You need a client portal. Your clients are asking for project visibility, file access, and self-service capabilities. But here's the question: should you build a custom portal or buy an existing solution?
Key Takeaways:
- Building a custom portal costs $40K–$66K upfront; buying SaaS costs $2K–$11K in year one
- Over a 3-year period, buying saves 95–98% compared to building
- Most agencies (95%+) should buy—build only for unique requirements at scale
- Consider a hybrid approach: buy a SaaS solution and customize via API
- Factor in hidden costs like opportunity cost, security risk, and ongoing maintenance
This decision can cost you tens of thousands of dollars and months of development time if you get it wrong. Yet most agencies make this decision based on gut feel rather than data.
This guide provides a practical framework to help you make the right decision for your agency—with real cost analysis, pros and cons, and a decision matrix you can use today.
Why Client Portals Matter
Before diving into build vs. buy, let's understand why client portals are essential:
The Business Case
1. Reduced Support Burden
- Clients can find answers themselves
- 60-80% reduction in "where's my file?" requests
- Self-service reduces back-and-forth emails
- Frees up team time for billable work
2. Improved Client Experience
- 24/7 access to project information
- Professional, branded experience
- Clear project visibility
- Faster access to deliverables
3. Operational Efficiency
- Centralized file storage and access
- Automated status updates
- Streamlined communication
- Better organization
4. Competitive Advantage
- Professional image
- Differentiation from competitors
- Scalable client management
- Modern client expectations
The Cost of Not Having One
Agencies without client portals:
- Spend 10-15 hours/week on support requests
- Struggle with file organization
- Look less professional
- Can't scale efficiently
- Lose clients to competitors who have portals
Understanding the True Cost of Building
Most agencies underestimate the cost of building a custom portal. Here's the real breakdown:
Development Costs
Initial Development:
- Planning & Design: 40-80 hours ($4,000-$8,000 at $100/hr)
- Frontend Development: 120-200 hours ($12,000-$20,000)
- Backend Development: 160-240 hours ($16,000-$24,000)
- Integration: 40-80 hours ($4,000-$8,000)
- Testing & QA: 40-60 hours ($4,000-$6,000)
Total Initial Cost: $40,000-$66,000
Timeline: 3-6 months (with dedicated developer)
Ongoing Maintenance Costs
Monthly Maintenance:
- Bug Fixes: 10-20 hours/month ($1,000-$2,000)
- Updates & Security: 5-10 hours/month ($500-$1,000)
- Feature Additions: 10-20 hours/month ($1,000-$2,000)
- Server/Hosting: $50-$500/month
- Monitoring & Support: 5-10 hours/month ($500-$1,000)
Total Monthly Cost: $3,050-$5,500/month
Annual Maintenance: $36,600-$66,000/year
Hidden Costs
Opportunity Cost:
- Developer time that could go to billable work
- Delayed other projects
- Lost revenue from delayed client work
Risk Costs:
- Security vulnerabilities
- Data breaches
- Downtime
- Compliance issues
Time Costs:
- Project management overhead
- Learning curve for team
- Client training and support
Total Cost of Ownership (3 Years)
Year 1: $40,000-$66,000 (development) + $36,600-$66,000 (maintenance) = $76,600-$132,000
Years 2-3: $36,600-$66,000/year = $73,200-$132,000
3-Year Total: $149,800-$264,000
And this assumes everything goes smoothly. Most custom builds encounter delays, scope creep, and unexpected issues.
Understanding the Cost of Buying
Now let's look at the cost of buying an existing solution:
Upfront Costs
Setup & Configuration:
- Setup Time: 2-8 hours ($200-$800 if billed)
- Training: 2-4 hours ($200-$400)
- Customization: 0-20 hours ($0-$2,000)
Total Upfront: $400-$3,200
Monthly Costs
SaaS Subscription:
- Basic Plans: $50-$200/month
- Professional Plans: $100-$300/month
- Enterprise Plans: $200-$500/month
Typical Agency: $100-$300/month = $1,200-$3,600/year
Integration Costs
One-Time Setup:
- API Integration: 5-20 hours ($500-$2,000)
- Data Migration: 5-15 hours ($500-$1,500)
- Custom Branding: 0-10 hours ($0-$1,000)
Total Integration: $1,000-$4,500
Total Cost of Ownership (3 Years)
Year 1: $400-$3,200 (setup) + $1,200-$3,600 (subscription) + $1,000-$4,500 (integration) = $2,600-$11,300
Years 2-3: $1,200-$3,600/year = $2,400-$7,200
3-Year Total: $5,000-$18,500
Cost Comparison
| Approach | Year 1 | 3-Year Total | |----------|--------|--------------| | Build Custom | $76,600-$132,000 | $149,800-$264,000 | | Buy SaaS | $2,600-$11,300 | $5,000-$18,500 | | Savings (Buy) | $74,000-$120,700 | $144,800-$245,500 |
Buying saves 95-98% compared to building.
