Summary
- business.com says small businesses can expect to spend $500 to $3,000.
- Website builders charge by the month. Freelancers charge by the hour or by the project.
- Budget for hosting, your domain name and changes after launch.
- Ask whose name the domain will be registered in, and whether you can update the site yourself.
The short answer
It depends on what you need and who builds it. A business.com guide puts the range at about $100 for a basic personal blog to $20,000 or more for a custom, accessible online store, and says small businesses can expect to spend between $500 and $3,000.
The price depends on three things: what the site has to do, how big and complex it is, and whether you build it yourself with a website builder or pay someone to build it.
Three ways to get a website
| The way | The price range | Who does the work |
|---|---|---|
| A website builder | From $0 to less than $160 a month, says business.com | You, with the builder’s templates |
| A freelance web developer | $614 to $1,817, with an average of $1,057, says Thumbtack | The developer |
| A web design agency | $3,000 to over $10,000, says business.com | A team |
A website builder like Wix, Squarespace or Shopify often includes hosting and templates, and you do the building yourself. business.com calls builders “fast, easy and affordable.”
A freelancer builds it for you. Thumbtack’s figures come from its own national price data for website developers, and its article says developers charge either by the hour or by the project, with average hourly rates of $50 to $85.
An agency brings a team. business.com: “Agencies typically employ web designers, web developers, and UX and SEO specialists with industry expertise.”
Why the prices vary so much
According to Thumbtack, a developer’s price depends on:
- The kind of site. An online store needs a shopping system, which takes more time and skill than a simple business site.
- The size. The number of pages affects the price.
- The complexity. Moving an old site to a new system, or connecting it to other software, costs more.
- The extras. Design, logos, writing and search work can be extra, depending on who you hire.
So two quotes can both be fair and still be far apart. Compare what each one includes, not just the total.
The costs after launch
The price of the build isn’t the whole cost. Thumbtack’s own words: “Hiring a web developer to build your website isn’t the only expense you’ll encounter.”
- Hosting: where your site lives online. Thumbtack says it averages around $8 a month.
- Your domain name: your web address. Thumbtack says it costs an average of $15 a year for each domain.
- Changes and fixes: Thumbtack says most developers charge by the hour to fix problems after launch or for general maintenance.
- Add-ons: business.com warns about font and image license fees, plug-in subscriptions and ongoing maintenance bills, “which aren’t always included in flat-rate pricing.”
Five questions to ask before you pay
- What exactly is included? The number of pages, the rounds of changes, a contact form, a shop.
- What will I pay each month or year after launch? Hosting, the domain and any plan or subscription.
- Whose name will the domain be registered in? ICANN warns that a developer who registers a domain for you may use their own contact details, “even if you have paid them to register and manage the domain name.” Ask your registrar who is listed as its registrant.
- Can I make simple changes myself? Thumbtack’s advice: “make sure your website is built on a platform you can use after their contract ends.”
- What happens if I stop paying? Ask what happens to the site, its content and its web address.
Our own prices, and what each package includes, are on our pricing page.
Sources
The facts above were checked at their sources on . See where our numbers come from.
- How Much Does It Cost to Build a Website?. business.com, last updated September 14, 2026.
- How much does a website developer cost?. Thumbtack, February 21, 2025.
- Frequently Asked Questions: General Questions. ICANN.