On this page
What do you get at each budget?
The price follows the scope. So how many types of people use the portal, what they need to do in it and which of your systems it has to talk to. Most projects fall into one of these three ranges.
| Budget | What it is | Usually includes |
|---|---|---|
| £4,500 to £10,000 | One portal for one type of client | Branded login and onboarding, file sharing, messages, task and progress views, and documents clients can open any time. Each client only sees their own work. |
| £10,000 to £20,000 | Several roles or connected systems | Everything above, plus different views for staff, clients or partners, approvals, taking payments, and links to tools you already use, like your CRM or accounting software. |
| £20,000 to £30,000+ | A platform your business runs on | Portals with lots of roles or white-label branding, complex workflows, AI features and moving data across from older systems. |
You get a written scope and price before anything is built, so you know what the budget covers and what it doesn't.
What pushes the price up?
The screens are hardly ever the expensive bit. The cost is in the work behind them, so connecting systems, handling your data safely and testing every route a user can take.
Integrations
Every system the portal talks to, like a CRM, accounting package or calendar, needs its data matched up, errors handled and the connection tested with real records. Reading data from a system is simpler than keeping two systems matched up both ways. The best thing you can do to get an accurate price is list every tool you want connected at the start.
AI features
AI can sum up what a client's been doing, answer questions from your own documents or draft replies for your team to approve. Each feature needs clear limits, testing against real questions and a point where a person checks what it wrote before a client sees it. See how we do AI knowledge assistants.
Moving data from older systems
Bringing clients, files and history over from spreadsheets or an old platform takes time, and the messier the data, the longer it takes. Duplicates, missing fields and things written in different formats all have to be cleaned up before a portal can rely on them.
More roles and permissions
Every extra type of user, say staff, clients, coaches or partners, means another set of screens and access rules to build and test. TMMB Academy's portal has six roles, which is why it's in the top range.
How to keep it down: start with the one client process that causes the most chasing right now, connect only the systems that process needs, and add the rest once people are using the portal.
How long does a client portal take to build?
Between three weeks and three months from a signed scope to launch. A focused portal with no integrations is at the short end. Platforms with several roles, integrations or data to move are at the long end. The other thing that matters is how quickly we get your feedback and access to the tools we're connecting.
- Scope. We map who uses the portal, what they do in it and what it connects to, and then we agree the scope and price in writing.
- Build. We build inside your accounts and connect what already works to what's new.
- Test. We test every workflow against real cases, odd cases and access rules before a client sees it.
- Launch. We launch in stages, train your team and hand over the documents.
There's more on each stage in our approach.
How is it paid for, and who owns it?
- Payment: 50% upfront and 50% on launch.
- Ownership: we build the portal in your accounts. The code and your data are yours.
- Running costs: you pay hosting and software straight to the providers from your own accounts. How much depends on how many people use the portal and how much it stores, and we set that out in the scope.
- After launch: your team can run it themselves. Ongoing support and improvements are there as an optional monthly retainer, priced separately.
Custom portal or off-the-shelf portal software?
Off-the-shelf portal software is quicker to get going and cheaper upfront. A custom portal costs more at the start but it fits how you work and it belongs to you.
| Compared | Off-the-shelf portal software | Custom portal |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Low | From £4,500 |
| Ongoing cost | Monthly subscription, a lot of the time priced per user | Hosting paid straight to providers, optional support |
| Fit to your process | You work the way the software works | Built around the way you already work |
| Connections to your tools | Only the integrations they offer | Connects to the systems you pick |
| Branding | Depends on the plan | Fully your brand |
| Ownership | You rent access | You own the code and data |
| Time to start | Days | Three weeks to three months |
When a custom portal is not worth it
- Your process is standard and a tool you can buy already fits it without workarounds.
- You only need to share files and send updates to a handful of clients.
- Your process is still changing every week. Sort it out first, then build around it.
- You need something working next week. Start with an off-the-shelf tool and build once you know what you need.
If any of these are you, we'll tell you on the first call.
What have we built?
TMMB Academy: one portal for six roles
A TikTok Shop academy with admins, coaches, creators, sales, assistants and brands, and each one has their own workspace. It covers onboarding, creator performance, subscriptions and payments, course content, calls, messages and brand deals. TMMB reports it was able to take on more, grow more easily, keep people longer and make six figures within roughly two to three months (client-reported result). Read the TMMB Academy case study.
MRM Group: client and deal workspaces
A UK property development and investment company. We built client and deal workspaces where the agreement comes before payment, with document handling, reminders and a full history. Read the MRM Group case study.
Our own platform: a white-label client portal
The platform we run for lead generation agencies has a client portal that sits on each agency's own brand, with branded onboarding from one link and delivery boards shared between the agency and each client. See how we built it.
There's more on what a portal can do on our client portals page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum budget for a custom client portal?
Our client portal projects start at £4,500. That gets you a focused portal for one type of client with logins, onboarding, files, messages and progress tracking.
How long does it take to build a client portal?
Between three weeks and three months from a signed scope. It depends on how many roles and integrations there are and whether any data needs moving across.
Do we own the portal once it's built?
Yes. We build in your accounts, and the code and your data are yours.
How is a client portal project paid for?
50% upfront and 50% on launch, against a written scope we agree before the build starts.
Are there ongoing costs after launch?
You pay hosting and software straight to the providers, and it depends on how much it's used. Ongoing support and improvements are optional, on a monthly retainer priced separately.
Can the portal connect to our CRM or accounting software?
Yes. We do integrations all the time, and each system you connect adds to the scope, so we list them at the start to get the price right.
Can we start small and add features later?
Yes. Start with the client process that causes the most chasing, and then add roles and integrations once people are using the portal. That keeps the first budget down.