If you've asked three people what a website costs, you've probably heard three very different numbers. One friend built theirs for free over a weekend. A local agency quoted you $8,000. Someone online said $500. They can all be right, because they're describing very different things.
Here's what each route really costs, what you get for the money, and how to pick the one that fits your business.
The short answer
- Do it yourself on a website builder: the platform's plan plus your domain, and a lot of your own time.
- A template-based site from a freelancer: usually somewhere between a few hundred dollars and about $2,000.
- A custom site from a designer or agency: commonly $3,000 to $10,000, and more for online stores or complex features.
- Running costs: the platform plan and domain every year, plus any help you pay for to keep it updated.
The rest of this article explains what sits behind those numbers.
Option 1: Build it yourself
Website builders like Wix make it possible to build a site with no design or coding skills. The money you spend is small: a monthly or yearly plan and a domain name.
The real cost is your time. Most business owners spend days choosing a template, writing the words, finding photos and working out why the phone version looks wrong. And when the site is finished, it often doesn't show up on Google, because nobody set up the search basics.
Good fit if: you enjoy this kind of work, have the time, and your business is just getting started.
Option 2: Hire a freelancer
Freelancers range widely in price and skill. On marketplaces, hourly rates for website designers commonly run from about $50 to $100 an hour, and a full website from a freelancer can land anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $5,000.
The risk is that price and quality don't always line up, and projects can drag on for weeks when the freelancer is juggling other clients.
Good fit if: you find someone with work you like, clear pricing and a timeline you can live with.
Option 3: Hire an agency
Agency pricing guides commonly put a basic professional site at a few thousand dollars, a more tailored site at $5,000 to $15,000, and online stores higher still. You're paying for a team, planning, custom design and a longer process.
Good fit if: you need a large or complex site, or your website is the main way you make money.
What actually changes the price
Whoever builds it, these are the things that move the number up or down:
- Number of pages. A one-page site costs much less than a 15-page site.
- Who writes the words. Writing good website copy takes real time. If the designer writes it, expect to pay for that.
- Features. Online booking, a store, a blog, member logins and connections to other tools each add work.
- Search setup. Getting every page ready for Google is a separate job from making it look good.
- Rounds of changes. Every round of revisions is more time.
- Speed. A rushed deadline usually costs more, because the designer has to clear their schedule.
The monthly costs people forget
A website isn't a one-time purchase. Plan for:
- The platform plan, which keeps your site online and connected to your domain.
- Your domain name, renewed every year.
- Apps for extra features, like some booking or reviews tools, which can carry their own fees.
- Updates and fixes. Either your own time, a designer's hourly rate, or a monthly care plan.
A faster, cheaper way to get a complete site
AI tools have changed how quickly a professional website can be built. Work that used to take a designer weeks can now be done in hours by someone who knows what they're doing.
That's why I offer a one-day website: a complete, professional small-business site, ready to review within one business day, at a fixed price.
- Starter, $500: a complete one-page website, all in.
- Business, $1,000: up to 5 pages, plus full SEO setup, your Google Business Profile and your Google reviews on the site.
- Complete, $1,500: up to 8 pages, everything in Business, plus online booking, a small store or a blog.
Every package includes the words written for you, photos, a contact form, a site that works on phones, your domain connected and a round of changes. If you need more, each add-on has a fixed price, so you know the total before you pay.
You have a business to run. Let me handle the website.
See the one-day website packages
Which option is right for you?
- You have more time than money: build it yourself.
- You want a complete, professional site quickly, at a known price: a fixed-price package like the one-day website.
- You need something large, custom or unusual: a longer project with a written plan and quote. Tell me about it and I'll tell you which path fits.
Not sure? Book a free 15–30 minute call and we'll work it out together.
Sources for the price ranges (checked Oct 27 2026):
- Freelance Wix designer rates: websitebuilderinsider.com, "How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Designer on Wix?"
- Agency and template package ranges: onenine.com, "Website Design Pricing Packages: A 2026 SMB Guide"
