Executive dashboard: Power BI vs custom build cost (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

For an SME of 30 to 150 employees consolidating figures by hand from 4 sources (accounting, CRM, point of sale or e-commerce, payroll), an automated executive dashboard saves 2 to 4 days of month-end close every month. Power BI is the rational choice when data is clean and the audience is under 20 viewers: 14 USD per user per month plus 5,000 to 15,000 EUR of setup. A custom build, between 12,000 and 35,000 EUR, makes sense when users need to write data back, external partners need access, or complex business calculation rules must be built in.

The three realistic options for an SME

CFOs usually compare three approaches. The figures below are a 2026 order of magnitude for a European SME with 10 users and 4 data sources.

Improved Excel helps short term but stays fragile: one broken formula is enough to mislead a board meeting. Power BI covers 70 to 80% of SME needs. Custom takes over when the dashboard becomes a working tool rather than a read-only screen.

What each component really costs

The licence is rarely the main cost. The work lies in connecting sources and making data reliable.

A practical tip: start by listing the 10 to 15 indicators actually reviewed in management meetings. Projects that start with 80 KPIs overrun their budget more than half the time.

Mini case study

Nathalie, CFO of a marine equipment distributor in Nice, runs a company of 65 employees with 14 million EUR in revenue. Every month, her financial controller spends 3.5 days extracting data from Sage, HubSpot, the two stores' tills and the online shop, then consolidating it in Excel. At a loaded 420 EUR per day, that work costs 17,640 EUR per year, not counting decisions made on figures three weeks old.

Power BI option: 11,000 EUR setup and 1,550 EUR per year for 10 users, saving 2.5 days per month, i.e. 12,600 EUR per year. Payback in just over a year. Custom option at 26,000 EUR with a budget module and access for 6 field sales reps: saves 3.5 days per month, plus store managers enter forecasts directly. Nathalie picks Power BI for year one, with a data architecture reusable if she moves to custom later.

FAQ

Is Power BI Pro enough or do we need Premium?

Power BI Pro at 14 USD per user per month covers most SMEs with fewer than 50 viewers. Premium Per User, at 24 USD per month, becomes useful beyond 8 daily refreshes or for large data volumes.

Is our accounting data safe?

Power BI hosts data in Microsoft's European data centres. A custom dashboard can be hosted in your country of choice for 80 to 300 EUR per month, which often reassures shareholders and auditors.

How long until we see a first dashboard?

A first management screen with 10 indicators ships in 3 to 4 weeks with Power BI, and in 6 to 8 weeks for custom. The full version follows within 2 to 3 months.

Can we start with Power BI and move to custom later?

Yes, if the data warehouse is well designed from the start. It is then 60 to 80% reusable, cutting the custom build cost by 4,000 to 8,000 EUR.

Who maintains the indicators after delivery?

Plan 1 to 2 days of maintenance per quarter, i.e. 2,000 to 4,000 EUR per year, to add indicators and follow changes in source software.

Let's scope your project. List your data sources and the 10 key indicators of your management meeting: we price a Power BI option and a custom option, between 5,000 and 35,000 EUR, delivered in 3 to 12 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.