IMO it depends, I have been on both sides and generally in-house software is a big plus if you are developing something which derives the company's business, instead of just an efficiency tool it also possibly generates a revenue stream. For a quality SW you will end up investing a lot of money but in long term, I can pay off. This is usually an easier decision for cash loaded organization that can absorb the risk. Now let's think about the other side , if there is not a huge competitive advantage and you are looking for parity, in most cases it makes sense to either outsource or buy existing SW. Hope this helps . Reach out to me at https://clarity.fm/jatinverma , happy to share my experiences on both sides.

Few years back, i had the same notion your idea had to new and brilliant for it to turn into something valuable , but I was wrong . After talking to some of my peers who opened start ups or created a product , I found out core is solving a real-world problem doesn't matter how big or small. This really hit me and changed my thinking process. Not to say, a unique idea doesn't have value but look for a problem and then try to solve it in a unique way.

I have created apps online and filed some patents and can share how I did it. Happy to help you and share more stories on call with you . https://clarity.fm/jatinverma

If you are open to outsourcing , there are lot of cheaper yet reliable options in India . I have worked with some of these in last few years and they have produced fantastic private and public mobile apps.

There are couple of ways i suggest it based on 15+ years I have in building offshore teams in Asia
1) India is becoming for start-up Hub now. If you want to start small, you can start searching for these companies by technology expertise you can looking for like Data Science, ML etc. You will start seeing search results with new and upcoming agencies. These are companies who are hungry for success and will literally do major development work for small prize..
2) Then there is big fish in tank but still low price . You can partner with companies like TCS , Info and Wipro and try doing a T&M 1 year contract and see if they can offer you right expertise before investing big

Like i said above , India is a IT hub , if you contact any of these companies , they will contact you immediately with proposal but there is no shortage of talent there.

Happy to discuss this on call if you need . I have been in offshore business for multiple years , i can share my experiences with you