The verdict in three sentences
A custom BI dashboard costs between 15,000 and 45,000 EUR (ex. VAT) in 2026, over a 6-to-12-week timeline. The budget depends on the number of sources to connect (ERP, CRM, bank, e-commerce) and the granularity of real-time refresh. Against packaged tools like Power BI (10-20 EUR/month/user), custom wins when consolidating sales/margin/cash becomes too specific, removing 2 to 3 days/month of manual reporting.
How much a custom dashboard costs in 2026
The price follows the number of sources, indicator complexity and refresh frequency. Here are the 2026 ranges in France.
| Scope | Timeline | Budget (ex. VAT) | Manual reporting avoided |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dashboard 2-3 sources, sales KPIs | 4-6 weeks | 15,000-22,000 EUR | 1 day/month |
| Consolidated sales + margin | 6-8 weeks | 22,000-32,000 EUR | 2 days/month |
| Sales + margin + cash real time | 8-10 weeks | 30,000-40,000 EUR | 2-3 days/month |
| Multi-entity + forecast | 10-12 weeks | 38,000-45,000 EUR | 3 days/month |
Automated refresh (hourly or real time) is the real value: it removes the manual Excel export and consolidation errors.
Power BI or custom dashboard
Power BI (or Looker, Metabase) quickly covers standard needs at a low license cost. Custom wins on proprietary business indicators and an integrated experience.
| Criterion | Power BI / packaged | Custom dashboard |
|---|---|---|
| License cost | 10-20 EUR/month/user | None (ownership) |
| Setup cost | 5,000-15,000 EUR | 15,000-45,000 EUR |
| Specific business indicators | Limited | Unlimited |
| Integration with your tools | Standard | Native |
| Maintenance | Vendor | 300-800 EUR/month |
| Cost at 30 users/24 months | ~10,800 EUR of licenses | 0 EUR of license |
At 30 users, Power BI represents about 10,800 EUR of licenses over 24 months; beyond that, or for very specific KPIs, license-free custom becomes competitive.
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Mini case study
Hélène, CEO of a distribution SME in Bordeaux (45 employees), consolidates sales, margin and cash by hand on Excel every month. Her controller spends 3 days/month at a loaded cost of 40 EUR/h (i.e. ~960 EUR/month for 24 h). She invests 32,000 EUR (ex. VAT) in a real-time dashboard (9-week timeline) plus 500 EUR/month of maintenance. Manual reporting disappears: 960 EUR/month saved, net gain of 460 EUR/month. Payback on time alone exceeds 24 months, but the real value is faster decisions: a margin breakdown detected in 24 h instead of a month, which avoided 18,000 EUR of losses in one quarter.
FAQ
Isn't Power BI enough? For standard KPIs and few users, often yes. Custom becomes relevant with proprietary business indicators, native integration and many users, where licenses add up.
Where does the dashboard data come from? From your existing sources (ERP, CRM, bank, e-commerce) via connectors or APIs. The dashboard doesn't store the truth, it consolidates and refreshes it automatically.
What is the real gain of a real-time dashboard? Beyond the 2-3 days/month of reporting saved, it's decision speed: spotting a margin or cash drift in hours rather than weeks.
How long to deliver it? Count on 6 to 12 weeks depending on the number of sources and indicator depth. A first sales dashboard often ships in 4 to 6 weeks.
Is maintenance needed? Yes, 300 to 800 EUR/month to track your sources' changes and add indicators. An unmaintained dashboard desyncs as soon as a source tool evolves.
Let's scope your project. List your data sources, priority indicators (sales, margin, cash) and number of users, with an indicative budget of 15,000 to 45,000 EUR (ex. VAT). 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.
