1. Cost by tier
| What you're building | Cost | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Basic portal | $5,500–$10,000 | Client logins and password reset, documents and status, an admin view to manage client accounts. |
| Full portal | $16,000–$30,000 | Client, staff and admin roles, invoices and payments, threaded messaging, uploads, intake and approval forms. |
| Advanced portal | from $32,000 | Many permission levels, richer records, several outside systems, conditional notifications. |
| Online payments | $700–$1,200 | Stripe or Square checkout tied to invoices; processor fees are billed by the processor. |
| Simple integration | $750–$1,500 each | One-way connection to a service with an API key. |
| Two-way integration | $2,500–$5,500 each | OAuth login, webhooks and two-way sync with a tool like your CRM or project software. |
| AI connection | $2,500–$6,000 | Connects the AI service you already pay for to summarize and draft, with team approval. |
Already running a custom CRM, or planning one? A portal can sit on the same database, so a status change your team records shows up for the client right away. What a custom CRM costs →
2. What moves the price
Each range starts at the base build. These add-ons move a quote toward the top. For a basic portal:
| Add-on | Adds about |
|---|---|
| Secure login + password reset flow | +$1,200 |
| File upload + document download area | +$1,350 |
| Email notifications on updates | +$850 |
| Admin view to manage client accounts | +$1,100 |
For a full portal ($16,000–$30,000):
| Add-on | Adds about |
|---|---|
| Advanced auth: extra roles, SSO or MFA | +$2,200 |
| Per-role dashboard + summary cards | +$2,000 |
| Invoice listing + payment integration | +$2,450 |
| Threaded messaging + notifications | +$1,750 |
| File upload + document management | +$1,750 |
| REST API for mobile companion integration | +$1,650 |
| Transactional email (updates, reminders) | +$1,100 |
| Admin audit trail | +$1,100 |
Beyond the add-ons, three things decide where you land:
- Kinds of users. Clients and one admin is simple. Add project managers, contractors and billing-only staff, and every screen has to enforce who sees what.
- Kinds of data. One type of record (documents and a status) costs far less than five related ones with their own approval steps.
- Connections. Payments, your CRM, project software or accounting each add a line, priced above.
3. What's included and what's billed separately
Every build includes all the code, the database schema and the server configuration, and the database stays under your control. There's no license, no per-user fee and no per-client fee.
Billed separately:
- Hosting: Core at $60/mo (SSL, nightly backups, uptime monitoring), Care at $100/mo (adds an hour of content edits a month), or Priority at $180/mo.
- Changes after launch: content edits fit inside Care; new fields or features are quoted separately or billed at $100/hr.
- Third-party usage: your payment processor or AI service bills you directly at its own rates.
4. Build vs. subscribe
Portal software is priced by plan tier, and the entry plans are cheap. Here's the total for 3 people on your side over 5 years against a basic custom portal on Core hosting ($9,100–$13,600). Change the numbers to match your team.
| Option | How it's priced | Total | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| SuiteDash Pinnacle1 | $80 / mo (unlimited staff + clients, 2TB) | $4,800 | Subscription costs less |
| Assembly Professional2 | $99 / mo (500 active clients, 3 internal users) | $5,940 | Subscription costs less |
| HoneyBook Premium3 | $109 / mo (client portal, unlimited team members) | $6,540 | Subscription costs less |
| Clinked Standard4 | $191 / mo (100 members, 1TB) | $11,472 | About even |
| Assembly Advanced2 | $499 / mo (unlimited clients, 5 internal users) | $29,940 | Custom costs less |
| Custom build (ArdinGate) | $5,500–$10,000 once + $60/mo hosting | $9,100–$13,600 | You own it |
Each plan at its cheapest published rate (usually billed annually), plus required onboarding fees. Prices checked October 2026; vendors change them, so confirm on their pricing page. Your quote is fixed after a short discovery call.
At this size, the subscription costs less: SuiteDash Pinnacle, Assembly Professional and HoneyBook Premium all cost less than a basic custom portal. Clinked Standard comes out about even. Against Assembly Advanced, a custom build costs less. If one of the cheaper tools fits how you work, it's a sensible choice.
A custom portal earns its cost when the tool's data model doesn't match your work, when you want it fully on your domain and brand, when you'd need a higher tier for more users or clients, or when the portal should share one database with your CRM and invoicing. See the full portal software comparison → Using HoneyBook for CRM, proposals and invoices too? HoneyBook vs. a custom build →
5. How quotes work
The ranges here are the catalog. Your number comes from a short discovery call: who logs in, what they need to see and do, and what your team manages behind the scenes. You get a fixed written quote after that.
Timelines from the service page: a basic portal takes 6 to 10 weeks from signed scope, portals with several data types, uploads and basic payments 3 to 6 months, and multi-role builds with integrations mostly 6 to 12 months. Client portal development →
Get a number for your portal: Cost estimator →
6. Common questions
Is there a per-user or per-client fee on a custom portal?
No. You pay for the build once and for hosting each month ($60/mo on Core). Adding staff or clients costs nothing extra. Services you connect, like a payment processor, bill you directly at their own rates.
Is a custom portal cheaper than portal software?
For a small team, usually not. With 3 people on your side over 5 years, a basic custom portal on Core hosting comes to $9,100–$13,600. SuiteDash Pinnacle comes to $4,800. Custom earns its cost on fit, branding, data ownership and sharing one database with your CRM, and on price once you'd need a higher tier.
Can I start with a basic portal and add to it later?
Yes. A basic portal ($5,500–$10,000) covers logins, documents and status. Invoices, payments, messaging and more roles get added later as scoped projects on the same database, without a rebuild.
What does a client portal cost to run after launch?
Hosting is $60/mo on Core (SSL, nightly backups, uptime monitoring) or $100/mo on Care, which adds an hour of content edits a month. New fields or features are quoted separately or billed at $100/hr.
How long does a client portal take to build?
A basic portal (login, one data type, admin, no integrations) takes 6 to 10 weeks from signed scope. Portals with several data types, uploads, forms and basic payments take 3 to 6 months. Multi-tier roles and several integrations need individual scoping, mostly 6 to 12 months.
Can AI be added to a custom client portal?
Yes. If you already use an AI service (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, or any provider with an API), it can be connected to your portal to summarize notes, draft emails and replies, or answer questions about your records. You keep your own account and pay the provider directly for usage, and nothing it suggests changes your data until someone on your team approves it. Adding it runs $2,500–$6,000.
SuiteDash, Assembly, HoneyBook and Clinked are trademarks of their owners. ArdinGate isn't affiliated with any of them.