The verdict in three sentences
For a creative agency in Amsterdam, a custom tool (project management, timesheets, budgets, client billing) costs 30,000 to 75,000 EUR and ships in 4 to 6 months. An agency SaaS runs 10 to 30 EUR/user/month and often suits teams under 25 people. The main lever is per-project budget tracking, which cuts unbilled overruns by 10 to 20 %.
The hole in the bucket: unbilled overruns
In an agency, profitability leaks through unbilled hours: client back-and-forth, out-of-scope revisions, projects that drift. Without real-time budget tracking, the overrun surfaces at invoicing, too late. A dedicated tool links quote, consumed budget and alerts so you can act before the loss.
| Module | Scope | 2026 ballpark (EUR) |
|---|---|---|
| Project management | Tasks, milestones, kanban | 6,000 - 15,000 |
| Timesheets | Fast entry, per project/client | 5,000 - 12,000 |
| Project budgets | Quote vs consumed, overrun alerts | 8,000 - 18,000 |
| Client billing | Quotes, invoices, change orders, dunning | 7,000 - 16,000 |
| Integrations (accounting, CRM) | Connectors | 5,000 - 14,000 |
| UAT, training | 3,000 - 8,000 |
Total budget lands between 30,000 and 75,000 EUR depending on integrations and reporting depth.
Agency SaaS or custom?
| Criterion | Agency SaaS | Custom tool |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 10 - 30 EUR/user/month | 30,000 - 75,000 EUR once |
| Annual cost, 20 users | ~2,400 - 7,200 EUR/year | Maintenance ~3,000 - 11,000 EUR/year |
| Fine budget tracking | Good | Bespoke, custom alerts |
| Client approval workflow | Standard | Tailored to your process |
| Accounting/CRM integration | Standard connectors | Bespoke |
| Ownership | Vendor | You own the code |
Below 25 people, SaaS often covers the need. Custom wins when production and billing processes are specific or multi-discipline (creative, media, events).
Mini case study
Sophie, director of a 22-person agency in Amsterdam generates 2.4M EUR in revenue with an estimated 35 % production gross margin. She estimates unbilled overrun hours at 8 % of revenue, about 192,000 EUR/year of lost production. Bringing that rate down to 5 % through budget tracking (3 points) recovers about 72,000 EUR/year of billable production. On a 55,000 EUR tool, the investment pays for itself in under 10 months.
FAQ
Need a professional website?
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How is this different from Trello, Asana or a spreadsheet?
Those manage tasks but not the quote / time / budget / billing link. That link is what reveals and prevents unbilled overruns.
Can we keep our accounting software?
Yes, accounting integration is included (5,000 to 14,000 EUR): billing stays in the tool and flows into accounting without double entry.
How long to deploy?
A projects + time + budgets core ships in 3 months; billing and integrations follow.
How do we get reliable time entry?
Make it fast and contextual (per project, mobile) and tie it to progress; adoption depends on ergonomics, not enforcement.
What maintenance budget?
Budget 10 to 15 % of the initial cost, roughly 3,000 to 11,000 EUR/year.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your headcount, disciplines (creative, media, events) and accounting/CRM tools, and we will price the tool and the recoverable billable production. 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.
