Website costs
How much does a small business website cost in 2026?
The short answer: a small business website costs anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $15,000, depending on who builds it.
- Do it yourself on a website builder: $0 to $800 to start, then about $10 to $120 a month.
- Hire a freelancer: about $500 to $7,600 for the build.
- Hire an agency: about $5,000 to $15,000 for a complete small business site.
After launch, budget for a domain, hosting and someone to keep the site updated. The rest of this guide shows where those numbers come from and what pushes a price up or down.
Three ways to get a website, side by side
Most small businesses choose one of three routes. The price gap between them is mostly a trade between your money and your time.
| Route | To start | After launch | Who does the work |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY website builder | $0 to $800 | About $10 to $120 a month | You build it, write it and keep it updated |
| Freelancer | About $500 to $7,600 | About $50 to $150 a month if they maintain it | One person builds it; upkeep depends on the deal |
| Agency | About $5,000 to $15,000 | About $100 to $1,000 a month on a retainer | A team builds it and can run it for you |
The ranges overlap because the sources measure slightly different things. WebsiteSetup.org puts DIY starting costs at $200 to $800 and builder plans at $17 to $120 a month, while Levitate puts DIY at $0 to $300 upfront and $10 to $30 a month. Both are listed at the end.
What pushes the price up
Two websites that look alike can be priced thousands of dollars apart. These are the things that usually make the difference:
- Number of pages. A five-page site (home, about, services, gallery, contact) is a very different job from a 20-page site with a page for every service and every town you cover.
- Booking, ordering or payments. Letting customers book an appointment, order ahead or pay online adds setup and testing time.
- An online store. Product pages, a cart, checkout, shipping and returns are the biggest single jump in price. Larger agencies quote $15,000 to $60,000 or more for feature-rich and e-commerce sites.
- Who writes the words and supplies the photos. If the builder writes your copy and sources images, expect to pay for it.
- Custom design. A layout designed from scratch costs more than one adapted from a proven template.
The costs after launch
The build is only part of the bill. Every website also needs:
- A domain name: a standard .com usually costs $12 to $25 a year.
- Hosting: shared hosting plans run about $40 to $150 a year. Website builders include hosting in their monthly plan.
- Upkeep: software updates, backups, security and small text or photo changes. This ranges from doing it yourself for free to a monthly fee paid to a freelancer or agency.
When you compare quotes, add up the first three years, not just the first invoice. A cheap build with an expensive monthly retainer can cost more than a higher one-off price. For what upkeep costs month by month, see how much a website costs per month.
What a fair quote should include
Before you sign anything, check that the quote answers these questions in writing:
- Which pages are included, listed by name?
- Who writes the text and who supplies the photos?
- Is the domain registered in your name?
- Are hosting, backups and security included, and for how long?
- Who makes small updates after launch, and is there a limit?
- What does the yearly cost become after the first year?
- If you leave, do you keep the website files and the domain?
A builder who answers all seven up front is easier to trust, and much easier to compare against the next quote.
Pay once or pay monthly
Builders charge in two ways. Some take one payment for the build and a smaller yearly or monthly fee for upkeep. Others charge a flat monthly fee with nothing upfront, which spreads the cost but usually totals more over time. Neither is wrong. Pay once is normally cheaper overall, and pay monthly is easier on cash flow when you are starting out. Our guide to paying once or paying monthly compares the two over three years.
What we charge
At KN Services our team designs your website, puts it live and looks after it. Every plan is priced up front, with $0 setup, and you can pay either way.
| Plan | Pay once | Or pay monthly | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch | $499 | $99 a month | 5 |
| Business | $899 | $179 a month | 10 |
| Pro | $1,650 | $329 a month | 20 |
| Store | $2,490 | $499 a month | Online store, up to 100 products |
Pay once includes the first year of hosting, domain, mailbox, Google setup and small updates. From year two it is $39 to $129 a month to keep us running it, or you take your files. Pay monthly is $0 upfront, cancel anytime, and the site is yours after 12 paid months.
Sources (checked 30 October 2026)
- WebsiteSetup.org, "Small Business Website Costs (What to Expect in 2026)", last updated 22 November 2025: DIY starting costs, builder plans, freelancer and agency totals, domain and hosting prices.
- Levitate, "Average Website Design Cost for Small Businesses in 2026", 24 February 2026: DIY, freelancer and agency ranges, maintenance and retainer costs.