The verdict in three sentences
A 20-person agency stacking Monday, Harvest, Drive and Xero has decent tools taken one by one, but no view of profitability per client because time logged, budgets sold and invoicing live in silos. Monday costs 12 to 24 EUR per user per month and is unbeatable to get started, but crossing time logged, hourly rate and billed amounts requires manual exports every month. A custom app combining projects, time and margin, 6,100 to 10,670 EUR excl. VAT on the Kolonell grid, delivered in 10 weeks, pays back mainly through the decisions it enables on unprofitable clients.
The problem: four tools, zero visible margin
In London, creative agencies of 10 to 30 people often work on fixed fees for clients in retail, property and luxury. Overruns on a fixed fee are rarely measured in time.
| Current tool | Use | Monthly cost for 20 people (2026 estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday (Pro plan) | tasks, scheduling, project status | 380 EUR |
| Harvest | time tracking | 220 EUR |
| Google Drive (Workspace) | files, briefs | 240 EUR |
| Xero | invoicing and accounting | 100 to 200 EUR |
| Monthly Excel exports | margin per client calculation | 6 to 10 hours of management time |
The real cost is not the subscription: it is the fixed fee sold at 12,000 EUR that consumes 16,000 EUR of time, discovered three months after closing.
Monday or custom: 3-year TCO
The custom app does not replace everything. Drive and Xero stay in place and the app connects to them. It replaces Monday and Harvest and adds real-time margin calculation.
| Item over 3 years | Monday + Harvest | Custom (market) | Custom (Kolonell grid) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial build | 0 EUR | 15,000 to 30,000 EUR excl. VAT | 8,000 EUR excl. VAT, i.e. 5,250,000 FCFA |
| Subscriptions (20 users) | 21,600 EUR | 0 EUR | 0 EUR |
| Hosting | included | 2,000 to 4,000 EUR | 2,160 EUR |
| Maintenance | included | 5,000 to 10,000 EUR | 3,960 EUR (75,000 FCFA per month) |
| Manual exports and margin calculation | 28,800 EUR (8 h per month at 100 EUR) | 0 EUR | 0 EUR |
| Likely SaaS price increases | 5 to 10 % per year | not applicable | not applicable |
| 3-year total | 50,400 EUR and more | 22,000 to 44,000 EUR | 14,120 EUR |
Monday, Harvest and agency costs are 2026 market estimates. Monday remains relevant for an agency under 10 people or one that has not yet stabilised its methods.
What the app must calculate
| Indicator | Calculation | Management use |
|---|---|---|
| Margin per project | budget sold minus time logged valued at cost rate | stop or renegotiate a running fixed fee |
| Margin per client over 12 months | sum of projects, retainers included | identify the 20 % of clients that make 80 % of the margin |
| Overrun rate | actual time divided by time sold | adjust the next quotes |
| Utilisation per person | billable hours divided by available hours | hiring and workload |
| Work in progress to invoice | milestones reached not yet invoiced, synced with Xero | cash flow |
| Alert at 80 % of budget | notification to the project lead | act before the overrun |
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Laura, managing director of a 20-person London creative agency, turns over 1,800,000 EUR a year.
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- Current situation: 600 EUR per month for Monday and Harvest, plus 8 hours of management time per month on exports, with no reliable margin per client.
- Project: custom app at 8,000 EUR excl. VAT (5,250,000 FCFA), connected to Xero and Drive, delivered in 10 weeks.
- Direct saving over 3 years: 50,400 EUR minus 14,120 EUR, around 36,000 EUR.
- Margin effect: by spotting 3 structurally loss-making clients and renegotiating their fees, a 2-point margin gain is worth 36,000 EUR a year.
The second effect, better margin, usually outweighs the subscription saving.
FAQ
Should we leave Monday for a custom app?
Only if you have more than 15 users and need margin per client in real time. Under 10 people, Monday at 12 to 24 EUR per user per month is often still the best choice.
How much does a custom project management app cost?
On the market, 15,000 to 30,000 EUR excl. VAT. On the Kolonell grid, a medium-complexity app sits between 4,000,000 and 7,000,000 FCFA, i.e. 6,100 to 10,670 EUR excl. VAT.
Can the app connect to Xero and Google Drive?
Yes, through their APIs: syncing issued invoices for work in progress, and links to each project's Drive folders. These integrations usually take 1 to 2 weeks of the schedule.
How long until go-live?
Allow 10 weeks: 2 scoping, 6 build, 2 testing on 3 pilot projects, then migration of running projects.
How do we get the team to log time?
By cutting logging to 30 seconds a day, with a timer and projects pre-filled from the schedule. A logging rate below 90 % makes margins unusable.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your headcount, current tools and the type of fees you sell, and we will price a project and margin tracking app within the 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA range (6,100 to 10,670 EUR excl. VAT) with a 10-week plan. 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.
