The verdict in three sentences
A custom client billing portal costs between 27,000 and 70,000 EUR excl. VAT in Toronto in 2026, over a 3 to 5 month timeline. Connecting your billing tool, shared time tracking and automatic accounting export concentrate most of the value for a consultancy. Against a stack of SaaS tools (billing + time-tracking + portal), custom wins as soon as you want a unified experience and your brand.
What a client billing portal costs in 2026
The budget depends on the number of integrations and the level of accounting automation. Here are 2026 orders of magnitude on the Toronto market, at day rates of 500-700 EUR.
| Scope | Features included | Price EUR excl. VAT | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential portal | Invoices, online payment, history | 27,000 - 38,000 | 3 months |
| Standard portal | + time tracking, approval, reminders | 38,000 - 54,000 | 4 months |
| Advanced portal | + billing integration, accounting export, API | 54,000 - 70,000 | 5 months |
| Full platform | + multi-entity, reporting, CFO dashboard | 70,000 - 97,000 | 6-7 months |
Recurring costs to plan.
| Recurring item | 2026 range |
|---|---|
| Maintenance (support) | 10 to 15 % of project cost / year |
| Cloud hosting | 110 to 380 EUR / month |
| Online payment fees | 1.4 to 2.9 % + 0.25 EUR / transaction |
| Annual enhancements | 4,400 to 13,000 EUR |
Custom or a stack of SaaS tools?
A consultancy can stack billing, time-tracking and a SaaS portal, but the experience stays fragmented and data scattered.
| Criterion | Custom portal | SaaS stack |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | 27,000 - 70,000 EUR | 1,000 - 4,000 EUR (setup) |
| Monthly cost | 110 - 380 EUR hosting | 15 - 45 EUR / user x 3 tools |
| Unified experience | Yes | Fragmented |
| Accounting export | Bespoke | Depends on connectors |
| Firm brand | Total | Marginal |
| 3-year cost, 15 users | ~92,000 EUR | ~100,000 EUR |
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With 15 consultants and 3 SaaS tools at 30 EUR/month, the stack costs 1,350 EUR/month, i.e. 48,600 EUR over 3 years, with no unified client experience.
Mini case study
Daniel, partner at a consultancy in Toronto (15 consultants, 60 clients) invoices with a 3-week average delay for lack of integrated tooling. An advanced portal at 60,000 EUR excl. VAT, maintenance at 12 % (7,200 EUR/year), automates invoices, reminders and export to the accountant. Payment time drops from 52 to 34 days: on 1,200,000 EUR of annual billing, that cash-flow gain (18 days) frees about 59,000 EUR of working capital. Add 6 hours/week of admin saved (valued at 42 EUR), and the portal pays back in under 2 years.
FAQ
What is the cheapest client portal? An essential portal (invoices, online payment, history) starts at 27,000 EUR excl. VAT over 3 months. It is enough to offer clients professional online payment.
Can we connect our current billing tool? Yes, via API. Most solutions (Pennylane, Sellsy, QuickBooks) expose APIs; budget 5,000 to 16,000 EUR for a two-way integration with status sync.
Can accounting export be automated? Yes, in standard format or to your accounting software. Budget 4,400 to 11,000 EUR for an automatic export, removing monthly re-keying.
What are online payment fees? Fees run around 1.4 to 2.9 % + 0.25 EUR per transaction depending on the provider. On 100,000 EUR collected online, that is 1,400 to 2,900 EUR/year.
What maintenance should I plan? Maintenance runs 10 to 15 % of the project cost per year, i.e. 6,000 to 9,000 EUR for a 60,000 EUR project, hosting and fixes included.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your billing tool, your client volume and your accounting-export needs for a precise quote. 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.
