The verdict in three sentences
For a Rotterdam school running Dutch courses for newcomers alongside business English for local employers, a language school SaaS covers most needs at roughly 80 to 450 EUR a month and goes live in 6 to 10 weeks. A custom app, around 25 000 to 75 000 EUR as a 2026 market ballpark, earns its keep when civic integration (inburgering) tracking, corporate invoicing and DUO related paperwork must live in one place. The deciding test is not the timetable demo: it is whether one enrolment can be billed to several payers and reported cleanly for each.
The 2026 ranking for a Rotterdam language school
We rank solution types, without naming vendors or agencies. Criteria: five year cost, time to go live before the September intake, portability of student records, support in English or Dutch and school profile. Figures are 2026 market ballparks, except the Kolonell row.
| Rank | Option | Cost (2026 market ballpark) | Go live | Portability | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Language school SaaS | 80 to 450 EUR per month | 6 to 10 weeks | Good if record export is contractual | 300 to 1 500 learners, one site |
| 2 | SaaS + custom module (integration tracking, client portal) | Subscription + module | 8 to 12 weeks | Good | Schools with many inburgering learners |
| 3 | Open source ERP (Odoo type) configured | Hosting or licence + integration | 10 to 16 weeks | Very good | Schools wanting accounting in the same tool |
| 4 | Fully custom app, specialist agency | 25 000 to 75 000 EUR | 12 to 16 weeks | Full with code ownership | Multi site schools, unusual processes |
| 5 | Freelance developer | 10 000 to 30 000 EUR | Variable | Key person risk | Small scope, tight budget |
| 6 | Shared calendar + spreadsheet + invoicing tool | 20 to 80 EUR per month | 1 to 3 weeks | Full | Under 150 learners |
Kolonell sits on rows 2 and 4 as a nearshore option. Kolonell's prices: a simple app from 3 810 to 6 100 EUR (2 500 000 to 4 000 000 FCFA), a mid size app from 6 100 to 10 670 EUR (4 000 000 to 7 000 000 FCFA). A client portal plugged into your SaaS usually lands in the first band; a complete enrolment, scheduling and billing tool in the second or above.
Features that separate good from adequate
A school with 700 learners and 20 teachers juggles hundreds of level, slot, room and teacher combinations. Test every feature with your own data.
| Feature | What it prevents | Question for the vendor |
|---|---|---|
| Online placement test | Mixed level groups and dropouts | Does the score place the learner in a group automatically? |
| Teacher and room scheduling | Room clashes, unpaid hours | Are availability and cover teachers handled? |
| CEFR level tracking | Inconsistent certificates | Can we issue an A1 to C2 statement in one click? |
| Inburgering progress and attendance | Missing evidence for learners and funders | Can attendance and exam readiness be exported per learner? |
| Multi payer invoicing | Manual re invoicing | Can one enrolment be split between employer and learner? |
| GDPR compliant records | Fines and loss of trust | Is data hosted in the EU and are retention periods configurable? |
| Corporate client portal | Emails asking about attendance | Can an HR contact see only their own staff? |
If you deliver DUO funded integration courses, the quality mark and evidence rules come from DUO and the bodies it designates: check the current official requirements, then ask each vendor exactly how the software produces that evidence. For personal data, the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) publishes the guidance your records policy should follow.
Five year total cost
Assumptions: 700 learners a year, 20 teachers, 35 % of revenue from inburgering and 25 % from employers.
| Option | Setup | Annual recurring | Five year total (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SaaS at 250 EUR per month | 2 500 EUR | 3 000 EUR | 17 500 EUR |
| SaaS + Kolonell integration module | 2 500 EUR + 6 000 EUR | 3 000 EUR + 1 368 EUR (Kolonell Standard maintenance, 114 EUR a month) | 30 340 EUR |
| Configured open source ERP | 16 000 EUR | 3 800 EUR | 35 000 EUR |
| Custom at 50 000 EUR | 50 000 EUR | 7 500 EUR (15 %) | 87 500 EUR |
Amounts exclude Dutch VAT. Kolonell's Standard maintenance is 114 EUR (75 000 FCFA) a month.
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Mini case study
Illustrative example: Anouk runs a 700 learner language school near Rotterdam Centraal with 20 teachers. Her office manager spends 10 hours a week rebuilding employer invoices and compiling attendance evidence for integration learners: 10 h x 46 weeks x 32 EUR loaded cost = 14 720 EUR a year. Anouk adopts a SaaS at 260 EUR a month (3 120 EUR a year) and commissions an integration tracking and employer portal module for about 6 000 EUR. Year one costs 3 120 + 6 000 + 2 500 migration = 11 620 EUR. Admin time drops to 3 hours a week, saving about 10 300 EUR a year. Net of the 3 120 EUR subscription, that is 7 180 EUR a year, so the 8 500 EUR of one off costs pay back in roughly 14 months.
FAQ
When should we start for a September intake?
Sign by April at the latest: 6 to 10 weeks to go live, then 3 to 4 weeks of testing on summer enrolments.
Is a general ERP enough for a language school?
It handles accounting and invoicing well, placement tests and group scheduling less so. Expect 10 to 16 weeks of integration and setup costs often above 10 000 EUR.
Must student data stay in the EU?
GDPR restricts transfers outside the EU, so EU hosting keeps compliance simple for 300 to 1 500 learner records a year, minors included.
What does a custom employer portal cost?
At Kolonell it usually counts as a simple app: 3 810 to 6 100 EUR (2 500 000 to 4 000 000 FCFA). It connects to your SaaS if the vendor offers a documented API.
Can we keep our historical spreadsheets?
Yes, migrating 2 to 3 years of learners is usually enough. Budget 1 000 to 3 000 EUR for cleaning and import depending on file quality.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your learner numbers, teachers and employer clients, and we will price a portal or a full app with an indicative budget and delivery before your intake. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