Build vs Buy: Pros and Cons
Now let's look at the qualitative factors:
Building Custom: Pros
1. Complete Control
- Customize every feature
- Match exact workflow
- No limitations
- Full ownership
2. No Monthly Fees
- One-time development cost
- No recurring subscription
- Lower long-term cost (theoretically)
3. Competitive Advantage
- Unique features
- Differentiation
- Intellectual property
4. Integration
- Deep integration with your systems
- Custom workflows
- Seamless experience
Building Custom: Cons
1. High Upfront Cost
- $40,000-$66,000 initial investment
- Significant capital required
- Opportunity cost
2. Long Development Time
- 3-6 months to build
- Delayed benefits
- Risk of delays
3. Ongoing Maintenance
- $3,000-$5,500/month
- Requires developer time
- Never-ending costs
4. Technical Risk
- Security vulnerabilities
- Bugs and issues
- Scalability challenges
- Technology changes
5. Opportunity Cost
- Developer time on billable work
- Delayed other projects
- Lost revenue
6. Limited Features
- Only what you build
- Missing industry best practices
- Reinventing the wheel
Buying SaaS: Pros
1. Lower Cost
- $100-$300/month
- No large upfront investment
- Predictable expenses
2. Faster Implementation
- Live in days/weeks, not months
- Immediate benefits
- Quick ROI
3. Proven Solution
- Battle-tested features
- Industry best practices
- Used by thousands of agencies
4. Ongoing Updates
- New features automatically
- Security updates
- Technology improvements
- No maintenance burden
5. Support Included
- Customer support
- Documentation
- Training resources
- Community
6. Scalability
- Handles growth automatically
- No infrastructure concerns
- Cloud-based reliability
Buying SaaS: Cons
1. Less Customization
- Limited to platform features
- May not match exact workflow
- Some limitations
2. Monthly Fees
- Ongoing cost
- Increases over time
- Vendor lock-in risk
3. Less Control
- Dependent on vendor
- Feature roadmap not yours
- Potential changes
4. Integration Limitations
- May not integrate perfectly
- API limitations
- Workaround needed
Decision Framework
Use this framework to make your decision:
Factor 1: Budget
Question: Do you have $40,000-$66,000 for initial development?
Build if: Yes, and you have ongoing budget for maintenance Buy if: No, or budget is limited
Most agencies: Buy (budget constraints)
Factor 2: Timeline
Question: How quickly do you need the portal?
Build if: 6+ months is acceptable Buy if: Need it in <3 months
Most agencies: Buy (need it quickly)
Factor 3: Technical Resources
Question: Do you have developers available for 3-6 months?
Build if: Yes, and they're not needed for billable work Buy if: No, or developers are billable
Most agencies: Buy (developers are billable)
Factor 4: Customization Needs
Question: Do you need features that don't exist in SaaS solutions?
Build if: Yes, and features are critical Buy if: No, or standard features work
Most agencies: Buy (standard features sufficient)
Factor 5: Maintenance Capacity
Question: Can you maintain a custom portal long-term?
Build if: Yes, ongoing developer time available Buy if: No, or want to focus on client work
Most agencies: Buy (want to focus on clients)
Factor 6: Scale
Question: How many clients will use the portal?
Build if: 100+ clients, complex needs Buy if: <100 clients, standard needs
Most agencies: Buy (most have <50 clients)
Decision Matrix
Score each factor (1-5, where 5 = strongly favors build, 1 = strongly favors buy):
| Factor | Your Score | Weight | Weighted Score | |-------|-----------|--------|----------------| | Budget Available | ___ | 20% | ___ | | Timeline Flexibility | ___ | 15% | ___ | | Technical Resources | ___ | 20% | ___ | | Customization Needs | ___ | 15% | ___ | | Maintenance Capacity | ___ | 15% | ___ | | Scale Requirements | ___ | 15% | ___ | | Total | | 100% | ___ |
Scoring Guide:
- 5: Strongly favors building (custom needs, resources available)
- 4: Somewhat favors building
- 3: Neutral
- 2: Somewhat favors buying
- 1: Strongly favors buying (standard needs, limited resources)
Decision:
- 4.0-5.0: Build custom (if you have budget and resources)
- 2.5-3.9: Consider hybrid (buy + customize)
- 1.0-2.4: Buy SaaS (recommended for most agencies)
When Building Makes Sense
Building custom is right when:
1. Unique Requirements
- Features that don't exist anywhere
- Critical competitive advantage
- Highly specialized workflow
2. Scale
- 100+ clients
- Complex enterprise needs
- Significant customization required
3. Resources
- In-house development team
- Budget for development and maintenance
- Technical expertise
4. Strategic Investment
- Portal is core to business model
- Will be productized/sold
- Long-term strategic asset
Example: Enterprise agency with 200+ clients, unique workflow requirements, in-house development team, and portal as core differentiator.
