The verdict in three sentences
A custom BI dashboard consolidating sales, margin and cash from your ERP, CRM and files costs 15,000 to 40,000 EUR in 2026, delivered in 6 to 12 weeks. An off-the-shelf tool (Power BI, Metabase, Looker Studio) starts at 10-20 EUR/user/month plus setup, but imposes its model and personalization limits. Custom pays off whenever your KPIs are business-specific or exposed to external clients.
The line items of a custom BI dashboard
Cost is driven mainly by the number of sources to connect, data freshness and the number of views/roles. Source connection (often underestimated) alone accounts for 25-35 % of the budget.
| Line item | 2026 range (EUR) | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery & KPI selection | 2,000 - 5,000 | Workshops, metric definitions |
| Source connection (ERP, CRM, SQL) | 4,000 - 10,000 | Connectors, ETL/ELT, cleaning |
| Data model & calculations | 3,000 - 8,000 | Aggregates, margin, cohorts |
| Dashboard UI (charts, filters) | 3,000 - 9,000 | Recharts/D3, responsive |
| Roles & security | 1,500 - 4,000 | Per-view rights, GDPR |
| UAT + go-live | 1,500 - 4,000 | Testing, training |
| Total | 15,000 - 40,000 | 6 to 12 weeks |
2026 order of magnitude: an executive dashboard (3-4 sources, ~20 KPIs, daily refresh) lands near 26,000 EUR.
Custom vs BI tool: when to choose which
| Criterion | Custom | Power BI / Metabase |
|---|---|---|
| Year-1 cost (10 users) | 15,000 - 40,000 EUR | 1,200 - 2,400 EUR + 5-15k setup |
| Recurring cost | Hosting + maintenance | 10-20 EUR/user/month |
| UI personalization | Full (branding, UX) | Template-limited |
| Complex business KPIs | Unlimited | Model-constrained |
| External-client delivery | Native, white-label | Extra licenses/costs |
| Time to launch | 6 - 12 weeks | 2 - 6 weeks |
| Vendor lock-in | None | High (pricing, roadmap) |
| Best for | Specific metrics, client product | Standard internal reporting |
Simple rule: for classic internal reporting, a BI tool is faster and cheaper in year one. For proprietary KPIs, polished UX or a dashboard exposed to your clients, custom becomes profitable over 2-3 years.
Mini case study
Philippe, owner of a B2B distribution SME in Lille (14M EUR revenue). Every Monday he spent 3 hours compiling ERP and CRM Excel exports to track margin and stock. He commissions a custom dashboard at 28,000 EUR consolidating both sources with a daily refresh.
Gain: 3 h/week × 46 weeks = 138 h/year at ≈ 80 EUR/h (executive time) = 11,000 EUR/year. More importantly, near-real-time margin visibility exposed 3 SKUs sold at a loss, fixed for +42,000 EUR annual margin. Payback in 6 months.
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FAQ
How many sources can be connected?
As many as needed: ERP, CRM, accounting, Google Sheets, SQL databases, third-party APIs. Each source adds 1,500-4,000 EUR depending on how clean and stable its data is.
Custom or Power BI: which is really cheaper?
In year one, the BI tool almost always wins. Over 3 years, with many users or a white-label need, custom catches up then surpasses it in value.
Can we start with a tool then migrate to custom?
Yes, that is a common path: validate KPIs with Metabase, then internalize in custom once the need stabilizes. The initial discovery remains reusable.
Is the data real time?
Most management dashboards are fine with a daily or hourly refresh. True real time (websockets) costs more and is justified for operations, not decision-making.
What annual maintenance budget?
Expect 12-20 % of the build per year for KPI, connector and security changes, plus hosting (often 80-300 EUR/month depending on volume).
Let's scope your project. Tell us your sources (ERP, CRM, SQL), key KPIs and user count, and we will price a BI dashboard between 15,000 and 40,000 EUR. 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.
