Website cost calculator & pricing guide 2026

Website development cost by project size

Understanding the cost to build a website starts with knowing your project scope. Website design pricing ranges from $1,000 to $10,000+ depending on complexity.

Here's what you get at each level:

Basic website: $1,000-$3,000

What's included: This package covers 1-3 pages (Home, About, Contact) with basic design using templates, a contact form, mobile-friendly layout.

Timeline: 2-4 weeks

Best for: New businesses, personal portfolios, event websites, testing an idea.

What you don't get: Custom design, blog, SEO optimization, complex features.

Standard business website: $3,000-$10,000

What's included: This package includes 3-15 pages with custom design (not a template), a blog section, contact and newsletter forms, custom graphics, basic animations, Google search optimization.

Timeline: 3-6 weeks

Good for: Established businesses, professional services, restaurants, service companies.

What you don't get: No online store functionality, user accounts, advanced integrations.

E-commerce website: $10,000+

What's included: This package offers unlimited pages with fully custom design, an online store with shopping cart, user accounts and logins, custom features and tools, payment processing, complex animations, software integrations, full accessibility.

Timeline: 8+ weeks

Good for: Online stores, marketplaces, membership sites, web applications, enterprise companies.

What you don't get: Nothing - this is a complete package.

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Free website cost calculator

Use our interactive calculator to get an instant estimate based on Designow's pricing standards:

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How much does a website cost for a small business in 2026?

Most small businesses spend around $3,000 to $7,000 for a professional website. That gets you 8-12 pages, custom design (not templates), contact forms, mobile optimization, and basic SEO setup.

Timeline? You're looking at 3 to 6 weeks.

Here's how the pricing breaks down. If you only need design and you'll handle development yourself, that's $1,500 to $3,000. A complete package with design plus development runs $3,000 to $7,000, and you get a website that's ready to launch.

Need an online store? That bumps the total to $6,000 to $12,000.

Don't forget the ongoing costs. Hosting is $60 to $300 a year. Your domain is another $10 to $50 annually. And if you want someone to keep things updated, that's an extra $500 to $2,000 per year. But that last one's optional.

Want to save money without sacrificing quality? Keep reading and we'll show you how to cut these costs by 40 to 60%.

What affects website price?

What am I paying for? Your money goes into a few different things. First, there's the design work: figuring out what your site needs, sketching out the layout, and making it look good. Then someone has to actually build it - that's the front-end coding (the stuff you see) and back-end development (all the behind-the-scenes functionality, like your content management system and databases). Finally, there's testing and launch, where they make sure everything works, fix bugs, and get your security sorted out.

Think about it like building a house. You need an architect to design it, a construction crew to build it, materials like lumber and concrete, and then someone to do the finishing work. Your website's the same deal. The designer is your architect. Developers are your construction crew. Hosting and your domain name are like your land and materials. And testing is making sure the doors actually open and the lights turn on. You need all of it.

Four main factors determine website development cost:

1. Number of pages and complexity

More pages and features = higher cost. Here are real examples:

• 3 pages, template design: $1,000-$2,000
• 10 pages, custom design, blog: $4,000-$6,000
• 15 pages, custom design, CMS, animations: $7,000-$10,000

The range depends on design complexity, features and who builds it.

2. Custom vs template design

Wondering which design approach to choose? Here's the honest breakdown:

3. Features and functionality

Each feature adds to the cost:

4. Designer experience level

Web design rates vary based on experience, which impacts both quality and price:

Website design pricing by provider type

Web design rates and website development cost vary significantly by provider in 2026. Web development timelines and quality also depend on your provider choice.

Here's a complete breakdown:

DIY website builders: $0-$500/year

Your time investment: 20-100 hours

How it works: You use drag-and-drop tools like Wix, Squarespace, or Webflow to build your site yourself.

Cost breakdown: Platform subscriptions run $0-$50/month, domains cost $10-$50/year, premium templates add $0-$100, and apps/plugins range from $0-$20/month.

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Best for: Solopreneurs, testing ideas, very tight budgets.

Reality check: You'll spend 40-100 hours learning the platform and building your site. Calculate your time at your hourly rate, often the "cheap" option isn't cheap.

For a detailed website builder comparison, read our Webflow vs WordPress guide.

Freelance web designers: $1,500-$10,000

Timeline: 3-8 weeks (based on average web designer hourly rate of $75-$125)

How it works: You hire an independent designer/developer who handles the entire project.

Cost breakdown: Design work costs $1,000-$4,000, development runs $1,500-$5,000, and most packages include 2-3 revision rounds.

