Most small businesses spend between $500 and $15,000 on a professionally built website. Where you land in that range depends on who builds it and what the site has to do. A simple site from a freelancer sits at the low end; a custom site from an agency, with booking, payments or integrations, sits at the high end. Online stores and custom software cost more again.
This guide breaks down what each option typically costs in 2026, what you'll pay every month after launch, and the five factors that decide your quote.
How much does a website cost by who builds it?
The biggest driver of price is who does the work. Here are typical 2026 ranges from two recent pricing guides, Levitate (February 2026) and WD Strategies (February 2026):
| Who builds it | Typical upfront cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| You, with a website builder | $0 to $500 | A simple placeholder site while you're starting out |
| A freelancer | About $500 to $5,000 (premium freelancers up to $10,000) | Small business sites with a clear brief |
| An agency | About $5,000 to $15,000 for a typical small business site | Businesses that want strategy, design and build in one team |
| Ecommerce build | Roughly $3,000 to $25,000 or more | Online stores with payments, shipping and inventory |
| Custom or enterprise | $15,000 to $100,000 or more | Complex platforms, portals and integrations |
These ranges overlap because the line between a "big freelancer" and a "small agency" is blurry. What matters more is what's included, which we cover below.
What does a website cost to run each month?
The build is a one-time cost. Running the site is ongoing. WD Strategies puts a typical small business site at about $10 to $200 a month all in. The main items:
| Running cost | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Domain name | $10 to $20 a year for a standard domain |
| Shared hosting | $5 to $20 a month |
| Managed hosting | $30 to $150 or more a month |
| Shopify subscription (online stores) | From $29 a month billed yearly, per Shopify's pricing page |
| Plugins, apps and add-ons | $5 to $100 or more a month per tool |
| Maintenance plan (optional) | $50 to $150 a month from a freelancer; $100 to $1,000 from an agency |
Make sure your domain and hosting accounts are in your name, not your web designer's. It costs nothing extra and saves a lot of trouble if you ever switch providers.
What decides the price of your website?
Two quotes for "a five-page website" can differ by thousands of dollars because they describe different jobs. These five factors explain most of the difference.
1. How many pages and unique layouts you need
A one-page landing site and a 30-page service business site with a page per service and per town are very different amounts of work. More unique page designs mean more design and build time.
2. What the site has to do
Online booking, payments, customer accounts, quote calculators and memberships each add work. A contact form is simple; a booking system that syncs with your calendar and takes deposits is not.
3. Connections to other tools
Linking your CRM, scheduling software, accounting tool or inventory system takes setup and testing. Each integration adds to the quote.
4. Content you have, and content you need
If your copy and photos are ready, the build costs less. If the designer writes the words, sources photos or produces graphics, that's part of the price, and it's often worth it.
5. Support after launch
Some quotes include a period of free fixes, training and hosting setup. Others stop the day the site goes live. Ask what happens if something breaks a week after launch.
How much do different types of websites cost?
Rather than one number, it helps to think in project shapes:
- Landing page. One page, one goal, such as a single service or an ad campaign. The quickest and cheapest option, usually live in one to two weeks.
- Small business or lead generation website. A homepage, service pages, about, contact and often service-area pages. This is what most local businesses need, and where the freelancer and agency ranges above apply.
- Online store. Product and collection pages, checkout, payments, shipping and taxes. Platform fees such as Shopify's subscription come on top of the build.
- Custom software or app. Client portals, booking engines and dashboards. These are usually scoped and priced in phases.
How to avoid overpaying for a website
- Get the scope in writing. A fixed quote should list the pages, features and content included, plus the timeline.
- Avoid open-ended hourly billing for a defined project. Hourly work suits ongoing changes, not a new build.
- Ask to see work in your industry. A designer who knows how your customers buy will need less hand-holding.
- Check who owns what. You should own the domain, the hosting account, the content and the site files.
- Ask how changes are made after launch. You want an editor you can use, not a developer on call for every typo.
- Don't pay for features you won't use yet. Launch with what brings in customers now, and add the rest later.
Questions to ask before you hire a web designer
- What exactly is included in the price, and what would cost extra?
- Will I be able to edit the site myself?
- Do you build on a staging site, so my current site stays live until launch?
- What happens if something breaks after launch?
- Is SEO included, and what does that mean in practice?
- Can I see two or three sites you've built for businesses like mine?
How we price websites at Devlonic
We quote every project as a fixed price, in writing, before work starts. You answer a few questions about your business, and within one business day you get the scope, price and timeline. Every site is built on a staging copy first, you get a recorded walkthrough at handover, and if something we built breaks in the first 14 days after launch, we fix it at no charge.
If you'd like a number for your project, request a quote. You can also read how our pricing works.