The verdict in three sentences
For an aesthetic clinic in Montreal, a local agency remains the better choice if you want video shot in your treatment rooms, a launch campaign and regular meetings; as a 2026 order of magnitude, plan on 12,000 to 45,000 CAD (about 8,800 to 33,000 USD) for a full site. A remote studio like Kolonell suits clinics that have their own photos or book a Montreal photographer, and want a site written in native French at a fixed price of 2 900, 4 900 or 8 900 USD, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks. Two points often decide it: whether the provider can write treatment pages that respect professional advertising rules, and the real place of French and English on the site.
This version is written for the English-speaking owners and directors of aesthetic clinics in Montreal; the French version is the primary one for this market.
Montreal agency, freelancer or remote studio: which criteria should you compare?
The local prices below are cautious 2026 orders of magnitude, built from public rate cards of Greater Montreal agencies, minimum project sizes shown on Clutch.co profiles, hourly rates published by Quebec agencies (often 100 to 180 CAD per hour) and rates visible on Upwork or Malt. They vary with the number of treatments presented, languages and photo production.
| Criterion | Montreal agency | Local freelancer | Kolonell (remote studio) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build price, 2026 order of magnitude | 12,000 to 45,000 CAD (about 8,800 to 33,000 USD) | 3,500 to 12,000 CAD (about 2,600 to 8,800 USD) | 2 900 / 4 900 / 8 900 USD, fixed price |
| Meetings at the clinic | Yes | Often | No physical meetings, Google Meet at your hour |
| Video or photo shoot in the rooms | Often offered | Sometimes | Not included: you supply photos or book a local photographer |
| Time zone | Eastern time | Eastern time | Team on GMT, 4 to 5 hours ahead, calls in your opening hours |
| Typical timeline | 8 to 14 weeks | 5 to 10 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks, Premium usually 4 to 6 |
| Treatment page copywriting | Often billed separately | Rarely included | Native French included |
| French and English version | Usually offered | Varies | Included from Premium |
| Ownership and access | Check the contract | Check the contract | Domain in your name, all access handed over |
An experienced Montreal freelancer can quote close to our Growth package: the difference then lies in the project manager, included copywriting, a written fixed price and the handover of every login. Package details are on our international offer page.
When does the local agency win?
To be frank, a Montreal agency is often preferable when:
- You are opening a new clinic on the Plateau or in Griffintown and want visual identity, signage and website designed together, with on-site workshops.
- Video is central to your communication: doctor introductions, room tours, monthly content for Instagram and TikTok.
- You want a patient portal or a fully custom booking flow linked to your electronic medical record, with a Quebec integrator.
- Your management prefers weekly in-person meetings throughout the project.
When is Kolonell a sound choice?
Kolonell suits a clinic of 2 to 8 practitioners that needs a reliable, well-written site:
- Photos already exist, or a Montreal photographer can be booked for half a day.
- Your booking software is already chosen (you use it daily) and only needs a clean integration.
- You want a fixed price and written scope, paid by bank transfer or Wise, 50 % at kick-off and 50 % on delivery.
- You are comfortable working through video calls and weekly written updates with a project manager reachable in your time zone.
Bilingual delivery is concrete for us: Kolonell built the bilingual French and English site of TR Signing Group (trsigninggroup.com), a notary and apostille service in New Jersey and our first North American client.
| Item for an aesthetic clinic | Starter 2 900 USD | Growth 4 900 USD | Premium 8 900 USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment pages | Treatment families | One page per treatment offered | Full structure by area and treatment |
| Medical team | Team page | Profile per professional with exact title | Detailed profiles, training, languages |
| Booking | Link to your tool | Embedded tool | Polished integration; custom flow on quote |
| Consultation request | Simple form | Form routed by treatment | Flow by treatment, minimal fields |
| French and English | One language | One language | Bilingual version included |
| Timeline | 3 to 4 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks | Written schedule, usually 4 to 6 weeks |
| Support after launch | 3 months | 3 months | 6 months |
Ongoing SEO, a product shop or a patient portal are quoted separately, as is maintenance after the support period.
What does a Montreal aesthetic clinic site need?
Montreal clients are French-speaking, English-speaking and speakers of other languages, often in the same neighbourhood. They discover clinics on Instagram, compare Google listings and book on mobile. The site therefore needs to:
- Present each treatment factually: what it involves, who performs it, possible after-effects, the need for a prior consultation.
- Show the exact titles of each professional (physician, nurse, aesthetician), with no ambiguity about who does what.
- Keep the form minimal, with no detailed health questionnaire until the tool is suited to health data.
- Publish before and after photos only with written consent and within the applicable rules.
- Be French first, with English as a complement if the clinic also serves English-speaking clients.
Need a professional website?
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On compliance, staying factual and general. The Collège des médecins du Québec regulates physicians' advertising through its code of ethics; the professional orders involved (physicians, nurses) have their own rules, and testimonials or promises of results are problematic. Health Canada restricts advertising of prescription drugs to the public, which affects how some injectable treatments can be presented. Quebec's Law 25 on the protection of personal information requires, among other things, a person in charge of personal information and consent rules, which affects forms and cookies. The Charter of the French Language requires commercial information to be available in French. This is not legal advice.
Which questions should you ask before signing?
- Who writes the treatment pages, and who at the clinic validates each wording against the order's rules?
- Is the French version complete, or is English the provider's working language?
- Where is form data hosted, and who has access?
- Is the domain in our name, with every login handed over?
- What does the fixed price include, and how are additions quoted?
- Who organises and pays for the photo shoot?
Warning sign: an agency that proposes a before and after gallery straight away without mentioning consent, or highlights patient reviews without considering professional ethics.
Mini case study
Illustrative example. Sophie L., co-owner of a five-professional aesthetic medicine clinic in Outremont, is weighing two options. A Montreal agency proposes 26,000 CAD (about 19,000 USD) with video and a bilingual site, delivered in 12 weeks. Kolonell proposes Premium at 8 900 USD, bilingual, on a 5-week schedule, and Sophie books a local photographer for 1,400 CAD (about 1,030 USD).
Build gap including photos: about 19,000 USD against about 9,930 USD, or nearly 9,000 USD. With an identical maintenance assumption on both sides, the three-year gap stays in the same range. Sophie chooses Kolonell for the site and puts part of the saving into two videos shot by a local videographer.
FAQ
Do you need a Quebec agency to comply with Law 25?
No: compliance depends mostly on your choices (form tools, hosting, consent) and on your person in charge of personal information. Kolonell sets up the minimal form and the cookie banner in every package, from 2 900 USD.
Must the site be bilingual?
It must at least be available in French. The bilingual French and English version is included in Premium at 8 900 USD; Starter and Growth are delivered in one language.
How long does it take?
Local agencies often need 8 to 14 weeks. Kolonell delivers Starter and Growth in 3 to 4 weeks, and Premium usually in 4 to 6 weeks.
How do you work with a remote studio?
Through Google Meet in your hours, despite the 4 to 5 hour gap with GMT, plus a written update every week. There are no physical meetings.
What costs extra?
The local photo shoot (often 900 to 1,800 CAD for half a day as an order of magnitude), ongoing SEO, a patient portal and maintenance after the 3 months of support (6 in Premium), all quoted separately.
Let's scope your project. Send us your list of treatments, your booking tool and your photos, and we will come back with a fixed-price package and a 3 to 4 week schedule (4 to 6 in Premium). Request your free quote or see the international offer.
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.
