Local agency or remote studio for a dental practice website in Montreal: how to choose (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

For a dental practice website in Montreal, the local agency remains the better choice if you want regular photo sessions in the clinic, in-person meetings and deep integration with your practice software and booking. A remote studio like Kolonell fits when you need a clear site, written in native French and English, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks at a fixed price (2 900, 4 900 or 8 900 USD), using your own photos. Compare on a criteria table rather than price alone, because a Montreal practice must also deal with the Charter of the French Language and Quebec's Law 25.

This version is written for the English-speaking dentists and practice owners of Montreal, many of whom serve West Island families, McGill and Concordia students and newcomers alongside French-speaking patients.

Which criteria should you compare between a Montreal agency and a remote studio?

Local prices are prudent ballparks, drawn from public rate cards of Montreal agencies, minimum project sizes on Clutch.co profiles, hourly rates published by Quebec agencies (often 90 to 160 CAD per hour) and rates visible on Upwork. Montreal also has agencies specialised in dental marketing, often on a monthly subscription that includes the site: read carefully who owns the site when the contract ends.

When is the local agency the better choice?

To be frank: in several situations, a Montreal agency will serve you better.

• You want a photographer or videographer at the clinic several times a year, coordinated by the agency, to show the team, the rooms and the equipment.
• You insist on in-person meetings with the partners, or your decision goes through a committee that prefers to meet on site.
• You want full integration with your practice management software and real-time synchronised booking: at Kolonell, that is a custom application, quoted on request.
• You want a single partner for the site, Google Ads and social media day to day, on a monthly budget. Kolonell does not sell a priced monthly search package; that work is quoted on request.
• Your patients are very local and you want a strongly Québécois tone: we write native French, and your team validates local vocabulary.

When does a remote studio like Kolonell fit?

• Your current site is dated and you want a clean redesign in a month, not a quarter.
• You already have recent photos or a neighbourhood photographer at 800 to 1 500 CAD for a half day, based on published rates.
• You want a fixed price, paid by bank transfer or Wise in two instalments (50 % at kickoff, 50 % at delivery), and a domain in your name.
• Your booking already runs in a third-party tool that can be embedded or linked.
• You want a bilingual site for West Island patients or international students: that is the Premium tier at 8 900 USD.

Full tier details are on our international website offer.

What does each tier include for a dental practice?

Which needs are specific to Montreal dental practices, and what about compliance?

A Montreal practice's patients change from one neighbourhood to the next: families in Rosemont or Villeray, young professionals on the Plateau and in Griffintown, students at the downtown universities, English-speaking communities in the West Island, newcomers looking for a dentist who speaks their language. The site must answer the deciding questions quickly: are new patients accepted, what to do in an emergency, how insurance and the federal dental care plan work, which languages the team speaks, where to park or which metro station.

On compliance, the facts only. The Charter of the French Language requires a Quebec business's website to be available in French, with an English version allowed alongside. Law 25 governs the collection of personal information: a published privacy policy, consent, cookie management. Health data is sensitive: the first-contact form stays minimal, and the clinical record stays in a tool built for it. The Code of ethics of dentists governs advertising: have before and after images (with written patient consent), comparisons and promised results validated by your order or your adviser. WCAG 2.1 AA serves as the accessibility reference. This is not legal advice.

Which questions should you ask before signing?

• Who owns the domain, hosting and site if you stop the subscription?
• Who writes the treatment pages, and who validates ethical compliance?
• How is the English version produced and kept up to date?
• What will an extra treatment page cost in a year?
• Where is form data stored?
• Who organises the photos, and who holds the image rights?

Mini case study

Illustrative example. Dr Sophie L., partner in a practice of three dentists and four hygienists on the Plateau-Mont-Royal, compares three offers. A Montreal agency proposes 24 000 CAD (about 17 300 USD), bilingual, with a photo session, delivered in 10 weeks. A dental marketing agency proposes 900 CAD per month over 24 months, site included, totalling 21 600 CAD (about 15 600 USD), but the site remains its property at the end. Kolonell proposes Premium at 8 900 USD, bilingual, with a local photographer booked by the clinic for 1 200 CAD (about 870 USD).

Kolonell route: 8 900 + 870 = 9 770 USD, live in about 5 weeks. The gap with the local agency is 7 530 USD. Sophie chooses the remote studio for the site and keeps the door open to a local agency for a video campaign next year.

FAQ

How much does a dental practice website cost in Montreal in 2026?

With a local agency, expect a ballpark of 8 000 to 35 000 CAD, about 5 800 to 25 000 USD. A freelancer usually sits between 2 500 and 9 000 CAD. Kolonell charges a fixed 2 900, 4 900 or 8 900 USD.

Does the site have to be in French?

Yes, the Charter of the French Language requires a French version for a Quebec business. The bilingual FR/EN site is included in Premium at 8 900 USD.

Can Kolonell come and photograph the clinic?

No, Kolonell does no on-site photography or video. A Montreal photographer often costs 800 to 1 500 CAD for a half day based on published rates.

Is online booking included?

Embedding or linking your existing tool is included from Starter. A custom sync with your practice management software is quoted on request.

How do we work with a 4 to 5 hour time difference?

Google Meet calls are set in your mornings and you get a written update every week. The project usually takes 3 to 4 weeks.

Let's scope your project. Send us your treatment list, your languages and your booking tool, and we come back with a fixed-price tier and a 3 to 4 week timeline. Request your free quote or see the international offer.