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Guide · Updated October 2026

How much does a website cost? A practical breakdown

What you are actually paying for when you buy a business website or an online store, what pushes the price up, what it costs to run afterwards – and how to read a web design quote.

“How much does a website cost?” has no single answer, in the same way that “how much does a car cost?” has none. A one-page site built on a template and a custom online store with integrations are both “websites”. What you can do is understand what goes into the price, so that you compare quotes on the same basis.

What you are paying for

Most of the price of a website is time – design, development, testing and the back-and-forth needed to get it right. A professional quote usually covers:

  • Planning: agreeing pages, structure and features before work starts
  • Design: layout, typography and colours for the key pages, adapted to your brand
  • Development: building the site, responsive on phones, tablets and desktops
  • Content setup: adding your text and images, or writing and preparing them
  • Integrations: forms, maps, payments, shipping, invoicing, newsletters, CRM
  • Basics that are easy to skip: speed optimisation, page titles and descriptions, accessibility, security, cookie consent
  • Launch and training: publishing, testing and showing your team how to edit the site

Your options, from cheapest to most tailored

Website builders

A monthly subscription and a template. Fast and cheap to start, but you are tied to the platform and its limits, and you do all the work yourself.

Freelancers

Often the lowest price for a custom site. Quality and availability vary a lot, so check the portfolio and who maintains the site afterwards.

Web studios and agencies

A team that handles design, development, launch and maintenance. Usually more expensive than a freelancer, with more predictable delivery and support.

Real prices, as a reference

Prices vary a lot between countries and providers. As a concrete reference, these are our own starting prices, without VAT:

  • Presentation website (3–5 pages, your existing brand): from €350
  • Professional website (6–8 pages, custom design): from €500
  • WooCommerce store: from €750 (up to 30 products), €1,250 (up to 100 products, automation) or €2,500 (advanced)
  • Maintenance: €50 per month for websites, from €200 per month for online stores

Full details are on our pricing page.

What pushes the price up

  • More pages and a more complex structure
  • A fully custom design instead of working from your existing brand
  • Features such as bookings, customer accounts, advanced filters or multilingual content
  • Integrations with payment, shipping, invoicing or CRM systems
  • Content that has to be written, translated or photographed
  • Migrating an existing site, especially an online store with products, customers and orders

What it costs to run a website

The build is a one-off cost. Running the site is not. Budget for:

  • Domain name, renewed every year
  • Hosting, monthly or yearly, depending on traffic and the type of site
  • Maintenance: updates, backups, security checks and small changes
  • Licences for premium themes or plugins, if the site uses them
  • Content and marketing, if you want the site to bring in new customers

How to read a web design quote

Before comparing prices, check that each quote answers the same questions:

  • Which pages and features are included – in writing?
  • Who provides the content, and what happens if it is late?
  • How many rounds of design changes are included?
  • Who owns the website, the code, the domain and the hosting account?
  • What happens after launch: support, fixes, maintenance price?
  • What is the timeline, and how are payments split?

Red flags

  • No written scope – just a price
  • The domain or hosting registered in the provider’s name, not yours
  • No mention of mobile, speed, security or accessibility
  • A price far below every other quote, with no explanation of what is left out
  • No answer to “who maintains the site after launch?”

Frequently asked questions

Because they rarely describe the same website. Differences in design work, features, content, testing and support after launch explain most of the gap. Ask each provider for a written scope.

No. A simple, template-based site can be the right choice for a small business. What matters is that you know what you are getting, and that you own the result.

It depends on the provider and your country. Our prices are shown without VAT, which is applied where required by law.

A presentation website usually takes 2–4 weeks once the content is ready. Online stores take longer, typically 3–6 weeks depending on the package.

Want a fixed price for your website?

Tell us what you need. You get a written scope, a fixed price and a timeline before any work starts.

Get a quote