Best for: Small businesses wanting custom design without agency prices.

Reality check: Quality varies dramatically. Always check portfolios and ask for references.

Design agencies: $5,000-$50,000+

Timeline: 6-12 weeks minimum

How it works: A team of specialists (designers, developers, project managers) handles your project.

Cost breakdown: Discovery & strategy costs $1,000-$5,000, design runs $3,000-$15,000, development ranges $5,000-$25,000, and testing & launch adds $1,000-$5,000.

Best for: Established businesses, companies with complex needs, enterprises.

Reality check: You're paying for expertise, reliability, and peace of mind. Agencies rarely disappear mid-project.

Monthly design retainer: $2,500-$10,000

Timeline: Continuous work

How it works: Fixed monthly fee for on-demand design and development work in 2026. Submit requests, get them completed, repeat.

Pricing tiers:

• Basic: $2,500-4,000/month (1 request at a time)
• Standard: $4,000-7,000/month (2 requests at a time)
• Premium: $7,000-10,000/month (unlimited requests)

Best for: Ongoing needs, continuous improvements, multiple landing pages, businesses that need flexibility

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Ongoing website costs (the hidden expenses)

The build cost is just the beginning. Your website needs ongoing care, like a car needs gas and maintenance.

Budget $600-$3,000+ per year for:

Essential ongoing costs:

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Pro tip: Skipping maintenance is like never changing your car's oil. Your site will slow down, break or get hacked. Budget for it from day one.

One-time additional costs

Professional photography: $500-$5,000 Professional photography covers product shots for e-commerce, team headshots, and office/location photos.

Professional copywriting: $500-$3,000 This includes homepage copy, service page descriptions, about page story, and product descriptions.

Logo and branding: $300-$5,000 This is a separate project from web design that includes logo, color palette, fonts, and a brand guidelines document.

Post-launch costs: Bug fixes for the first 30 days are usually included. Feature additions cost $500-$3,000 each, and design updates run $1,000-$5,000 annually.

Complete website launch checklist

Full website vs landing page

Many people confuse these two. Here's the clear distinction:

Check our guide on landing page costs - they typically range from $1,000 to $5,000 depending on how complex they are.

When to choose full websites

Full websites suit businesses needing blogs and content marketing, multiple service pages, about and team pages, resources sections or complete online presences.

When to choose landing pages

Use landing pages when you're testing new products or offers, running paid advertising campaigns, launching rapidly (days, not months) or focusing on single conversion goals. Landing pages provide speed and focus without multi-page website complexity.

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Pro tip: Start with landing page MVPs. Add pages later as you validate market fit. Most startups waste money building 20-page websites before proving anyone wants their product.

Website redesign cost (Refreshing an existing site)

Redesign vs starting from scratch

A redesign updates the parts that aren't working while keeping the good stuff. A complete rebuild means starting fresh - it gives you more freedom but takes more time and money. Switching from WordPress to Webflow makes editing easier, but you might need a developer's help if you're using complicated plugins.

Already have a website but need to update it? Here's what website redesign pricing looks like in 2026:

Full redesign: $3,000-$15,000

What's included: This package preserves existing content while delivering a complete new visual design, improved user experience, modern layout and styling, SEO migration that preserves rankings, mobile optimization, updated CMS/platform if needed.

Timeline: 4-8 weeks

Best for: Outdated sites (3+ years old), poor conversion rates, not mobile-friendly, rebrand needed

Partial redesign: $1,000-$5,000

What's included: This package covers the homepage plus 2-3 key pages, keeping the existing structure while providing a visual refresh only. It updates colors, fonts, and images, includes minor layout improvements.

Timeline: 2-4 weeks

Best for: Recent sites needing visual updates, limited budget, testing new design direction

Website cost by industry

Different industries have different website needs in 2026. An online store requires different features than a law firm or restaurant.

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These ranges assume 8-12 pages, custom design, and standard features for each industry.

Need a single landing page? Landing page costs range from $500-$2,000 depending on complexity and features.

Payment options for website design

What if I don't have $5,000 just sitting around?

Look, not everyone can drop that kind of cash all at once. Most web designers get that, so here's how they typically handle payments.

The standard way is a 50/50 split. You pay half upfront to lock in your spot and get the design work started. Then you pay the other half when everything's done, right before your site goes live.

For bigger projects (we're talking $10,000 and up), they usually break it into three chunks: a third when you start, another third once you approve the design, and the final third when the site launches.

