The verdict in three sentences
A custom BI dashboard in Amsterdam costs EUR 15,000 to 45,000 in 2026, plus EUR 5,000 to 15,000 to connect your data sources. Market tools (Metabase, Power BI) cost EUR 10 to 40/user/month, and the run sits around EUR 150 to 600/month. Expect 4 to 9 weeks of delivery to save around ten hours of monthly reporting and decide faster.
Custom build or market BI tool: how to choose
The CFO has two paths: plug a packaged BI tool (Metabase, Power BI, Looker) onto your data, or commission a custom dashboard. The first is fast and licensed per user; the second offers an experience tailored to your metrics, without a per-seat cost that spirals.
| Criterion | Custom dashboard | Market BI tool |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | EUR 15,000 - 45,000 | EUR 3,000 - 12,000 (setup) |
| Recurring cost | Run EUR 150 - 600/month | EUR 10 - 40/user/month |
| Cost at 20 users | Fixed | EUR 200 - 800/month |
| UX & business metrics | Custom | Standardised |
| Self-service editing | Depends on agency | High (self-service) |
| Time to launch | 4 - 9 weeks | 2 - 5 weeks |
Simple rule: few users and very specific needs push towards custom; many users wanting free exploration lean towards the market tool.
What source connectors cost
The real hidden line item in a BI project is the source connections. Each system to plug in has its price depending on the maturity of its API.
| Source to connect | Complexity | Indicative budget (EUR) |
|---|---|---|
| ERP / accounting (standard API) | Medium | 3,000 - 7,000 |
| CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot) | Low to medium | 2,000 - 5,000 |
| Internal SQL database | Low | 1,500 - 4,000 |
| Proprietary business tool | High | 5,000 - 15,000 |
| Consolidated Excel/CSV files | Low | 1,000 - 3,000 |
A 3-source project often sits at EUR 8,000 to 15,000 in connectors alone, on top of the dashboard cost.
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Mini case study
Emma, CFO of a digital services SME in Amsterdam (45 staff), wants to steer margin, cash and DSO in real time. Budget: custom dashboard EUR 28,000 + 3-source connectors EUR 11,000 + run EUR 350/month. Her team produced a consolidated monthly report in 14 h; the dashboard automates 11 h. At EUR 45/h loaded, that is EUR 495/month of admin time recovered, i.e. EUR 5,940/year. The main gain is qualitative though: cash decisions taken in 2 days instead of 10, which avoided an EUR 18,000 overdraft over a tight quarter.
FAQ
Why does a custom dashboard cost EUR 15,000 minimum? Because 60% of the work is invisible: data modelling, cleaning, metric definition. The final chart is only the tip of the iceberg.
Metabase or Power BI, which is cheaper? Metabase (open source) avoids per-seat licences and suits small teams; Power BI bills EUR 10 to 20/user/month but integrates well with the Microsoft ecosystem. Above 30 users the cost gap becomes significant.
How long until the dashboard is live? 4 to 9 weeks depending on the number of sources. A clean SQL source ships in 4 weeks; plugging a proprietary business tool extends it to 8-9 weeks.
What does the EUR 150-600/month run cover? Hosting, data refresh, monitoring and small changes. The EUR 600 covers frequent refreshes and several critical sources.
Can we start small then extend? Yes, and it is recommended: a first dashboard on 1-2 key metrics at EUR 15,000 proves value before investing in the full scope.
Let's scope your project. Specify your key metrics, data sources and number of users: we arbitrate custom vs market tool and price connectors and run. 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.
