The verdict in three sentences
To standardise classic reporting, a Power BI or Metabase licence at 10-20 EUR/user/month covers 80% of needs for a few hundred euros a month. A custom dashboard at 15,000-40,000 EUR is justified when you have heterogeneous sources, specific business calculations and a real-time requirement. In every case the immediate win is 30 to 50 hours/month of manual reporting removed.
BI licence or custom dashboard: the 2026 pricing
| Criterion | Power BI / Metabase (licence) | Custom dashboard |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | 0-3,000 EUR (setup) | 15,000-40,000 EUR |
| Recurring cost | 10-20 EUR/user/month | 40-120 EUR/month (hosting) |
| Source connectors | standard (limited) | unlimited, bespoke |
| Complex business calculations | medium | full |
| Real time | refreshed (15 min-1 h) | true real time |
| Delivery time | 2-4 weeks | 6-10 weeks |
| UI customisation | theme-limited | total (brand, identity) |
For 20 users, Metabase runs 200-400 EUR/month. Custom becomes relevant above that threshold or when the licence cannot link your sources.
Cost per connector and hosting
The core of the custom budget is the connectors to your source systems.
| Source connector | Unit cost | Complexity |
|---|---|---|
| ERP (Sage, NetSuite, SAP B1) | 5,000-8,000 EUR | High |
| CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce) | 3,000-5,000 EUR | Medium |
| Billing / e-commerce | 3,000-6,000 EUR | Medium |
| Excel / Google Sheets files | 1,500-3,000 EUR | Low |
| In-house internal API | 4,000-7,000 EUR | Variable |
On hosting, plan 40-120 EUR/month depending on data volume and refresh frequency. A typical project with 3 connectors (1 ERP, 1 CRM, 1 billing) represents 11,000-19,000 EUR in source integration alone.
What you save in hours
| Reporting area | Hours/month before | After BI | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales consolidation | 14 h | 2 h | 12 h |
| Cash monitoring | 10 h | 1 h | 9 h |
| Production reporting | 12 h | 3 h | 9 h |
| Board dashboards | 16 h | 4 h | 12 h |
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That is 42 hours/month saved in this example, valued at 40 EUR/hour = 1,680 EUR/month, before counting faster decisions from real time.
Mini case study
Thomas is CIO of a 120-employee mid-market firm in Miami. His teams produce 46 hours/month of Excel reporting. He orders a custom dashboard with 3 connectors (ERP, HubSpot, billing): 28,000 EUR build, 90 EUR/month hosting, 8-week timeline.
Monthly gain: 40 hours recovered x 40 EUR = 1,600 EUR, minus 90 EUR = 1,510 EUR net. Payback: 28,000 / 1,510 = 18-19 months, brought to 12-14 months once accelerated decisions and avoided consolidation errors are included. Over 5 years the tool is amortised well within a third of its life.
FAQ
When is a Power BI licence enough? When your sources are standard and your calculation needs classic. For 20 users, budget 200-400 EUR/month with no heavy build.
How much is an ERP connector? Between 5,000 and 8,000 EUR depending on the ERP and the depth of data to extract.
What delivery time should I plan? 2 to 4 weeks for a licensed solution, 6 to 10 weeks for a custom dashboard with several connectors.
What hosting for a custom dashboard? 40 to 120 EUR/month depending on data volume and refresh frequency.
Can we start on a licence then move to custom? Yes. Many start on Metabase to validate needs, then migrate critical reports to custom.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your sources (ERP, CRM, files), user count and key KPIs: we price licence or custom with a schedule. 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.
