Why do website prices vary so much?

The same word - website - covers everything from a one-page brochure to a logged-in software product, and those are different amounts of work by an order of magnitude. Price moves with the type of site, the number of pages or screens, whether the design is a template or fully custom, and how much custom functionality (accounts, search, booking, payments, integrations) sits behind it. Content readiness and timeline shift the number too.

How much does a small business website cost?

A typical small business website - roughly five to eight custom pages with a contact form and basic SEO setup - runs about $5,000 to $12,000 from a studio. A simpler template-based site can come in lower, and adding a blog, a CMS your team can edit, or e-commerce pushes it higher. A DIY builder can get a basic small business site live for under $50 a month if a custom build is out of budget.

Is it cheaper to use a website builder?

Upfront, yes. A builder like Wix, Squarespace, or a Shopify theme costs $0 to about $50 a month with no build fee, which is the right call for a simple brochure site or a small store on a tight budget. The trade-off is that you do the work and you are limited to what the templates allow. For custom design, custom functionality, performance and SEO at scale, or integrations, a studio build usually pays off.

What ongoing costs does a website have?

Beyond the build, plan for a domain name (about $10 to $20 a year), hosting (anywhere from a few dollars a month for a simple site to $20 to $100+ a month for a store or web app), and maintenance - updates, security, backups, and small changes - which is often 15 to 20 percent of the build cost per year or a monthly retainer. A DIY builder bundles hosting into its monthly subscription.

Guide · Website Pricing

How much does a website cost? A 2026 price breakdown.

Q: How much does a website cost in 2026?

It depends on the type of site. A focused landing page typically runs $2,000 to $6,000, a small business site $5,000 to $12,000, and a custom marketing site $10,000 to $25,000. An online store usually lands between $10,000 and $40,000, and a web app or SaaS product starts around $25,000 and climbs to $80,000 or more. A DIY website builder costs $0 to roughly $50 a month instead of an upfront build fee.

Q: How long does it take to build a website?

A landing page can be ready in one to two weeks. A small business site usually takes three to six weeks, and a custom marketing site or online store four to ten weeks depending on scope and how ready your content is. A web app or SaaS build runs from a couple of months for an MVP to much longer for a full product. A rush timeline is possible but typically adds to the cost.

The honest answer is that a website ranges from a few thousand dollars for a focused landing page to tens of thousands for a custom store or web app. This guide breaks down what actually drives that number - the type of site, the scope, the design, and the functionality behind it - so you can set a realistic budget instead of guessing.

Typical US ranges
Updated for 2026
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The short answer

Website cost at a glance

Most websites fall into a handful of bands. A single landing page typically runs $2,000 to $6,000, a small business site $5,000 to $12,000, and a custom marketing site $10,000 to $25,000. An online store usually lands between $10,000 and $40,000, and a web app or SaaS product starts around $25,000 and climbs from there.

These are typical US ranges for a custom studio build, not a quote. Where your project lands inside a band - or above it - depends on the drivers covered below. If a custom build is out of budget, a DIY website builder trades the upfront fee for a monthly subscription and puts the work in your hands.

Project type
Project type	Typical range
Landing pageOne focused, custom page	$2,000 - $6,000
Small business site~5-8 custom pages	$5,000 - $12,000
Custom marketing siteDesign, CMS, blog	$10,000 - $25,000
Online storeCatalog, cart, checkout	$10,000 - $40,000
Web app / SaaSAccounts, dashboard, custom logic	$25,000 - $80,000+
DIY website builderWix, Squarespace, Shopify themes	$0 - $50 / mo

Source: 2026 US ranges - studio builds vs DIY builders

What moves the number

What makes a website cost more or less

Two sites that look similar from the outside can be quoted very differently. These are the levers that set the price - the more of them you stack, the higher the number climbs.

The single biggest driver is what type of site you are building. After that, scope and design - how many pages, and whether the look is templated or fully custom - set the baseline. The real cost, though, usually lives in the functionality: accounts, search, booking, e-commerce, and integrations are each separate, real work priced on top.

What type of site (landing vs store vs web app)
How many pages or screens
Template vs fully custom design
Custom functionality (accounts, search, booking)
E-commerce and payments
Integrations and APIs
Content and copywriting
Timeline

Want a number for your project?

Reading the ranges is one thing - seeing where your own project lands is another. The free website cost calculator stacks the same drivers above (type, pages, design, and features) into a transparent estimate in seconds, with no sign-up.

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Build vs builder

Studio build vs website builder

The first real fork is whether to build it yourself on a platform or hire a studio. Neither is wrong - it depends on what the site has to do and what your budget is.

A DIY website builder - Wix, Squarespace, or a Shopify theme - is the right call when the site is a straightforward brochure or a small store, the budget is tight, and you are comfortable doing the work yourself. You trade the upfront build fee for a monthly subscription, and you stay inside what the templates allow.

A studio build pays off when those limits start to bite. If you need a custom design that looks like no one else, custom functionality (accounts, booking, a real checkout, dashboards), serious performance and SEO, or the room to scale and integrate with your other tools, a build is what gets you there - and it is built to grow with you instead of boxing you in.

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