How much does a website cost to build?
Ashburn, VA

How much does a website cost to build?

Ashburn, VA

How much does a website cost to build?

$50 – $1,000basic upfront
$500 – $10,000small business upfront
$10 – $300maintenance per month

Get free estimates for your project or view our cost guide below:

$50 – $1,000 basic upfront

$500 – $10,000 small business upfront

$10 – $300 maintenance per month


Get free estimates for your project or view our cost guide below:
Are you a provider? Get new customers
Jennifer Carlson
Written by
Jennifer Carlson
Edited by
Kristen Cramer
Fact-checked by
Tom Grupa

Average website cost

The average cost to build a website is $500 to $10,000 for a small business. Freelancers charge less than professional web development agencies to make a website. Custom sites cost more to create than CMS templates. The price to run or maintain a site is $10 to $300 per month.

Average website cost
Business type Average website cost Annual maintenance cost
DIY / personal website $50 – $1,000 $0 – $250
Small business website (8-16 pages) $500 – $10,000 $400 – $4,000
Corporate website (25-75 pages) $6,000 – $50,000 $500 – $5,000
Ecommerce website (100-1000 products) $5,000 – $90,000 $300 – $3,000
Custom database-driven website $20,000 – $100,000 $1,000 – $35,000

Get free estimates from web developers near you.

Cost to build a website by type

Website cost by vendor type
Type / service Average cost Details
DIY website builder software $0 – $59 Time consuming but affordable
Website hosting platform (CMS) $0 – $2,000 Convenient but limited functionality 
Freelance website creator $500 – $10,000 Best for a small project or basic website
Professional web development agency $1,000 – $50,000 Best for a large project or high budget

A web development team working on a client's website.
A web development team working on a client's website.

Website builder cost per month

A website builder costs $0 to $59 per month, depending on the plan. Free plans are typically basic with few features and add-ons. Premium and eCommerce plans feature customization, SEO optimization, or Google analytics.

Website cost per month
Type Monthly cost Features / details
Wix $0 – $59 Business and eCommerce plans, free SSL
Square space $16 – $49 Free domain, eCommerce plans, analytics
Weebly $0 – $29 Free hosting and SSL 
Godaddy $0 – $30 eCommerce plans, custom domain, 24/7 support
WordPress.com $0 – $45 Free SSL and hosting, Google analytics, over 50,000 plugins
Jimdo $0 – $24 Free domain, business options

Website hosting platform (CMS) cost

A website content management system (CMS) costs $0 to $2,000 per month depending on the site, package, and add-ons. WordPress is currently the most popular CMS site.

Website CMS costs
Factor WordPress Shopify Joomla Drupal Wix WooCommerce
CMS cost per month $0 – $45 $5 – $2,000 Free Free $0 – $59 $15 – $120
Design themes cost $0 – $200 $0 – $350 Free Free Free $0 – $100
Plugins & apps cost per month $0 – $200 $0 – $350 $0 – $340 Free $0 – $40 $0 – $300
Ease of use Easy, no coding required Easy, no coding required Moderate, some coding required Hard, advanced coding required Easy, no coding required Easy, no coding required
Suitable for Small business, simple website Small and large businesses, eCommerce E-commerce, blog, social networking Large business, complex website Small business or startup Small e-commerce store
Choice of designs 10,000+ themes 100+ themes 8,000+ templates 2,500+ themes 300+ templates 20+ themes
Extensions and plugins 50,000+ 8,000+ 7,000+ 39,000+ 200+ 100+
Popularity 810 million websites 4.4 million websites 2.5 million websites 1.5 million websites 3.3 million websites 7 million websites

Freelancer charge to create a custom website

A freelancer charges $1,000 to $75,000 to create a custom website, depending on the site's size and complexity. Hiring a freelancer for a small job is more affordable than a professional agency but the project may take longer to complete. Many freelancers charge per hour or per page.

Freelance website cost
Pages Average cost
1 to 100 pages $1,000 – $10,000
100 to 250 pages $10,000 – $75,000

Agency cost to create a professional website

A professional agency charges $1,000 to $50,000 to create a custom website. Hiring an agency can be expensive but eliminates the time and stress invested in a DIY or CMS website.

Cost calculator to make a website

Website cost calculator
Factor Average cost Includes
Domain name & setup $10 – $15 per year URL, customized extensions
Website hosting $30 – $100 per year Keeps site accessible
SSL certificate $0 – $200 per year Provides security for online transactions and communications
Website running and maintenance $100 – $4,000 per year Keeps site functional and updates the CMS 
Website content, SEO, and marketing $500 – $50,000 per year Text, videos, infographics, CRO, PPC
Website design template or theme $0 – $100 Visuals, design
Custom website design $100 – $500 Custom visuals
Website plugins or apps $0 – $350 Software that adds functionality
Custom website development $2,000 – $25,000 Custom site from the ground up

A website developer planning the site's layout and features.
A website developer planning the site's layout and features.

Cost to set up a website

The cost to set up and secure a website may include:

  • Security – Website security services cost $50 to $300 per year and prevent bots and threats from harming the site. Cloudflare, Wordfence, and Jetpack are popular security services.

  • Analytics – Website analytics cost $0 to $350 per month and generate insights into a website’s performance. Some CMS packages include basic security and analytics in their monthly subscription costs.

  • CDN – A content delivery network (CDN) costs $20 to $220 per month for the first 2.5 TBand is used by large websites to provide users with a fast, consistent experience. Popular CDN providers include Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure.

