Guide · US · UK · Canada · Australia · Updated November 2026

How much does a small business website cost in 2026?

Short answer: most small businesses spend $500–5,000 with a freelancer or $3,000–15,000 with an agency for a 5–10 page website, plus $200–600 a year to keep it online. DIY builders look cheaper but charge every month, forever. Here's the full breakdown — and how to pay less without ending up with a bad site.

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Build cost by provider type (USD)

Option	Typical cost	Good for	Watch out for
DIY builder (Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, Shopify)	$0–50 / month	Very simple sites, tight budgets, owners who enjoy building	Your time; monthly fees forever; lock-in
Freelancer — entry level	$500–1,500	Simple 5-page brochure sites	Template-heavy work, uneven support
Freelancer — experienced	$1,500–5,000	Custom design, 5–10 pages, basic SEO	Availability; who maintains it later
Small agency	$3,000–15,000	Strategy, copywriting, design team	Account-manager overhead, slower changes
Large agency / custom build	$15,000–50,000+	Web apps, complex integrations	Overkill for most small businesses
Offshore studio with published prices (e.g. India)	Varies widely — published packages often start at a few hundred dollars	Small businesses and agencies wanting quality at lower cost	Vet carefully — ask for live work, written scope, milestones

UK prices (GBP)

Option	Typical cost
DIY builders	£9–119 / month (Wix), £12–79 / month (Squarespace), often + 20% VAT
Freelancer, basic 5-page site	£500–1,500
Freelancer, 5–10 pages	£1,000–3,000
Agency brochure site	£3,000–12,000 (London £8,000–25,000)
Agency e-commerce	£5,000–15,000

Running costs every year

Item	Typical cost
Domain	$10–20 / year
Hosting	$10–50 / month
Maintenance plan (updates, backups, security, small edits)	$50–500 / month
Ad-hoc content changes	$50–150 / hour

The question to ask every provider: "What will I pay in year two and year three?" A cheap build with expensive hosting, or a DIY plan you outgrow, often costs more over three years than a fairly priced custom site.

What actually drives the price

Pages and content. 5 pages and 15 pages are different projects, especially if the developer writes the copy.
Custom design vs template. Custom looks distinctive and loads faster; templates are cheaper.
Features. Booking, payments, member areas and integrations add real work.
Who you hire. Agency overheads (offices, sales, account managers) are in the price.
Support after launch. The cheapest builds usually include none.

How to pay less without getting a bad website

Write a one-page brief: pages, features, examples you like, deadline.
Ask for a fixed written quote with the page list and revision rounds.
Check live work — open the sites on your phone and test the speed.
Pay in milestones (for example 50% to start, 50% on delivery).
Make sure the domain, hosting account and code are in your name.
Consider a capable offshore studio — but only one that meets points 2–5.

Our published USD prices

What Zera Technologies charges

A small web studio in India building hand-coded, fast websites for small businesses and agencies abroad. Fixed USD quotes, NDA on request, full code handover. No Indian tax for clients outside India.

Package	Price	Includes
Starter	$249	Up to 5 pages, mobile-first design, contact form, on-page SEO
Business	$599	Up to 12 pages, custom design, blog/CMS, sitemap, 1 revision round
Growth	$1,299	Booking or e-commerce, integrations, Core Web Vitals tuning
Website Care	$39 / month	Hosting, backups, security, small edits
Local SEO	from $129 / month	Google Business Profile, on-page SEO, monthly report

Calculate my price How we work across time zones Email your brief

Agency? See white-label web development. Don't take our word for quality — open our nine live products.

FAQ

Common questions

How much should a small business pay for a website in 2026?

Most small businesses pay $500–5,000 with a freelancer or $3,000–15,000 with a small agency for a 5–10 page website. DIY builders cost roughly $200–600 a year in subscriptions plus your own time. Offshore studios with published prices charge less, typically a few hundred to a couple of thousand dollars.

What does a website cost per month to run?

Hosting is usually $10–50 a month and a domain $10–20 a year. A maintenance plan that covers updates, backups and small edits commonly costs $50–500 a month depending on the provider and the site.

How much does a website cost in the UK?

In the UK a basic 5-page brochure site from a freelancer is typically £500–1,500, a 5–10 page site £1,000–3,000, and agency brochure sites £3,000–12,000 (more in London). Many quotes exclude 20% VAT.

Is it safe to hire a web developer in India?

It can be, if the provider shows live work you can test, gives a fixed written quote, works in milestones (for example 50% upfront, 50% on delivery), signs an NDA if you need one and hands over all code and logins. Avoid anyone who won't put scope and price in writing.

Is Wix or Squarespace cheaper than hiring a developer?

In year one, usually yes. Over three to five years the subscriptions add up, you spend your own time building and updating, and moving away later often means a full rebuild.

Sources

Ranges compiled from published 2026 guides, including Kwiboo's UK website cost breakdown, a 2026 small-business website cost guide and ProjectCostEstimator's 2026 small business website costs. Prices vary by location and provider; treat them as typical ranges, not quotes. Looking for Indian prices? Read website cost in India (₹).