The verdict in three sentences
For a group medical practice, a vertical SaaS costs 30 to 70 EUR/clinician/month and covers online booking, billing and follow-ups. A custom portal with telehealth and certified health-data hosting (HDS) runs from 40,000 to 90,000 EUR. The return comes from avoided no-shows (-25% thanks to SMS reminders) and better-filled slots, not the feature list itself.
Vertical SaaS or custom portal?
A vertical SaaS is ideal to start fast: monthly subscription, updates included, compliance handled by the vendor. Custom becomes relevant when you want a branded patient experience, integration with your existing tools (accounting, lab), or specific billing rules vendors don't cover.
| Criterion | Vertical SaaS | Custom portal |
|---|---|---|
| Entry cost | 30-70 EUR/clinician/month | 40,000-90,000 EUR |
| Go-live | 2-4 weeks | 3-6 months |
| Customisation | Limited | Total |
| Telehealth | Depends on plan | Built in |
| HDS hosting | Handled by vendor | To budget (certified) |
| Code ownership | No | Yes |
Detailed 2026 budget
Here are orders of magnitude for a 4-clinician practice over 3 years, excluding hardware.
| Item | SaaS (4 clinicians) | Custom |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 2,400-4,200 EUR | 40,000-90,000 EUR |
| Annual maintenance | included | 6,000-14,000 EUR |
| HDS hosting / year | included | 3,000-8,000 EUR |
| Telehealth module | +5-15 EUR/month | included |
| 3-year total | 7,200-12,600 EUR | 58,000-130,000 EUR |
Below 3 years of use, SaaS almost always wins on cost; custom makes sense over a long horizon or for a network of practices.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Mini case study
Dr. Lefèvre runs a 4-clinician group practice in Lyon, with 320 consultations a week. His no-show rate was 8%, i.e. about 26 lost appointments per week. At an average value of 30 EUR per consultation, that is nearly 780 EUR of weekly lost revenue. He rolls out a SaaS at 50 EUR/clinician/month (2,400 EUR/year) with SMS reminders. No-shows drop to 6%, he recovers about 6 appointments per week, i.e. 180 EUR × 48 weeks = 8,640 EUR a year. The subscription is repaid more than three times over.
FAQ
What is HDS hosting and is it mandatory? Certified health-data hosting is required as soon as you store identifying medical data. A vertical SaaS handles it for you; in custom builds, budget for it (3,000-8,000 EUR/year).
Do SMS reminders really cut no-shows? Yes: practices see on average -25% missed appointments with automatic reminders 48 h and 2 h before. It is often the highest-ROI feature.
Can billing and follow-ups be automated? Yes: billing generates the documents and reminders go out on their own after X days unpaid, speeding collection with no extra admin.
Is telehealth included? On SaaS, it is often an add-on module (5-15 EUR/month). In custom builds, it can be native to the patient portal.
How long to go live? Allow 2 to 4 weeks for a SaaS, 3 to 6 months for a custom portal including migration of the existing calendar and records.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your number of clinicians, your appointment volume and your needs (telehealth, HDS, billing) and we'll say whether a SaaS is enough or custom pays off. 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.
