Question 1

Why build custom vs use HubSpot?

Accepted Answer

HubSpot Professional starts €800/month × 5 seats = €4.000/month, €48k/year. After 12-18 months, a custom CRM tailored to your exact sales flow has paid for itself and you own the data + workflows. Custom CRM makes sense at 5+ users with specific workflow needs HubSpot can't model elegantly.

Question 2

What does a custom CRM include?

Accepted Answer

Contact management, deal pipeline (Kanban + table views), task management, email integration (Gmail/Outlook), notification system, custom fields, role-based access, audit log, GDPR-compliant data export, mobile-responsive web app + optional iOS/Android wrapper.

Question 3

How much and how long?

Accepted Answer

From €15.000 for a focused MVP (3 user roles, 5-7 core features). €30.000-€60.000 for full custom platform with automation, reporting, mobile apps. Timeline: 8-12 weeks MVP, 4-6 months full build.

Question 4

Client portal too?

Accepted Answer

Yes — a common addition. Client logs in to see project status, invoices, deliverables, message thread, file shares. Reduces email volume by ~60% for service businesses. Built same stack: Next.js + Postgres + Stripe + S3.

Own your CRM.

Frequently asked questions.

Why custom vs HubSpot?

What's included?

Cost + time?

Client portal?