How much does a custom CRM cost?

A custom CRM has no catalog price, but it does have reliable orders of magnitude. What drives the price is not the word “CRM”: it is the number of screens, sales rules and tools to connect. Here are the ranges I work with, what moves them, and a method to compare honestly with an off-the-shelf CRM.

Price ranges

These amounts exclude VAT and cover a first version running in production. The quote becomes fixed after a scoping phase.

For an estimate that fits your case, the estimator gives you a range in one minute, based on the features you select.

What drives the price

Four factors weigh more than all the others.

1. The number of stages and sales rules. A five-stage pipeline that is the same for everyone costs little. Different flows depending on the type of customer, with approvals and discount calculations, take more design work.
2. The types of users. Sales reps, managers, executives, assistants: each profile has its own screens and permissions. More profiles mean more work.
3. The connections. Pulling in leads from the website, sending orders to the ERP, syncing invoices with accounting: each connection adds development and testing.
4. The data migration. Importing a clean file takes a few hours. Cleaning up ten years of duplicates and badly filled fields takes several days.

The level of finish matters too, but less than people think: a clean, fast interface is enough for a sales team that mostly wants to move quickly.

Comparing with an off-the-shelf CRM

An off-the-shelf CRM costs almost nothing upfront, then is paid every month, per user. A custom CRM costs money upfront, then little each year. So the comparison has to be made over three to five years, the normal lifespan of a business tool.

An illustrative example, with made-up amounts to replace with your own: a team of 20 users on a CRM at €80 per user per month pays €19,200 a year, or €57,600 over 3 years. A custom CRM at $20,200 (€18,000)excl. VAT, plus €3,000 a year for hosting and maintenance, comes to €27,000 over the same period.

The detailed, line-by-line calculation is explained in the 3-year total cost of SaaS versus custom software.

What the price includes

A serious quote for a custom CRM includes:

• scoping: workshops with the sales team, requirements document, fixed quote and schedule;
• clickable mockups, approved before development starts;
• development in batches, each tested by your team before the next one;
• migration of your existing data, if it was planned during scoping;
• go-live and three months of support after the production launch;
• transfer of the source code and rights once the project is paid for.

Not included: hosting, third-party services billed by usage (email sending, e-signature, AI) and new features requested after delivery.

When a custom CRM is not the right choice

I will be straightforward: for a team of three sales reps following a standard sales process, a well-configured off-the-shelf CRM is often the best choice. Custom software makes sense when:

• your sales process does not fit the boxes of a standard tool;
• the license bill goes up with every hire;
• your reps re-enter information between the CRM, the ERP and spreadsheets;
• you want to stay in control of your customer data.

If you are unsure, compare with what is on the market first: the pages on a Salesforce alternative and a HubSpot alternative explain when it is better to keep your current tool.

How a CRM project works

1. A 30-minute call to understand your sales process and pain points.
2. Scoping (1 to 2 weeks): scope of the first version, fixed quote.
3. Mockups (1 to 3 weeks): your sales reps test the CRM before it exists.
4. Development in batches: contacts and pipeline first, then quotes, reporting and connections.
5. Go-live, with data migration and onboarding for the team.

Payment follows the same rhythm: a 50% deposit at the start, then the balance according to the schedule set out in the quote. The full terms are on the pricing page.