What goes into a custom CRM
An off-the-shelf CRM often asks you to work the way it was designed. A custom CRM starts from the way you sell: your steps, your documents, your follow-ups. Here’s a typical one, which comes to CHF 15,000.
| Step | What gets done |
|---|---|
| Workshop on how you sell | One sale followed from first contact to invoice, with the people who sell. |
| Data model | What you keep on each client, and how it all connects. |
| Clients and contacts | The records, the history, the search. |
| Pipeline and tasks | Your sales steps, the follow-ups, who does what. |
| Email and calendar | Messages and appointments, filed on the right record. |
| Quotes and invoices | Your quotes and invoices, prepared from the client’s record. |
| Dashboards | Deals in progress, what’s signed, what’s stalling. |
| Importing your data | Your current files, imported and checked. |
| Roles and security | Who sees what, and who can change what. |
| Testing | With your real data and the people who will use the CRM. |
| Training | Your team at ease with the tool. |
The calculator counts module by module. Set to a CRM like this one, with one connected tool, it gives CHF 15,600 to 20,300. The range covers what we find out in the workshop, and the quote pins it down before we start.
You pay a fixed price, written into the quote, and the code is yours at the end.
The smallest CRM, to get started
You don’t need everything on day one. A CRM can start with just one thing: a clean database of your clients and contacts, shared by the whole team. With the base that every app shares, that comes to CHF 7,300 to 9,500.
Then you add what’s missing, when you need it: tracking sales and tasks, quotes and invoices, email and calendar. Each module has its price in the calculator.
Building your own CRM: how it works
Creating your own CRM doesn’t start with code. It starts with the way you sell.
- The workshop. We follow one sale, from first contact to invoice, with you and the people who sell. Whatever gets stuck shows up fast.
- The mockups. You see the screens and correct them before the first line of code.
- The first version. The modules you chose, built, then tested with your real data.
- Import and training. Your current files are imported, and your team learns to use the CRM.
On your side, get your current files ready: a spreadsheet or an export from your old tool. Add a sample quote and invoice, and the list of tools that need to talk to each other.
A DIY CRM in Notion or a spreadsheet?
For one or two people, a Notion database or a well-kept spreadsheet can be enough. You set it up yourself, and you adjust it whenever you like.
It often starts to break down as the team grows. Who’s allowed to see what? Who follows up with this client? Quotes get redone by hand, and duplicates creep in. That’s often the moment a real CRM, off the shelf or custom, becomes useful.
Custom CRM or off-the-shelf software
Often, an off-the-shelf CRM is the right choice, and we’ll tell you so. HubSpot or Pipedrive can be up and running quickly. Their paid plans are usually billed every month, often by the number of users. In fact, few providers publish a price for a custom CRM: most of them install an off-the-shelf one (surveyed in November 2026).
An off-the-shelf CRM will suit you better if:
- the way you sell looks like the way many other businesses sell;
- only a few of you will use it;
- you need it next week.
Custom is worth it if:
- you pay for several subscriptions that don’t talk to each other well, and your team keeps retyping the same information;
- the way you sell is what sets you apart, and a standard tool forces you to bend it out of shape;
- the number of users drives the subscription up every month;
- you want the tool and its data to be yours.
To compare, put side by side what the subscription costs each month for your whole team, and what custom costs: once to build it, then CHF 800 a month for ongoing development, if you take it. Off-the-shelf CRMs, their prices and how to choose one are on our page CRM for small businesses in Switzerland.
What changes the price
- The modules: each one, dashboards for example, has its price in the calculator.
- A portal for your clients, where they find their quotes and documents: CHF 3,000.
- A built-in AI assistant: CHF 1,500.
- The tools to connect, like your accounting software or your email: about CHF 600 per tool.
- Different permissions for different people: CHF 800.
What’s included, and what isn’t
Included: the workshop, the mockups, the development, the testing, the data import set out in the quote, the launch and the training. The code and the data are yours.
Optional: ongoing development after launch, for fixes and new features, CHF 800 a month, if you want it.
Guarantee: The CRM is delivered when it does what the quote describes, tested on your real cases.
When another provider is a better fit
A CRM, yes. A full ERP, which also runs production, inventory across several sites and accounting, calls for a bigger team that specializes in your industry. The same goes for a CRM that has to serve hundreds of salespeople in several countries. We’ll tell you so in our very first conversation.