What is the starting price for a custom portal?

Focused custom portals from Porthline start from £6,000: one defined workflow for one group of users, with secure logins, roles and permissions, and testing before launch. More user types, screens, integrations and stricter security move the price up, and larger multi-team systems are scoped separately. The final price is agreed in writing before any build begins.

Can you give a ballpark before scoping?

Yes, within reason. Once I know how many types of user there are, the main screens and what it connects to, I can say whether it sits near the £6,000 starting point or well above it. A firm price comes after a short scoping conversation, and it is put in writing before anything is built.

Is it a one-off cost or ongoing?

The build is a one-off cost. Hosting, third-party services you use with it and ongoing support are separate and ongoing. Portal support is scoped to the system rather than priced from the £175 per month website care figure, which covers websites only.

Does a small internal tool cost the same as a portal?

Not necessarily. £6,000 is the starting point for a focused portal with logins, roles and testing. A smaller internal tool or dashboard without those needs is scoped on its own and can start lower, and sometimes an automation sprint from £2,000 is the better fit.

Is custom always more expensive than off-the-shelf?

Not always. Off-the-shelf can look cheaper monthly but add up over time, especially with per-user fees and features you do not use. A focused custom tool can work out better value. Where an off-the-shelf tool genuinely fits, I will say so.

What is the cheapest way to start?

Build the single workflow that wastes the most time, keep it simple, and extend later. That gets you value fast without a large upfront commitment. If you are not sure which workflow that is, the Workflow & Systems Review is designed to answer it.

Guide · Portals

How much does a custom portal cost?

Short answer

A focused custom portal from Porthline starts from £6,000: one defined workflow for one group of users, with secure logins, roles and permissions, and proper testing before launch. The price rises with each extra type of user, each additional screen or rule, every system it connects to and any stricter security requirement, and larger multi-team systems are scoped separately. Hosting, ongoing support and third-party services are separate from the build. The final price is agreed in writing before any build begins.

Where the price starts, and what you get for it

From £6,000. That is the starting point for a focused portal: a working prototype agreed with you first, then a customer or staff application for one defined workflow, secure logins with roles and permissions, testing against real cases, launch and handover. It is a starting point, not a package price, and the same figure sits alongside the other starting points on the services page.

Not every internal tool is a portal. A small dashboard or internal tool that does not need logins and roles is scoped on its own and can start lower than £6,000. Sometimes the right answer is an automation sprint, from £2,000, connecting the tools you already use rather than building new screens at all.

What moves the price up

A few things make the biggest difference, in roughly this order:

User types. One customer-facing workflow is simpler than customers, staff and suppliers each with their own view and permissions.

Screens, statuses and rules. Each additional screen, status and business rule adds design, build and testing. A focused first version keeps this down.

Integrations. Connecting to a CRM, booking system, accounting software or payments takes more than a standalone portal, and depends on what those systems allow.

Security and data. Sensitive data, stricter access controls, audit history and document handling raise the bar, and the cost.

Several teams in one system. Once a system serves multiple user groups with approval flows between them, it is scoped separately rather than priced from the focused-portal figure.

Ongoing costs to plan for

Support. A portal is software your team depends on, so plan for someone to look after it. Portal support is agreed separately from the build and sized to the system; it is not the website care figure of £175 per month, which covers websites only. Portal and automation support is scoped separately.

Hosting and third-party services. Third-party services you use alongside the build, such as a booking system, CRM, email or AI usage and your domain, are your own subscriptions and are separate from these figures. Hosting for a focused portal is usually modest, and you are told what it is before launch.

Not sure a portal is the right fix?

The £750 Workflow & Systems Review maps the process, puts your own numbers against it and says whether a portal, a connection between existing tools or a plain rule is the smallest practical fix. Credited in full against an implementation commissioned within 60 days. If you already know what you need, skip it and ask for a scoped proposal instead.

How to keep it affordable

Start with the single workflow that is costing you the most time, and build that well. You get value quickly, learn what your team actually uses, and extend from there. A smaller first version is almost always the smarter spend.

Common mistakes

×Scoping everything up front instead of building the core first.

×Choosing the cheapest quote without a clear scope behind it.

×Forgetting to budget for support and small changes after launch.