What does a website cost? 2026 price ranges – from site builders to web apps
What a website really costs in 2026 – from zero-euro builders to a custom business site. Transparent price ranges, ongoing costs and what to check before you hire anyone.
“What does a website cost?” is the question we hear most – and the one with the most half-truths online. The honest answer: somewhere between €0 and €25,000, depending on what you need. This guide makes that range concrete, so in 2026 you neither overpay nor cut corners in the wrong place.
In short
- Website builder (Wix, Squarespace): from ~€10–50 per month, but it costs your time and locks you to one provider.
- Freelancer one-pager: typically €800–2,500 one-off.
- Custom business website: €3,000–10,000, depending on scope.
- Online shop / web app: €5,000–25,000 and up.
- Always budget ongoing costs (hosting, domain, maintenance): roughly €10–60 per month.
- Price depends less on the number of pages than on features, content and how custom it is.
Why “a website” has no fixed price
A website is not an off-the-shelf product, it’s a tool. A three-page digital business card costs a fraction of a booking system with calendar, payments and login. Three factors drive the price:
- Functionality – information only vs. appointments, shop, member area, automation.
- Content – do you have texts and images, or must they be created?
- Customisation – tweaking a template vs. bespoke design and custom code.
The options in detail
Website builders (Wix, Squarespace, Jimdo)
You build it yourself and pay monthly. Cheap to start, but: you invest your time, load times are often mediocre, and leaving later is hard (vendor lock-in). Fine as a first shop window with no performance or SEO ambitions – rarely the right base for a growing business.
Freelancers and small studios
Here you get a custom-built site at fair prices. A professional one-pager is usually €800–2,500, a multi-page business site €3,000–8,000. Quality and reliability vary a lot – look for real references, clear fixed prices, and make sure you own all the access in the end.
Agencies
Agencies offer teams, processes and often marketing from a single source – at correspondingly higher prices (from ~€8,000 upward, shops and portals much more). Worth it at large scale; for small and mid-sized businesses often oversized.
Custom web apps and shops
As soon as logic is involved – payments, bookings, user accounts, integrations – effort rises. Realistic figures are €5,000–25,000, depending on integrations and data model. What matters here is not the prettiest design but solid technology that runs reliably.
Cost overview 2026
| Solution | One-off | Ongoing / month | For whom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Builder (DIY) | €0 | €10–50 | testing, hobby, very small budget |
| Freelancer one-pager | €800–2,500 | €10–30 | freelancers, local businesses |
| Multi-page website | €3,000–8,000 | €20–60 | growing SMBs |
| Agency website | from €8,000 | from €50 | larger companies |
| Shop / web app | €5,000–25,000+ | from €30 | e-commerce, platforms |
These figures are market orientation, not a guarantee – serious quotes give a fixed price after a first call, not a blind estimate.
The ongoing costs people forget
A website is never “finished”. These items add up:
- Domain: ~€10–20 per year.
- Hosting: from €0 (modern edge hosts) to ~€20 per month.
- Maintenance & security: updates, backups, monitoring – €20–100 per month depending on the provider.
- Content upkeep: either your time or a care plan.
Skimping on maintenance costs double later: outdated software is the most common way in for hackers and the most common reason for a suddenly slow site.
How to save without cutting the wrong corners
- Provide content yourself: ready texts and images noticeably lower the price.
- Start small, grow modularly: a good one-pager today, extensions when needed – instead of buying features up front.
- Insist on performance and SEO basics: a fast, cleanly built site saves expensive rework later.
- Avoid vendor lock-in: demand full handover of code, hosting and domain.
More on that in our guide 5 local SEO quick wins.
What does a website cost with us?
We communicate prices openly. Our Starter package is €999 one-off: a content-optimised one-pager including imprint, privacy policy and terms, a custom form, EU hosting and a mobile-first design. Ongoing maintenance starts at €20 per month. Larger projects – multi-page sites, shops, booking and voice automation – we quote as a fixed price after a free first call.
See website development and maintenance packages for details.
Frequently asked questions
What does a simple website for freelancers cost?
Budget €800–2,500 for a professional one-pager. Our Starter package, at €999, deliberately sits at the transparent lower end – including the legally required pages and EU hosting.
Are monthly costs mandatory?
Domain and hosting always apply (together often under €20 per month). Maintenance is optional but recommended – it protects against security holes and performance loss.
Why are the price ranges so wide?
Because “website” can mean anything – from an info page to a shop platform with payments and login. Functionality drives the price, not the page count alone.
How do I avoid hidden costs?
Get a written fixed price, clarify maintenance and ownership of access up front, and ask specifically what’s included and what costs extra.
Want to know what your website would actually cost? Book a free 30-minute call – we’ll listen to your plans and give you a transparent fixed price.