The verdict in three sentences
For an aerial platform and machinery rental company with 3 depots and 400 machines, a serious website costs 10,000 to 25,000 EUR excluding tax in 2026 (about 11,500 to 28,750 USD), filterable catalogue and booking request included. The line item that changes the outcome is the connector to your rental software (4,000 to 10,000 EUR), because it shows real availability instead of a simple call-me-back form. Plan for 10 to 14 weeks from scoping to launch, including 3 to 4 weeks just to clean up machine data.
What an equipment rental website quote contains
A site superintendent looking for a 16 metre boom lift on a Tuesday at 7 am wants three things: working height, nearest depot and available date. The website must answer those questions in under 30 seconds on a phone, often with weak mobile coverage on site. The quote therefore breaks down into very concrete items, and the catalogue weighs more than the design.
| Item | Scope | 2026 range (EUR excl. tax) |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping and sitemap | Workshops with sales and depots, superintendent journey, wireframes | 1,000 - 3,000 |
| Design and front-end | 15 to 25 templates, mobile version built for job sites | 2,500 - 7,000 |
| 400-machine catalogue | Families, spec sheets, manufacturer PDFs, filters for height, load, power | 2,500 - 6,000 |
| Booking request | Dates, depot, delivery or pickup, business account | 2,000 - 5,000 |
| Depot pages and local SEO | 3 depot pages, service areas, structured data | 1,000 - 2,000 |
| QA, training, launch | Tests on 6 devices, team training, redirects | 1,000 - 2,000 |
| Total excluding connector | 10,000 - 25,000 |
The gap between the low and high end comes mostly from the quality of your starting data. If your machine sheets already live in a clean spreadsheet with photos, you are close to 10,000 EUR. If every sheet must be rewritten and photographed, the catalogue budget doubles.
The rental software connector: the item that pays for the site
Most rental companies run their fleet in dedicated rental management software. Without a connector, the website shows a static catalogue and staff re-key every request. With a connector, the site reads availability per depot and can push a provisional booking straight into the software.
| Integration level | What the customer sees | 2026 cost (EUR excl. tax) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| None | Free-form request, callback within 24 h | 0 | 0 |
| Daily catalogue export | Sheets and rates refreshed every night | 4,000 - 5,500 | 2 weeks |
| Availability per depot | Availability at D+1 and D+7 per machine family | 5,500 - 8,000 | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Provisional booking in software | Booking created automatically for approval, status sent by email | 8,000 - 10,000 | 4 to 5 weeks |
| Business customer portal (phase 2) | Open contracts, invoices, extensions | 6,000 - 15,000 | 6 to 8 weeks |
The real prerequisite is technical: your vendor must provide an API or at least an automated export. Get it in writing before you sign the website quote, because some vendors charge 50 to 200 EUR per month for API access. Then add 150 to 400 EUR per month for hosting, connector monitoring and maintenance.
A realistic 10 to 14 week plan
| Phase | Weeks | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping | 1 to 2 | Sitemap, journeys, connector specification |
| Machine data clean-up | 2 to 5 | 400 standardised sheets, photos, PDFs |
| Design | 3 to 5 | Approved mobile and desktop mockups |
| Website build | 5 to 10 | Catalogue, filters, booking form |
| Connector | 7 to 11 | Sync tested on all 3 depots |
| QA and SEO | 11 to 13 | Tests, redirects, indexable depot pages |
| Launch | 12 to 14 | Go-live, request monitoring for 30 days |
The critical path almost always runs through machine data. Appoint an internal owner in week one, with 4 to 6 hours per week dedicated to the project.
Mini case study
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Mark, sales director of an aerial platform and machinery rental company in Toronto, runs 3 depots. His chosen quote: 18,000 EUR for the website and 7,000 EUR for the availability connector, so 25,000 EUR in total (about 28,750 USD). Today the site receives 35 requests a month, 40% of which are not handled the same day. Conservative assumption: 20 extra bookings per month thanks to visible availability, with an average order of 650 EUR and a 35% margin. Monthly gain: 20 x 650 x 0.35 = 4,550 EUR, which pays back the investment in about 5.5 months. On top of that, the counter team saves nearly 6 hours of phone time every week.
FAQ
Can we show rental prices online?
Yes, many rental firms show a public from-price per day, for example 180 EUR for a 10 metre scissor lift. Negotiated rates for key accounts stay visible only in the business portal, which adds 3,000 to 5,000 EUR.
Should we allow online payment?
Rarely in B2B, since 80 to 90% of customers rent on account with monthly invoicing. Card payment makes sense for consumers and small contractors, for an extra 1,500 to 3,000 EUR.
How long does catalogue maintenance take?
Without a connector, expect 2 to 4 hours a week for a 400-machine fleet. With a daily export, updates become automatic and the time drops below 30 minutes of checks.
One site per depot or a single site?
A single site with 3 optimised depot pages performs better in local search and costs 30 to 40% less to maintain. Each depot page targets its city and service areas.
What if we change rental software?
Only the connector needs rebuilding, around 4,000 to 8,000 EUR depending on the new API. The website and catalogue stay in place if the architecture keeps the two layers separate.
Let's scope your project. Send us your number of depots, fleet size and rental software name, and we will price the website, the connector and the timeline. 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.
