The verdict in three sentences
For a 25-person firm, market suites (Secib, Kleos) cost 35 to 70 EUR/month/user, i.e. 10,500 to 21,000 EUR net per year in pure licences. A custom platform (matters, time, billing, conflict checks) is built for 45,000 to 100,000 EUR net over 16 to 24 weeks and belongs to you. The tipping point is not the licence price but the billable time actually captured: +30 % capture changes everything.
Market licence vs custom: real cost over 4 years
The SaaS trap is not the monthly subscription, it is the pile-up: version upgrades, paid modules (billing, DMS, e-signature), training and migration. Here is a 2026 order of magnitude for 25 users.
| Item (25 users) | Market suite (Secib/Kleos) | Custom platform |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront / build | 3,000 EUR (setup + migration) | 45,000-100,000 EUR net |
| Licences year 1 | 10,500-21,000 EUR net | 0 |
| Add-on modules / yr | 3,000-6,000 EUR net | included |
| Hosting + maintenance / yr | included | 6,000-12,000 EUR net |
| Total over 4 years | 57,000-111,000 EUR net | 69,000-148,000 EUR net |
| Code ownership | No | Yes |
| Workflow customization | Limited | Total |
Like for like, custom costs more upfront but the gap narrows over 4 years and flips once you add the vendors' premium modules. Above all, it captures value the suites let slip away.
The real lever: +30 % captured billable time
The dead loss in a firm is untracked time: calls, emails, research left unlogged. A timer built into the matter, with mobile entry and reminders, typically raises the capture rate.
| Metric | Before (manual entry) | After (built-in timer) |
|---|---|---|
| Billable hours logged / lawyer / day | 4.5 h | 5.9 h |
| Average hourly rate | 180 EUR net | 180 EUR net |
| Billed days / year | 200 | 200 |
| Billable revenue / lawyer / yr | 162,000 EUR | 212,400 EUR |
| Annual gain / lawyer | — | +50,400 EUR |
Across 10 fee-earners, a 30 % capture gain is an order of magnitude of 500,000 EUR of additional billable revenue per year: the custom build pays for itself in months.
Compliance: GDPR and privilege by design
A firm handles ultra-sensitive data. The platform must build legal privilege into its architecture, not as an option.
| Requirement | Implementation |
|---|---|
| Hosting | EU, per-firm isolation, encryption at rest |
| Conflicts of interest | Automatic check on matter opening |
| Logging | Access trail per matter (who, when) |
| GDPR | Register, purge, exportable access rights |
| Backup | Daily, tested restore |
Mini case study
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Mr. Lambert, managing partner of a 25-person business-law firm in Bordeaux, hesitates. The market suite costs him 16,800 EUR net/yr (25 x 56 EUR/month) plus 4,000 EUR of modules. He orders a custom platform at 72,000 EUR net, maintenance 9,000 EUR net/yr. Year-1 cost: 81,000 EUR vs 20,800 EUR for the suite. But the built-in timer lifts capture from 4.5 h to 5.9 h/day across 10 lawyers: +504,000 EUR of billable revenue/yr. Payback on the build: under 3 months. Over 4 years he saves the licences and keeps a valuable software asset.
FAQ
How long to deliver a full platform?
Allow 16 to 24 weeks for a matters + time + billing + conflicts scope. A first usable module (time entry) can ship as early as week 8-10.
Can we migrate from Secib or Kleos without loss?
Yes. Matters, contacts and history are exported via API or SQL extraction, then a dry-run migration is replayed before switchover. Budget 3,000 to 8,000 EUR net depending on volume.
What annual maintenance budget should we plan?
Between 6,000 and 12,000 EUR net/yr for EU hosting, fixes, minor evolutions and backups. Roughly 10-15 % of the initial build.
Is custom really cheaper than a licence?
Not upfront. It becomes so over 4 years with premium modules, and above all via better-captured billable time, which far exceeds the software cost.
How do you guarantee legal privilege?
Per-firm data isolation, encryption, access logging and EU hosting. Conflict-of-interest checks are automated on each matter opening.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your number of partners, your current suite and your critical modules (time, billing, conflicts): we price a custom scope between 45,000 and 100,000 EUR net. 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.
