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How much does a website cost in 2026?
From about $50 a year on a website builder to $30,000+ with an agency: the real numbers behind domains, hosting, builder plans, designers and upkeep, with sources.
A small-business website costs about $50 to $250 a year if you build it yourself on a website builder, or roughly $350 to $550 on a plan that can sell online. Hiring a freelancer costs $500 to $10,000+. An agency costs $3,000 to $30,000+, and a large custom project can cost far more. Clutch says most web design projects reviewed on its platform cost under $10,000. Then budget for running costs: a domain, hosting, and someone's time to keep the site up to date.
Below are the real numbers behind each option, taken from pricing pages and industry surveys read on 20 October 2026. Prices are in US dollars, and they change often, so check the current price before you buy. We make Mondovo, a website builder, and it appears in the comparison like everyone else.
Website cost at a glance
| How you build it | Upfront cost | Yearly running cost | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website builder, done yourself | $0 (your time) | About $48–$240 for the cheapest plan with your own domain; about $350–$540 to sell online | Small businesses, portfolios, simple stores |
| WordPress, done yourself | $0–$70 for a premium theme | About $120–$216 for hosting at renewal prices, plus a domain | People who want full control and don't mind upkeep |
| Freelancer | $500–$10,000+ | Hosting and plan costs, plus paid changes | A custom-looking small site on a budget |
| Agency | $3,000–$30,000+ | Often a maintenance retainer: small businesses spend $3,600–$12,000 a year | Businesses that need strategy, branding and ongoing help |
| Custom ecommerce build | $10,000–$50,000+ (Clutch's average: $51,943) | Platform, payment and maintenance fees | Larger online stores |
What you pay for, line by line
The domain: $10–$20 a year
A .com costs about $11 a year at registrars that don't mark it up. Porkbun lists $11.08 a year and promises the same price at renewal, and Cloudflare sells domains at cost. Many website builders include the domain free for the first year on an annual plan. Check the renewal price before you rely on that.
Hosting: cheap to start, more at renewal
Shared hosting for WordPress looks very cheap until the first renewal:
| Host and plan | Introductory price | Renews at | Term needed for the intro price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger Premium | $2.49/mo | $10.99/mo | 48 months |
| Bluehost Starter | $3.99/mo | $9.99/mo | 36 months |
| SiteGround StartUp | $2.99/mo | $17.99/mo | 12 months |
Website builders bundle hosting into their plan instead. There is no separate hosting bill, and there is less to go wrong.
A website builder plan: about $48–$240 a year
The cheapest plan that lets you use your own domain, as listed on each builder's pricing page:
| Builder | Cheapest plan with your own domain | About a year | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress.com | Personal, $4/mo billed yearly | $48 | Selling online needs Commerce, $45/mo |
| Hostinger Website Builder | Premium, $2.49/mo on a 48-month prepay | $119.52 for four years, then $10.99/mo | Selling online needs a higher plan |
| Framer | Basic, $10/mo | $120 | 30 pages on Basic |
| Webflow | Basic, $15/mo billed yearly | $180 | No CMS on Basic; stores from $29/mo |
| Wix | Light, $17/mo billed yearly | $204 | Payments and selling start on Core, $29/mo |
| Squarespace | Basic, $19/mo billed yearly | $228 | 2% fee on store sales on Basic |
| Mondovo | Pro, $20/mo including one live site | $240 | Booking, payments, store and forms included; building and comparing designs is free |
One thing the table can't show is what each plan leaves out. A cheap plan that can't take a booking or a payment often costs more once you add the paid tools that do.
Design: free to thousands
- Builder templates and AI designs: included in the plan.
- A premium WordPress theme: about $18–$119 on ThemeForest, most between $30 and $70.
- A designer: this is where most of a freelancer's or agency's fee goes. Clutch puts US and Canadian agencies at $100–$149 an hour. Agencies working on Wix, WordPress, Squarespace, Webflow or Shopify average $25–$49 an hour.
SSL: free
The padlock certificate costs nothing from Let's Encrypt, and builders and good hosts include it. Only advanced certificates for specific compliance needs cost $50 to $1,000+ a year.
Upkeep: the cost people forget
WebFX puts website maintenance at $3,600–$12,000 a year for a small business, and its own WordPress care plans start at $350 a month. On a website builder, updates, security and backups are included in the plan. Your remaining cost is the time to keep the content current.
What makes a website cost more
- Selling online. Clutch's average ecommerce project is $51,943. Even on a builder, store features usually start one plan up.
- Number of pages and custom features. Bookings, member areas, multiple languages and integrations all add design and build time.
- Who writes the words. Copywriting is often billed separately, and it is the part that decides whether the site brings in customers.
- Ongoing marketing. SEO retainers commonly run $1,500–$5,000 a month (GoodFirms, as cited by Shopify). That is a marketing budget, not a website cost, but it often arrives on the same quote.
How to keep the cost down
- See designs before you pay for one. AI builders, Mondovo included, can show you finished options for free. Then you are paying for a choice, not a gamble. If you are deciding between hiring someone and building it yourself, see web designer vs website builder.
- Price the plan you will actually need, not the cheapest one. If you take bookings or sell, compare the plans that do that.
- Read the renewal price. On hosting especially, the second year can cost three to six times the first.
- Keep content you already have. Redesigning an existing site from its own pages costs far less than writing from scratch. Mondovo can redesign an existing site from its own pages.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a website cost for a small business?
On a website builder, about $48–$240 a year for the cheapest plan with your own domain, plus your time. With a freelancer, $500–$10,000+, and with an agency $3,000–$30,000+, according to WebFX's 2026 ranges. Most projects on Clutch come in under $10,000.
How much does it cost to build a website yourself?
Mostly the plan and the domain. That comes to $48 a year on WordPress.com Personal and about $204–$240 a year on Wix, Squarespace or Mondovo. Expect more if you sell online.
How much does a website cost per month?
For a builder site, about $4 to $30 a month for a basic plan, more for selling online. For an agency-managed site, maintenance retainers commonly start around $350 a month.
Why do website quotes vary so much?
The quote mostly reflects hours: design, copywriting, custom features and project management. The same five-page site can cost a few hundred dollars from a freelancer and well over $10,000 from an agency that also does the branding and strategy. Clutch's hourly rates alone range from under $25 to $149.
Is a website builder cheaper than a web designer?
Almost always upfront, yes. A designer is still worth it when the site needs a distinctive brand or complex features, or when nobody on your team will own it after launch.
