The verdict in three sentences
In 2026, a custom real-time business dashboard costs between EUR 12,000 and EUR 40,000 depending on the number of connected sources and the granularity of indicators. Expect 6 to 12 weeks of development, plus EUR 150 to 800/month for hosting and connector maintenance. The main gain: reporting that drops from several days of manual consolidation to a few minutes, with reliable data to decide fast.
What drives a dashboard's price
The cost is not in the charts: it is in the data plumbing. Each source (ERP, CRM, accounting, e-commerce, production) requires a connector, a mapping and cleaning. An ETL orchestrates extraction, transformation and loading into a warehouse or analytical database.
| Item | 2026 range (EUR) | Indicative delay |
|---|---|---|
| KPI scoping & mockups | 2,000 - 5,000 | 1 - 2 weeks |
| Connector per source | 1,500 - 4,000 /source | 1 week/source |
| ETL & data warehouse | 4,000 - 12,000 | 2 - 4 weeks |
| Custom dashboard interface | 4,000 - 12,000 | 2 - 4 weeks |
| Testing, permissions & training | 1,500 - 4,000 | 1 - 2 weeks |
| Project total | 12,000 - 40,000 | 6 - 12 weeks |
Hosting and cost per source
Once delivered, the dashboard lives: APIs change, volumes grow, flows must be monitored. Here are the 2026 orders of magnitude for operations.
| Recurring item | Monthly 2026 cost (EUR) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Analytical database hosting | 60 - 300 | by volume |
| Connector maintenance (3-5 sources) | 80 - 400 | monitoring & fixes |
| BI tool (if licensed) | 0 - 300 | open source or SaaS |
| Real-time refresh | 30 - 150 | by frequency |
| Indicative monthly total | 150 - 800 | 5-8 consolidated KPIs |
Mini case study
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Thomas, leader of a 45-employee food SME in Dublin, manually consolidates sales, cash and production in a spreadsheet: 2 days/month for a director (valued at EUR 45/h, ~14 h = EUR 630/month) plus a 3-week information lag. He orders a real-time dashboard at EUR 24,000, hosting EUR 350/month. He saves EUR 630/month of direct time (EUR 7,560/year) and above all decides on up-to-date figures: an anticipated cash shortfall spares him an EUR 8,000 overdraft over the year. Project return on investment: about 18 months on time savings alone, much faster factoring in better-calibrated decisions.
FAQ
How many sources can be connected? Technically as many as needed, but each source adds EUR 1,500 to 4,000. Most SMEs start with 3 to 5 sources (sales, accounting, cash).
Real time or near real time? True real time costs more in infrastructure. A refresh every 15 to 60 minutes covers 90 % of management needs and cuts the hosting bill.
Can we use an off-the-shelf BI tool instead of custom? Yes for standard needs, but source integration must still be paid (EUR 4,000 to 12,000 of ETL). Custom is justified when KPIs are specific to your business.
Who updates the indicators? Once flows are automated, KPIs refresh on their own. Plan for EUR 80 to 400/month of connector maintenance.
What is a realistic timeline? A first operational dashboard on 3 sources ships in 6 to 8 weeks; a 5+ source project with advanced ETL takes 10 to 12 weeks.
Let's scope your project. State your sources to consolidate (ERP, CRM, accounting), your key KPIs, an indicative budget and your 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.
