--- title: Crew's Commitment to Open Software description: At Crew, we believe deeply that open software is the right answer. image: https://blog.crewapp.com/hubfs/photo-1508921108053-9f757ead871c.jpeg --- [![Crew Logo](https://blog.crewapp.com/hubfs/Marketing/Logos/logo_crew_red.svg "Crew Logo")](https://www.crewapp.com/) - [Features](https://www.crewapp.com/features) - [Help](https://help.crewapp.com/) - [Signup or Login](https://crewapp.com/app) - [Crew App](https://crewapp.com/app) - [Command Center](https://crewapp.com/enterprise/commandcenter/) [Request Demo](https://squareup.com/us/en/staff/team-communication/contact) ##### [Team Communication](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/team-communication) [Keep employees connected and engaged](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/team-communication) ##### [Labor Optimization](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/labor-optimization) [Give employees instant access to schedules and open shifts](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/labor-optimization) ##### [Culture & Recognition](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/culture-recognition) [Inspire great work by highlighting outstanding performance](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/culture-recognition) ##### [Knowledge Management](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/knowledge-management) [Ensure your team is aligned and informed](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/knowledge-management) ##### [Administration & Analytics](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/command-center) [Manage your workforce and gain immediate insight](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/command-center) ##### [Compliance Suite](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/compliance) [Protect your people and your organization](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/compliance) ##### [Integrations](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/integrations) [Integrate with critical operations and reporting tools](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/integrations) ##### [Employee Management](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/employee-management) [Manage your workforce at scale with an end-to-end employee toolset](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/employee-management) [![logo_crew_red](https://blog.crewapp.com/hubfs/Marketing/Logos/logo_crew_red.svg "logo_crew_red")](https://blog.crewapp.com/) - [Features](https://www.crewapp.com/features) - [Help](https://help.crewapp.com/) - [Signup or Login](https://crewapp.com/app) - [Crew App](https://crewapp.com/app) - [Command Center](https://crewapp.com/enterprise/commandcenter/) ##### [Team Communication](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/team-communication) [Keep employees connected and engaged](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/team-communication) ##### [Labor Optimization](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/labor-optimization) [Give employees instant access to schedules and open shifts](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/labor-optimization) ##### [Culture & Recognition](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/culture-recognition) [Inspire great work by highlighting outstanding performance](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/culture-recognition) ##### [Field Execution](https://www.crewapp.com/features/field-execution) [Guarantee flawless frontline execution](https://www.crewapp.com/features/field-execution) ##### [Knowledge Management](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/knowledge-management) [Ensure your team is aligned and informed](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/knowledge-management) ##### [Administration & Analytics](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/command-center) [Manage your workforce and gain immediate insight](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/command-center) ##### [Compliance Suite](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/compliance) [Protect your people and your organization](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/compliance) ##### [Integrations](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/integrations) [Integrate with critical operations and reporting tools](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/integrations) ##### [Services](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/services) [A team of experts dedicated to your success](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/services) ##### [Employee Management](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/employee-management) [Manage your workforce at scale with an end-to-end employee toolset](https://www.crewapp.com/enterprise/employee-management) Search **Menu** - [Features](https://www.crewapp.com/features) - [Help](https://help.crewapp.com/) - [Signup or Login](https://crewapp.com/app) - [Crew App](https://crewapp.com/app) - [Command Center](https://crewapp.com/enterprise/commandcenter/) [The Crew Blog](https://blog.crewapp.com/) # Crew's Commitment to Open Software by [Scott Van Brunt](https://blog.crewapp.com/author/scott-van-brunt), on February 5, 2019 At some point, every software company faces a basic choice: whether to build an "open" or "closed" product. Whether its software will play nicely with other applications or whether its users are locked into a proprietary ecosystem. Open software is predicated on the notion that companies should build the best product possible within a given area, and then allow customers to "plug in" other complementary tools and services. Closed software is predicated on the notion that companies should build 'all-in-one' solutions to maintain control over the user’s experience. **At Crew, we believe deeply that open software is the right answer.** Considering the below trade-offs, we believe open software creates more value for customers and that customers are always better off in the long-run using tools that embrace an open approach. **Best-in-Class vs. All-in-One** - Open software works well with any application that a customer wants or needs to use. No single company can possibly build the best version of every possible product and feature. Openness gives customers the ability to implement best-in-class solutions from a variety of vendors that all working together. In short, it offers the best of all worlds. - In a closed ecosystem, customers only get access to the features that have been built by a given provider. It isn't uncommon a portion of those features to lag behind what the other companies—the ones that specifically focus on that area—have built. In an all-in-one, closed system, the bar to clear is often just ‘good enough.’ **Flexibility vs. Lock-In** - Open software provides customers ultimate flexibility, choice, and control. Have a new business need that demands new software functionality? You have your choice of providers and can look for the best-in-class tool that delivers against that need. - In a closed ecosystem, users are at the mercy of the vendor providing the all-in-one solution. If they don't have the functionality they are looking for, the focus shifts to working with the vendor to prioritize it on their product roadmap (and we know how that goes...). **Developer Ecosystem vs. Professional Services** - One of the hallmarks of open software is "APIs" (application programming interfaces), which generally means that any developer can build on top of that software. Some customers have specific needs or workflows around which they would like to customize their software. Open APIs enable any software developer to build that custom implementation. Open software attracts an ecosystem of developers that exponentially increases the value of the software itself. - Closed software doesn't provide the same level of 'mass customization'. Typically any customization or tailoring of the software for a given need means paying for expensive 'professional services' from that vendor. This usually translates to fewer options, less flexibility, and higher costs. It's for these reasons that we have architected Crew as a completely open platform. We provide [public, open APIs](https://developer.crewapp.com/api-docs/public-api.htm?curl#Crew-Public-API) allowing any customer and any developer to extend and customize Crew to fit their needs. We believe Crew should work with any other piece of software our customers use—be it scheduling and labor management, payroll, customer feedback tools, applicant tracking, training and learning management, etc. We believe customers are best served when they can choose the very best software tools in a given category and customize those to fit their specific needs and workflows. This is our ‘openness manifesto’, and it's our pledge to our customers. ## Comments ### The Crew Blog Best practices and guidance to help you build happier, more productive, and better informed frontline teams. - [Recent](https://blog.crewapp.com/crews-commitment-to-open-software#recent) - [Topics](https://blog.crewapp.com/crews-commitment-to-open-software#topics) - [Archive](https://blog.crewapp.com/crews-commitment-to-open-software#archive) - [Best Practices (33)](https://blog.crewapp.com/tag/best-practices) - [COVID-19 (20)](https://blog.crewapp.com/tag/covid-19) - [Crew Stories (4)](https://blog.crewapp.com/tag/crew-stories) - [Crew Tips (31)](https://blog.crewapp.com/tag/crew-tips) - [CrewU (2)](https://blog.crewapp.com/tag/crewu) - [Crisis Comms (7)](https://blog.crewapp.com/tag/crisis-comms) - [Employee Engagement (61)](https://blog.crewapp.com/tag/employee-engagement) - [Employee Recognition (13)](https://blog.crewapp.com/tag/employee-recognition) - [Internal Communications (57)](https://blog.crewapp.com/tag/internal-communications) - [Mastering Crew Enterprise (2)](https://blog.crewapp.com/tag/mastering-crew-enterprise) - [Product Update (11)](https://blog.crewapp.com/tag/product-update) - [Scheduling (15)](https://blog.crewapp.com/tag/scheduling) More... - [April 2019 (11)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2019/04) - [May 2019 (9)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2019/05) - [June 2019 (9)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2019/06) - [June 2020 (9)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2020/06) - [October 2019 (8)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2019/10) - [July 2019 (7)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2019/07) - [March 2020 (7)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2020/03) - [May 2020 (7)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2020/05) - [July 2020 (7)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2020/07) - [April 2020 (5)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2020/04) - [January 2019 (4)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2019/01) - [August 2019 (4)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2019/08) - [February 2020 (4)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2020/02) - [May 2018 (3)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2018/05) - [June 2018 (3)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2018/06) - [December 2018 (3)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2018/12) - [September 2019 (3)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2019/09) - [November 2019 (3)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2019/11) - [January 2020 (3)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2020/01) - [July 2018 (2)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2018/07) - [November 2018 (2)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2018/11) - [February 2019 (2)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2019/02) - [August 2020 (2)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2020/08) - [May 2017 (1)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2017/05) - [September 2018 (1)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2018/09) - [October 2018 (1)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2018/10) - [March 2019 (1)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2019/03) - [December 2019 (1)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2019/12) - [July 2021 (1)](https://blog.crewapp.com/archive/2021/07) More... ### Subscribe to Updates ## More stories from Crew Customers ![client-footer-TacoBell-450x600-2](https://blog.crewapp.com/hubfs/client-footer-TacoBell-450x600-2.jpg) ##### Taco Bell keeps 140,000+ frontline employees connected ###### [READ MORE](https://www.crewapp.com/customers/taco-bell) ![client-footer-ALG-450x600-2](https://blog.crewapp.com/hubfs/client-footer-ALG-450x600-2.jpg) ##### 80% lower turnover at Affinity Living Group ###### [READ MORE](https://www.crewapp.com/customers/alg-senior) ![client-footer-Harps-450x600](https://blog.crewapp.com/hubfs/client-footer-Harps-450x600.jpg) ##### Harps Foods deepens engagement with 5,000+ team members ###### [READ MORE](https://www.crewapp.com/customers/harps) [Get started](https://squareup.com/us/en/staff/team-communication/contact) ### Request a Demo ## Get a free, personalized demo No ads. 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