The verdict in three sentences
A business intelligence (BI) dashboard for an SME costs 8,000 to 35,000 EUR excl. VAT depending on the number of connected sources and the level of customization. A well-configured Metabase or Power BI setup covers 80% of cases and ships in 4 to 10 weeks. The real gain isn't the chart: it's 70% less reporting time and decisions grounded in reliable data instead of manual exports that are ten days old.
Off-the-shelf tool or custom build
The first question isn't "which tool" but "how many sources and how often". A director who wants revenue, margin, cash and sales pipeline doesn't need heavy development: a market BI tool connected to their systems does the job. Custom development is only justified for very specific business calculations or integration into an existing application.
| Approach | 2026 cost (EUR excl. VAT) | Timeline | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted Metabase | 8,000 - 15,000 | 4-6 wks | SME 3-5 sources, tight budget |
| Power BI (licenses included) | 12,000 - 22,000 | 5-8 wks | Microsoft ecosystem, heavy Excel |
| Looker Studio + warehouse | 10,000 - 20,000 | 5-8 wks | Web + marketing + sales data |
| Custom React dashboard | 20,000 - 35,000 | 8-10 wks | Business logic, app integration |
| Annual Power BI licenses | 1,200 - 4,800 /yr | - | 5 to 20 Pro users |
On top of these, add hosting (30 to 150 EUR/month for Metabase) and ongoing maintenance of 8 to 15% of the project cost per year.
What drives the bill: connectors
The cost of a dashboard isn't in the charts but in the plumbing that fetches the data. Each source has its format, its API, its limits. A standard connector (Stripe, HubSpot, Google Analytics) plugs in within a day; a proprietary ERP or an old business tool without an API requires development.
| Connected source | Complexity | Indicative cost (EUR excl. VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics / Ads | Low | 400 - 800 |
| Cloud CRM (HubSpot, Pipedrive) | Low | 500 - 1,200 |
| Stripe / payments | Low | 400 - 900 |
| Cloud ERP with REST API | Medium | 1,500 - 3,500 |
| Business tool without API | High | 3,000 - 7,000 |
| Excel / Google Sheets files | Low | 300 - 700 |
| Internal SQL database | Medium | 1,000 - 2,500 |
A project with 4 simple sources stays under 12,000 EUR; add a stubborn ERP and you reach 25,000 EUR. That's why precise scoping of sources drives the quote.
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Mini case study
Claire, CFO of a 45-employee industrial SME in Lyon, spent 2 days a month compiling a report from her ERP, her CRM and two cash-flow spreadsheets. We delivered a Metabase dashboard connected to those four sources for 13,500 EUR excl. VAT in 6 weeks. Result: the report refreshes automatically every morning. Claire saves 22 days a year (roughly 8,000 EUR of loaded management time) and the leadership team steers on yesterday's figures. The project pays back in under 14 months, before counting better decisions.
FAQ
Is free Metabase really enough? Yes for most SMEs: the open-source version covers connections, dashboards and sharing. We charge for setup, data modeling and connectors, not the license. Budget 8,000 to 15,000 EUR for implementation.
How long before I see my first figures? A first useful dashboard arrives in 3 to 4 weeks on 2-3 sources. The full project, with all sources and business calculations, takes 4 to 10 weeks depending on complexity.
Power BI or Metabase? Power BI wins if your team lives in Excel and Microsoft 365 (licenses around 10 EUR/user/month). Metabase wins if you want zero recurring license and self-hosting. Both are valid.
Who updates the data? Nobody: connectors refresh automatically at the chosen frequency (real time, hourly, daily). That's exactly what removes the 70% of manual compilation time.
Can we start small and expand? Absolutely. We start on 2-3 key indicators and 2 sources, then add sources and views in batches of 1,500 to 3,500 EUR. It's the healthiest approach budget-wise.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your data sources (ERP, CRM, Excel), your 5 priority indicators and your target budget; we'll propose a Metabase or Power BI dashboard priced to the connector. 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.