When Buying Makes Sense
Buying SaaS is right when:
1. Standard Needs
- Standard client portal features
- File sharing, project visibility, invoicing
- Common agency workflows
2. Limited Resources
- Small team
- Developers are billable
- Limited budget
3. Speed to Market
- Need portal quickly
- Can't wait 3-6 months
- Immediate client needs
4. Focus on Core Business
- Want to focus on client work
- Don't want to maintain software
- Prefer proven solutions
Example: Most agencies (5-50 clients, standard needs, want to focus on clients, limited technical resources).
Hybrid Approach: Buy + Customize
Some agencies take a middle path:
What it is: Buy a SaaS solution and customize it
How it works:
- Use AgencyPro Client Portal or similar
- Customize branding and design
- Integrate with your tools
- Add custom features via API
Pros:
- Lower cost than building
- Faster than building
- Some customization
- Ongoing updates included
Cons:
- Still limited by platform
- Customization costs extra
- May hit limitations
Best for: Agencies that need some customization but don't want to build from scratch
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Small Agency (10 Clients)
Situation: 10 clients, need basic portal, limited budget
Decision: Buy SaaS (AgencyPro Client Portal)
Cost: $100/month = $1,200/year
Result: Portal live in 1 week, clients happy, team saves 5 hours/week on support
ROI: 500%+ (saves $15,000/year in time, costs $1,200/year)
Example 2: Mid-Size Agency (50 Clients)
Situation: 50 clients, need advanced features, considering custom build
Decision: Buy SaaS + Customize
Cost: $300/month + $5,000 customization = $8,600 first year
Result: Portal live in 3 weeks, advanced features, clients love it
ROI: 300%+ (saves $30,000/year in time, costs $8,600/year)
Alternative (Build): Would have cost $50,000+ and taken 4-6 months
Example 3: Large Agency (200 Clients)
Situation: 200 clients, unique workflow, considering custom build
Decision: Build custom (made sense due to scale)
Cost: $60,000 development + $4,000/month maintenance
Result: Custom portal matching exact workflow, competitive advantage
ROI: Positive due to scale and unique requirements
Note: This is the exception, not the rule. Most agencies shouldn't build.
Making Your Decision
Here's a step-by-step process:
Step 1: Assess Your Needs
- What features do you need?
- How many clients will use it?
- What's your timeline?
- What's your budget?
Step 2: Research Options
- Look at SaaS solutions (AgencyPro, others)
- Understand what's available
- Compare features and pricing
- Read reviews and case studies
Step 3: Calculate Costs
- Build: Development + maintenance (3 years)
- Buy: Subscription + setup (3 years)
- Compare total cost of ownership
Step 4: Evaluate Resources
- Do you have developers?
- Can they work on this full-time?
- What's the opportunity cost?
Step 5: Use Decision Matrix
- Score each factor
- Calculate weighted score
- Make decision based on score
Step 6: Validate Decision
- Get team input
- Consider client needs
- Think long-term
- Make final decision
The Bottom Line
For 95% of agencies, buying a SaaS client portal is the right choice:
- Lower cost: 95-98% cheaper than building
- Faster: Live in days/weeks vs. months
- Proven: Battle-tested by thousands of agencies
- Less risk: No development risk, ongoing updates
- Better focus: Focus on clients, not software
Building custom makes sense only if:
- You have unique requirements that don't exist
- You have significant scale (100+ clients)
- You have in-house developers available
- You have budget for development and maintenance
- Portal is core to your business model
For most agencies, buying a client portal solution is the smart choice. You'll save money, time, and headaches while getting a better solution faster.
The question isn't whether you need a client portal. The question is: will you build one (and spend $150K+) or buy one (and spend $5K-$18K)?
Ready to get a client portal without the development headache? Try AgencyPro's client portal and be live in days, not months.