Website hosting & database setup charge

Web hosting costs $2 to $200 per month, depending on the type:

  • Premade CMS websites typically use cheaper shared or managed hosting.

  • Large corporate businesses use dedicated hosting.

  • VPS or cloud-based hosting is best for eCommerce sites.

Website hosting charge
Type Average cost per month Examples
Shared hosting $2 – $10 HostGator, InMotion, DreamHost, Hostinger, GoDaddy, A2, Hostwinds
Dedicated hosting $50 – $200 Bluehost, Liquid Web, SiteGround, A2, InMotion, DreamHost
eCommerce / VPS hosting $5 – $50 Shopify, Bluehost, SiteGround, Cloudways, IONOS

Other setup charges may include:

  • Database integration – Merging a pre-existing site or theme with a premade CMS like WordPress will increase final costs.

  • Database setup – Large custom websites may require additional help with database setup.

Website design

Website design costs $3,000 to $10,000 on average for a small business site or $10,000 to $40,000 for a medium-sized site. Pricing depends on the size, features, and customization. A professional web designer or agency charges $30 to $100+ per hour.

The terms "website design" and “website development" are often used interchangeably. However, companies sometimes use "web design" to refer to a creating site's visual appearance.

Website design cost
Service Average cost Details / Best for
DIY website design template $20 – $200 Very small business, 1 to 5 pages, short on time
DIY website drag-and-drop design service $4 – $60 per month Very small business, 1 to 5 pages, short on time
Freelance designer to customize an off-the-shelf template or theme $200 – $1,000 Small business, limited time and budget
Freelance designer for simple website $1,000 – $5,000 Small business, mid-range budget
Freelance designer for a professional website $5,000 – $20,000 Mid-size business and budget, more features
Design agency for small custom website $8,000 – $25,000 Established business, large budget
Design agency for large custom website $25,000 – $100,000+ Established business, large budget, complex features

A website design plan for the site's layout and features.
A website design plan for the site's layout and features.

Web design may involve one or more of the following costs:

  • Wireframes / mockups – Professionals typically provide mockups of the website's user interface (UI) before completion to ensure that the work meets the client’s expectations.

  • Graphics / illustrations – A graphic designer charges $20 to $150 per hour to create and integrate custom visuals.

  • Custom logo cost – Logo design costs $100 to $1,000 from a freelance designer or $1,000 to $5,000 from a professional designer, depending on their experience and location. A professional graphic designer can create a logo that matches the site’s style and colors.

  • Stock photos – Stock photo companies charge $1 to $50+ per photo, depending on the photographer, style, and permitted usage.

  • Interactive media – Interactive animations, surveys, games, and social media sharing increase user engagement.

Custom website development costs

Website development cost by region
Region Average hourly rates
Australia $80 – $150
USA $50 – $350
UK $50 – $170
Western Europe $70 – $170
Eastern Europe $40 – $80
India $10 – $80

  • Back-end development – Custom back-end development includes eCommerce functionality, login creation, subscription services, and third-party integration.

  • Front-end development – Custom front-end development includes user interface (UI) and user experience (UX), responsiveness, and rendering.

  • App development – App design costs $3,000 to $30,000+, depending on the complexity, features, and customization. App development costs $50,000 to $175,000 and includes research and planning, design, programming, testing, launching the app, and ongoing maintenance.

Cost to run and maintain a website

Website maintenance costs $10 to $300 per month or $100 to $4,000 per year on average and includes:

  • Hosting

  • Patching software issues

  • Security

  • Backing up the site

  • Marketing / ads

Some website developers provide copywriting or search engine optimization (SEO) as part of their maintenance plan. However, most companies charge separately for these services.

Website creating cost FAQs

How much does a website cost per month?

A website costs $10 to $300 per month to run and maintain, depending on the size and type of site.

How much does a website cost per page?

Website creation costs $100 to $300 per page on average, depending on the design complexity and the freelancer’s or company’s experience.

How long does it take to build a website?

Building a website takes 50 to 200 hours for a simple small business site and 100 to 500 hours on average for a large professional site. Creating a small site with a DIY website builder takes 10 to 100 hours.

What is the cheapest way to make a website?

Get free estimates from web developers near you.

The cheapest way to make a website is to use a CMS site builder that comes with a free domain, SSL certificate, hosting, and themes. WordPress costs $0 to $45 per month and is the most popular site builder.

Getting estimates and hiring a website builder

Before you hire a website developer, be sure to:

  • Check out their portfolio of previous projects. Examine their visual design, navigation, and user experience (UX).

  • Read their reviews on Thervo and Google.

  • Interview the developer and discuss your business goals and vision for the website.

  • Get a detailed contract, timeline, and payment schedule in writing before the project begins.

  • Confirm who retains ownership of the final website design.

  • Be wary of extremely low prices, which often translate to poor design or hidden fees.

Questions to ask

  • How long have you been in business?

  • How many websites have you built?

  • Can I see a portfolio of websites you’ve built?

  • Can you provide references from previous clients?

  • How many people are on your team?

  • Will you outsource any part of the project?

  • Will you create custom logos, icons, or other visuals for my site?

  • How long will the project take?

  • How will you ensure my website is finished on time?

  • Can you explain your fees and payment terms?

  • What is your hourly rate?

  • What site maintenance do you provide, and how much does it cost?