{"id":1336,"slug":"rule-default-buy-portal-not-build","title":"R1 — Default to BUY, not build, for client portals; recommend a horizontal platform ($19-79/mo) or the bundled vertical-SaaS portal","kind":"rule","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","smb-owner","candid-team"],"topics":["agency-methodology","client-portals","build-vs-buy-software"],"reference_body":"**Rule:** Default Candid recommendation for any client-portal scope: **buy, not build**. Start with a horizontal platform ($19-79/mo: [[suitedash-pricing-19mo-unlimited-users]], [[honeybook-dubsado-pricing-tiers-2026]]) or, better, the portal already **bundled in the vertical SaaS the SMB uses** ([[clio-jobber-housecall-pricing-vertical-bundles]], [[taxdome-karbon-buildium-appfolio-pricing-vertical-bundles]]). Custom only if [[narrow-cases-where-custom-portal-justified]] holds.\n\n**Why:** A bought portal is **cheap and ubiquitous** ([[suitedash-pricing-19mo-unlimited-users]]); a custom build is **$20-60K + 15-20%/yr** ([[custom-portal-build-20-60k-15-20pct-maintenance]]) and over 5 years routinely exceeds the bought cost. **Buying does not relieve PIPEDA accountability** ([[control-accountability-third-party-processor]]) but does shift the *operational* security burden — encryption, MFA, patching — to the vendor. For most SMBs that's a strict gain.\n\n**How to apply:**\n- Lead every portal conversation with the bundled-vertical-SaaS option if the SMB is in law / accounting / home services / property mgmt.\n- Custom proposal only when one of the [[narrow-cases-where-custom-portal-justified]] five conditions clearly holds.\n- Resist the \"we want it custom-built for our brand\" reflex — most of that need is met by white-labeling on SuiteDash / HoneyBook / Clinked.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"rule-rent-or-use-free-for-data-about-the-world","title":"R1 — Rent (or use free) for data ABOUT THE OUTSIDE WORLD; you will never out-collect the Census Bureau","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"suitedash-pricing-19mo-unlimited-users","title":"SuiteDash — CRM + portal + projects + invoicing + scheduling; portal core; from $19/month unlimited users (2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"clio-jobber-housecall-pricing-vertical-bundles","title":"Vertical SaaS portal bundles: Clio (legal $39-149/user), Jobber (home services ~$69), Housecall Pro ($59-169) — 2026","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"custom-portal-build-20-60k-15-20pct-maintenance","title":"Custom portal build economics — $20K-60K initial, 3-12 months, 15-20%/year maintenance (~$3K-10K+/yr) for patches/auth/updates","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"narrow-cases-where-custom-portal-justified","title":"Five narrow cases where a custom portal is justified: unmodeled workflow / proprietary integration / portal-is-the-product / data-residency / scale-inversion","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-client-portals-smb-june-2026","title":"Research brief: client portals for SMBs — the honest case (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"article-client-portals-for-smbs-when-worth-it","title":"Article (draft): Most small businesses don't need a custom client portal — some don't need one at all","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"rule-for-customer-facing-default-to-pdf-or-link-first","title":"R3 — For customer-facing reporting, default to the lightest delivery first: scheduled PDF or shared reporting link; embed only when the four-condition narrow band holds","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-20T17:57:32.209Z","updated_at":"2026-06-20T17:57:32.209Z"}