Website development prices 2026: how much does a website cost?

Updated: 20 August 2026 | WebPot DEV

The short answer: a site built in a template site builder costs €120 to €400 a year in subscription, a brochure site from a freelancer is typically €700 to €1,800, an agency-built business site with a bespoke identity runs between €1,900 and €6,500 net, and a bespoke system starts at €5,000. Webshops are a category of their own: there the typical band runs from €3,900 to €45,000 net. Below we set out item by item what drives these figures.

SolutionRealistic price in 2026Lead time
Template site builder (Wix, Webnode), your own work€120-400/year subscriptiondays
Brochure or landing page from a freelancer€700-1,8001-2 weeks
Business site with a bespoke identity, from an agency€1,900 to €6,500 net3-8 weeks
Bespoke website or systemfrom €5,000 netdepends on the survey
Webshop€3,900 to €45,000 net2-12 weeks

With us, a business website with a bespoke identity starts at €1,900 net, with an itemised written quote. The guide below is not about us, though: it is here so that whoever you ask for a quote, you understand why the number is what it is.

What makes up the price of a website?

The price of a website is not decided by the number of subpages but by five factors:

  • The number of functions and bespoke screen designs: a brochure site and a multilingual site with online booking are several times apart in work.
  • The state of the content: if the copy and the images are not ready, copywriting, photography or licensed images appear as separate items.
  • Integrations: connecting a newsletter system, booking, payment, a CRM or an invoicing system is development work, not the flick of a switch.
  • Design level: a ready-made template is cheap, a design tailored to the brand costs more but looks like nobody else.
  • Technical foundation and measurement: speed, a search-friendly structure, structured data and analytics are standard in a good quote and missing from a bad one. Adding them later always costs more.

Template, rented site builder or bespoke development?

Prices are only worth comparing over three years, because systems with a monthly fee have no one-off price but their fees never end:

SolutionTotal cost over 3 yearsWhat you need to know
Site builder (Wix, Webnode)€360 to €1,200quick to start, but the site lives at the provider: moving away is hard, and SEO and speed are limited
Template WordPress site€2,200 to €5,500more flexible, but the plugins need continuous maintenance
Bespoke business website€3,000 to €9,000a larger one-off cost, then low upkeep, with the code and the content your own property

The decisive question is not the price but the purpose. If the site has a commercial job to do (bringing enquiries, calls or purchases), then speed, search visibility and measurability are worth money, and there the cheap solution turns out to be the most expensive. If all you need is a business card and you have time to put it together yourself, a site builder is a fair compromise.

This is what upkeep costs per year

A website costs money after it is finished as well, and whoever leaves that out of the quote will invoice it later:

  • Domain: €15 to €40 a year.
  • Hosting: €5 to €25 a month for a brochure site; for heavier traffic a VPS, from €20 to €120 a month.
  • Maintenance: as needed, from a one-off job to monthly hosting. Backups, security updates and monitoring are the three items not worth cutting.

All in all, a brochure site can be run safely on €150 to €400 a year.

Hidden costs few people warn you about

  • Copywriting and photography: this is where most projects slip. If the material is not ready, ask for a quote on it right at the start.
  • Legal minimum: privacy notice, cookie handling, legal notice. A good quote includes them.
  • Accessibility: the EAA regulation has been in force since 2025, and fixing it later costs more than building it right from the start.
  • Annual content refresh: outdated prices and dates destroy trust, and search engines and AI assistants also favour fresh content.
  • The cost of rebuilding: the most expensive website is the one you have to start again after a year or two because it was built on poor foundations.

Ask for a quote like this so that you can compare them

Most of the spread between quotes comes from everyone understanding the job differently. You are the one who can remove that:

  • write down in one sentence what you expect from the site (enquiries, calls, purchases, awareness),
  • give 2-3 example sites you like and one you do not,
  • say what state the content is in (copy, images, logo),
  • ask for it item by item: what the price includes, what costs extra, how much the yearly upkeep is,
  • ask about measurement and search engine optimisation: if the answer contains no Search Console and no analytics, that is a warning sign.

With these in hand, the quotes suddenly become comparable. Ask us for a quote too: the preliminary survey is free and the answer is itemised and in writing.

Frequently asked questions about website prices

From a freelancer it is typically €700 to €1,800; from an agency, with a bespoke identity, it starts at €1,900 net. The site builder version (Wix, Webnode) looks cheaper, but it comes with a yearly subscription and the site is not your own property.
Because a website is not a single product but an amount of work: the number of bespoke designs, the functions, the integrations and the state of the content decide it. Even two quotes at the same price can differ greatly in what they include.
If the site has a commercial purpose (it has to bring clients), your own website makes up the price difference in 2 to 3 years: it is faster, it ranks better and it is your own property. A site builder is a fair choice if all you need is an online business card and you have time to manage it yourself.
For a brochure site, €150 to €400 a year: domain, hosting and basic maintenance. For a larger, busier site, expect €50 to €150 a month because of the VPS and the regular maintenance.
With finished, considered content (copy, images, logo), a clear goal and quick feedback. Most delays and cost overruns come from missing content and too many approval rounds, not from the development.
After a short survey we give an itemised written quote: what the price includes, what is optional and how much the yearly upkeep is. The consultation and the preliminary survey are free.
Would you like a concrete figure for your own project?
Request a free survey and an itemised quote ›

Related pages: business website development, our website development service, webshop development prices 2026, VPS hosting.


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