Ask three providers for a quote and you’ll get three confusing answers: one says a professional website costs 500 euros, the next quotes 15,000. The question “how much does a professional website cost” has no single answer – but it does have realistic price ranges for each model.
The real problem is rarely the price itself. It’s the lack of comparability. A builder subscription and an agency project do not deliver the same result, even though both are called “a website”.
This guide lays out the actual 2026 costs – broken down by builder, freelancer and agency, including ongoing and hidden costs.
By the end you’ll know what you realistically get for each budget, and you’ll have a checklist to compare quotes honestly.
What does a professional website cost in 2026?
In 2026, a professional website costs anywhere from about 10 euros per month (a builder) to 15,000 euros one-off (a large agency). For small and mid-sized businesses, the realistic range is 2,000 to 6,000 euros one-time plus 20 to 60 euros per month. The big difference comes not from the number of pages, but from how much bespoke work is involved.
The table below shows typical market prices by model. These ranges are informed by JetPages project experience and will vary by provider, market and scope.
| Model | One-time cost | Ongoing cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Builder (Wix, Squarespace, Jimdo) | EUR 0–300 setup | EUR 10–50/month | Solo founders, simple presence |
| Freelancer / solo designer | EUR 800–3,500 | EUR 10–40/month | Small firms with clear scope |
| Small to mid-sized agency | EUR 3,000–10,000 | EUR 30–150/month | SMBs with growth goals |
| Large agency / custom project | EUR 10,000+ | EUR 150+/month | Complex needs, portals |
One caveat: the cheapest row is not automatically the cheapest over three years. The true price only appears once you factor in your own time, follow-up costs and the quality of the result.
What factors determine the price of a website?
The price of a website depends mainly on how much bespoke work is involved, not on the number of pages alone. The same five pages cost a fraction as a standard template versus a custom-designed presence.
These factors move the price the most:
- Design: standard template or custom design – the single biggest lever.
- Scope: the number of subpages and how complex they are.
- Features: a contact form is standard; booking, a shop or a customer area cost extra.
- Copy and images: supplied by you or produced professionally.
- Languages: every additional language means effort to build and maintain.
- Support: a one-time handover or ongoing support and upkeep.
When comparing quotes, address these factors openly. Two 3,000-euro offers can contain completely different work once one includes copy, images and a second language and the other doesn’t.
How much does a website builder cost?
A website builder usually costs between 10 and 50 euros per month, depending on the provider and plan. That covers hosting, domain and the editing software – you do the work yourself.
Builders like Wix, Squarespace or Jimdo are the cheapest way in. You pick a template, drag content into place and go live quickly. For a simple presence, that is often enough.
But the bill has a second line item: your time. A tidy result quickly takes 20 to 40 hours to learn and build. Price those hours at your own rate and the builder is no longer “almost free”.
When a builder is enough and when it isn’t is something we compare in detail in our guide website builder vs hiring a professional.
How much does a freelance website cost?
A freelance website usually costs between 800 and 3,500 euros, depending on scope, experience and region. You get a more individual result than a builder, but you carry the risk if that one person becomes unavailable.
Freelancers are a good choice when your project is clearly defined and you want a single point of contact. Many work with WordPress, some with builders, a few with their own code.
The critical question is the future: who maintains the site if the freelancer disappears? Clarify up front who has access, which system is used, and how you’ll edit content yourself later.
The price swings sharply with experience and region. A newcomer prices differently from a professional with ten years’ practice, and cities are usually dearer than rural areas. A low quote isn’t automatically cheap – what matters is whether scope, support and usage rights are clearly defined.
How much does an agency website cost?
An agency website for a small or mid-sized business usually costs between 3,000 and 10,000 euros one-time. For that you get custom design, technical build, often copywriting, and ongoing support.
The premium over freelancers is structural: several specialists for design, development and project management, reliable processes, and a contact who isn’t the only person who knows your project. For companies with growth goals, that is often the more stable choice.
Watch two things. First: is the ongoing price fair, or does it lock you in through expensive maintenance? Second: can you edit content yourself after launch, or is every text change billed? That is exactly where our process is designed differently – you manage content yourself after launch.
What are the real ongoing costs of a website?
The ongoing costs of a website include the domain, hosting and – depending on the system – maintenance, updates and support. For small businesses this usually adds up to 20 to 60 euros per month, but can be much higher with maintenance-heavy systems.
The one-time cost is only half the truth. Over three years, the recurring items often shape the total bill more:
- Domain: roughly 10 to 20 euros per year.
- Hosting: 5 to 50 euros per month depending on provider and performance.
- Maintenance and updates: highly system-dependent – worth a close look.
- Support: whether and how fast someone helps when something breaks.
With JetPages, hosting and support are bundled from 29 euros per month, with no separate maintenance invoices. Whether JetPages or a lower-cost builder fits better depends on how much you want to handle yourself – a builder lowers the monthly cost but requires more of your time.
Which hidden costs get overlooked?
The most common hidden costs are WordPress maintenance, plugin licences, extras outside the original quote, and the effort of producing text and images. They rarely appear in the first offer, but they noticeably change the total.
WordPress maintenance and plugin licences
WordPress itself is free; running it is not. Features like SEO, forms, caching or backups often need paid plugins, plus regular updates and the occasional repair after a failed update. Why many businesses switch is covered on our WordPress alternative page.
Content, copy and images
Few quotes include finished copy and licensed images. Either you supply them (your time) or you commission them separately. Clarify what the price covers.
Extras and multiple languages
Any feature outside the original scope costs extra – a second language, say, or a booking system. If you work internationally, plan for it early; how to create a multilingual website is covered separately.
What do I get for each budget?
As a rule of thumb: up to about 300 euros per year gets you a self-built builder presence, up to around 3,500 euros a solid freelance site, and from roughly 3,000 to 6,000 euros a custom-designed business site with support. Higher budgets buy complex features, not automatically “nicer design”.
- Small budget (up to ~500 EUR/year): builder, standard template, you do everything. Good to start and test.
- Mid budget (2,000–4,000 EUR one-time): custom design, clear structure, mobile-optimised, good load time. For most small businesses this is the sensible range – see our design examples.
- Larger budget (5,000 EUR+): special features, multiple languages, integrations, extensive copywriting.
Realistically, more budget rarely makes the design five times better – it pays for scope, support and time saved.
Checklist: compare quotes fairly
A fair website quote is comparable when it clearly states scope, ownership and follow-up costs. Use these points before you sign:
- Is it a fixed price or an estimate? And what happens with additions?
- Are copy and images included, or do you supply them yourself?
- Who owns the website – domain, content, design – after launch?
- Can you edit content yourself, without paying for every change?
- What do hosting, maintenance and support cost per month, in concrete euros?
- What are load time and mobile display like – is there a PageSpeed score?
- How long until launch, and who is your point of contact?
Always calculate the cost over three years, not just the starting price. A cheap entry with expensive maintenance often costs more than a solid fixed price with a fair monthly plan. And if you then want to be found in Google, read our guide to local SEO for small businesses as well.