Some agencies will even let you pay monthly. You might pay somewhere between $500 and $1,500 a month for 6 to 12 months. Or they'll set you up on a retainer where you pay the same amount each month while they work on your site.

A couple things to keep in mind: most payment plans don't charge interest, but some agencies will hit you with a small processing fee (usually 1-3%). And this is important: always get the payment terms in writing. And seriously, never pay the full amount upfront for a one-time project. If someone asks for 100% before they start, that's a red flag.

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Important notes: Payment plans usually don't include interest, though some agencies charge a 1-3% processing fee. Always get payment terms in writing, and never pay 100% upfront for one-off projects.

How to reduce website costs (and save money)

You can cut costs significantly without sacrificing quality. Here's exactly how:

1. Prepare content yourself

Savings: $500-$2,000

Write your own page copy and gather images before hiring a designer. Designers charge $50-$150/hour for content creation.

What to prepare: Gather text for all pages, your logo in high resolution, photos and images, contact information, and social media links before you start.

2. Use templates wisely

Savings: $2,000-$4,000

Template design costs 50% less than custom design.

Good middle ground: Buy a premium template for $50-$100, then hire a designer to customize it for $1,500-$3,000. Total cost: $1,550-$3,100 versus $5,000-$8,000 for fully custom.

3. Start small, expand later

Savings: $1,500-$3,000

Launch with 3-5 essential pages. Add blog and extra features after you generate revenue.

Phase 1 (Launch): Start with Home, About, Services, and Contact pages.

Phase 2 (3-6 months later): Add your blog, case studies, and additional service pages once you're generating revenue.

4. Skip unnecessary features

Savings: $2,000-$5,000

Don't pay for features you won't use in the first 6 months. Skip the live chat widget (saves $500-$1,000), complex animations (saves $800-$1,500), booking system if you don't need it yet (saves $1,500-$3,000), and member areas (saves $2,000-$4,000).

5. Choose the right provider

Savings: $3,000-$8,000

Experienced freelancers cost 40-60% less than agencies for similar quality.

Example: An agency charges $12,000 while an experienced freelancer costs $6,000 for the same project. That's $6,000 in savings.

Budget reduction example

Original quote: $7,000

Reductions:

• DIY content and images: saves $1,500
• Template customization instead of custom design: saves $2,000
• Launch with 5 pages instead of 12: saves $1,500
• Skip custom animations: saves $800

Total savings: $5,800

New cost: $1,200

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Pro tip: The more prepared you are, the lower your costs. Designers often charge extra for "figure it out as we go" projects because they take twice as long.

Why does website design matter?

Before you try to cut corners, understand what you're risking:

First impressions are fast

People form an opinion about your website in 0.05 seconds (Google Research). That's faster than a blink.

Good design increases conversions

A clean interface can increase conversions by up to 200% (Forrester). That means double the leads or sales from the same traffic.

Design affects trust

75% of people judge credibility based on design (Stanford Research). An outdated or poorly designed site screams "unprofessional."

Developing with SEO/AEO and speed in mind

Websites that load in 2 seconds show a 9% bounce rate. At 5 seconds it climbs to 38% (Cloudway whitepaper). Every second of delay costs you real money.

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It's like turning away revenue before it even has a chance to reach you.

Website cost mistakes to avoid

Avoid these common mistakes that waste money:

1. Paying 100% upfront

Problem: Removes your leverage if problems arise

Standard: 50% down, 50% at launch

2. Choosing cheapest without checking portfolio

Problem: $1,000 website from inexperienced designer often needs $2,000 rebuild within a year.

Better investment: Pay $3,000 to experienced designer vs $1,000 + $2,000 rebuild = $3,000 total (plus lost time and frustration)

3. Skipping hosting budget

Problem: Cheap shared hosting ($5/month) causes slow load times and poor SEO

Solution: Budget $20-30/month for decent performance

Why it matters: 1 second delay = 7% fewer conversions

4. Not budgeting for updates

Problem: Content changes, security updates, and bug fixes cost $500-$2,000/year

Solution: Set aside $50-150/month for maintenance

5. Paying for features you don't need

Problem: Booking systems, member areas, and live chat cost $1,000-$3,000 each

Solution: Only add features you'll use in first 3 months

Ask yourself: Will I use this weekly? Does it directly generate revenue? Can I add it later? If the answers are no/no/yes, skip it for now.

6. No contract or unclear terms

Problem: Disputes over scope, revisions, timeline

Solution: Always get a written agreement covering exact deliverables, number of revision rounds, timeline milestones, payment schedule, and what happens if the project is cancelled.

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