Some lock-in is worth accepting. A managed database or a hosted checkout saves real work, and the alternative is running it yourself badly. The mistake is accepting it without noticing, which is what happens when nobody asks the export question at the start.
Three questions price it. Where does the data physically live, can you get it out in a shape something else can read, and how much of what you built only works on this vendor. Ask them while you are still a prospect, when the answers are cheap to get.
Updated September 2026