drag-and-drop workflow. Where it fits, it is a fast starting point; where you need more, we extend it or build to spec.
See our Solzet Kanban Board and the wider PCF controls development service.
The bottom line
If your team needs a straightforward board over a standard entity and you want it live today, a third-party Kanban app from AppSource is a reasonable first move. It is quick to install and the vendor handles maintenance, at the cost of a recurring subscription and a fit that follows their model rather than yours.
If the board has to match a specific process, live on custom entities, respect strict data and security rules, or belong to you rather than a vendor, a custom PCF control is the better long-term answer. It costs more up front and less over time, and you own the source. Solzet builds both the control and the workflow around it, so you get a board that fits instead of one you have to work around.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a Kanban board app for Dynamics 365?
Yes, in two forms. You can install a third-party Kanban app from Microsoft AppSource, which is quick and usually sold on a per-user subscription, or you can build a custom PCF (PowerApps Component Framework) Kanban control that maps exactly to your entities and process. Solzet builds custom PCF controls and also ships its own Solzet Kanban Board, so we can help you pick between the two rather than pushing one answer.
When is a custom PCF Kanban control worth it over an AppSource app?
When an off-the-shelf board leaves a real gap. If you need the board on custom entities, with custom swimlanes, card fields, colors, or drag validation tied to a business process flow, a custom control fits where a generic app cannot. It also wins when data residency, security roles, or IP ownership rule out routing records through an external service, or when you want to own the source and avoid a per-user license that grows with headcount.
How long does a custom Dynamics 365 Kanban control take to build?
It depends on scope, but a focused PCF Kanban control is typically a matter of days to a few weeks. A board over a single entity with standard drag-between-statuses behavior is quick. Custom swimlanes, multiple entities, validation rules, and rich card layouts add time. Because we already have the Solzet Kanban Board as a baseline, we can often start from working code rather than a blank canvas.
Will a custom PCF control keep working through Microsoft updates?
PCF controls are a supported Microsoft extensibility model, built with TypeScript and React and running natively in the Power Apps runtime, so they are designed to survive release waves. We ship the control as a managed solution with source and can apply Microsoft release-wave updates as part of ongoing support, so it keeps working rather than breaking on the next update.
Do you only build Kanban controls, or can you help with the wider workflow?
We build the full picture. Solzet delivers Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement and Power Platform work, including custom PCF controls, Power Automate flows, model-driven and canvas apps, and Power BI reporting on Dataverse. A Kanban board is often one piece of a wider sales or service workflow, and we can build the control and the process around it, or plug into an existing implementation on a B2B or white-label basis.
Want a Kanban board that fits your process?
Tell us how your sales or service team moves work through its stages, and we will tell you honestly whether an AppSource app will do or whether a custom PCF control is worth building. Either way, you get a clear recommendation, not a sales pitch.