Renewal pricing
Promotional hosting rates often double or triple when the first term ends. A flat rate beats a low intro rate every time.
How Much Does a Website Cost?
For a small business site in 2026: $500 to $3,000 to build if you hire a freelancer, near zero in cash if you build it yourself, and about $29 a month to keep it running. Agency quotes start around $3,000 and go up from there.
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Pick what you need and who is building it. Ranges are based on common 2026 pricing, not a sales pitch.
Estimated build cost
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Build cost
What each route to a finished website costs
| Route | One-time cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | $0 to $500 | Your time, a builder subscription, and a site you can edit yourself |
| Fixed design package | From $500 | A designed WordPress site built for you, with handoff and training |
| Freelancer | $500 to $3,000 | One person doing design and build, quality depends on who you hire |
| Agency | $3,000 to $15,000 | Strategy, design rounds, project manager, and developer hours |
| Custom web app | $7,000 and up | Discovery, UX, build, and launch of software made for your workflow |
Recurring cost
What a website costs per month once it is live
The build is the loud number. The recurring bill is what determines whether the site is affordable in year three.
- Managed hosting (backups, SSL, DDoS protection, support) $29/mo
- Domain name about $15/yr
- Email hosting for your own domain $29/mo
- Ongoing maintenance and updates $0 to $99/mo
- Payment processing on a store about 2.9% + 30¢ per sale
A two-person business that needs email and a website typically lands near $58 a month all in. Compare that with per-seat suites that bill each person on your team, and the gap grows every time you hire someone.
The AI factor
Do AI builders make a website free?
No. They move the cost. AI builders charge a monthly subscription or a credit pack, and the site usually lives on that platform. You pay to keep it online for as long as it exists, and moving it out later costs time even when there is no exit fee.
- AI builder subscription while your site is live $20 to $60/mo
- Custom domain, SSL, and email often extra
- Your hours learning the tool varies
- Exporting your site to somewhere you control frequently awkward or impossible
Our honest take: AI builders are excellent for prototypes and side projects. For a business site that must stay online for years, a $29 managed plan with files you can take with you usually costs less and owns more.
Where the money goes
Five places small sites overspend
Per-seat software
Suites that bill by headcount punish growth. Flat-priced tools cost the same whether your team is two people or twenty.
Rebuilds
Redesigning every two years doubles your build cost. Pick a structured CMS and you can refresh it instead of replacing it.
Plugins you forgot
Premium theme licenses, forms, backups, and security add-ons stack up. Check what is already included before you buy it twice.
Agencies for small scopes
A six-page site does not need a strategy sprint. Fixed-scope packages cover the same output for less.
Unused hosting tiers
Most small sites never touch the resources of a high tier. You pay for a label instead of a load requirement.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a basic business website cost?
A basic 5 to 10 page business website costs $500 to $3,000 to build if you hire a freelancer, and $0 to $500 in cash if you build it yourself. Hosting runs about $29 per month for a managed plan, and a domain runs about $12 to $20 per year.
How much does an online store cost?
A small PrestaShop or WooCommerce store runs $500 to $4,000 to set up, then $30 to $100 per month for hosting, email, and payment fees. Custom-built stores from an agency start around $8,000 and go up quickly.
What does a website cost per month after it is built?
Hosting is the main recurring cost: $29 per month on our managed plan, which includes backups, SSL, DDoS protection, and support. Add roughly $20 per year for a domain and optional costs for email hosting or a maintenance plan.
Why do agencies quote $10,000 or more?
Agency quotes include strategy, design rounds, project management, and developer hours. For a small business site the same work done by a freelancer or as a fixed-scope design package usually lands far lower, with the same WordPress result.
Does an AI website builder make a site cheaper?
It can cut the build cost to near zero, but you still pay a subscription while the site exists, and the site usually lives on that platform. Budget for the monthly cost, the lock-in, and the day you need to move it somewhere you control.
How long does a small website take to build?
One page to ten pages usually takes two to six weeks with a freelancer, longer with an agency, and about one business day once the content is ready when you start with our managed WordPress plan and design packages.