How much does a website cost?
Typical UK website prices for 2026 from two published guides, what makes a site cost more or less, the running costs to budget for, and my own prices.
The honest answer is that it depends on what the site has to do. A three-page site for a local business and an online shop with hundreds of products are different jobs, and they’re priced differently.
What I can do is show you what published UK guides say, explain what moves the price, and show you my own prices, so you have real figures to compare.
Typical prices in the UK in 2026
Two UK pricing guides published this year give these ranges. I’ve quoted each one’s own figures rather than blending them, because they don’t measure quite the same things.
| Kind of website | ExpertSure | O’Brien Media |
|---|---|---|
| A small, simple site | £500 to £1,500 (a freelancer’s basic brochure site, 3 to 5 pages) | £500 to £2,000 (a basic site of around 5 to 10 pages) |
| A fuller business site | £1,500 to £3,000 (a freelancer’s standard business site, 5 to 10 pages) | £1,500 to £5,000 (a custom small business site) |
| An online shop | £3,000 to £10,000 (freelancer) | £2,000 to £10,000 or more |
| Built by an agency | Micro or boutique: £2,000 to £5,000 Regional: £2,000 to £8,000 Mid-size: £5,000 to £15,000 London full-service: £8,000 to £30,000+ Ecommerce specialist: £5,000 to £35,000+ |
No separate figure |
| Ongoing costs | £50 to £150 a month (a freelancer’s maintenance retainer) | £300 to £1,500 a year (domain, hosting, maintenance and more) |
Sources: ExpertSure, How Much Does a Website Cost UK 2026? (opens in a new tab) (prices verified October 2026) and O’Brien Media, How Much Should a Web Designer Cost? (opens in a new tab) (April 2026).
Both are commercial sites: ExpertSure may earn commission from providers it features, and O’Brien Media is a web design agency. Weigh them with that in mind, and the same goes for me.
What makes a website cost more or less
How many pages
Each page needs designing, writing and checking on phones. A three-page site (home, services and contact) is a smaller job than a ten-page site with a page for every service.
Booking
Linking to a booking system you already use, such as Fresha, is quick. Building booking into the site takes longer. Either way, check what the booking system itself charges, as that’s separate from the website.
An online shop
Shops cost the most because there’s more to set up and test: products and options, card payments, postage rules, order emails and stock. That’s why both guides put shops at the top of their ranges.
Words and photos
If you supply the text and photos, there’s less to do. If the designer writes the words or arranges the photos, that time is part of the price. It’s worth asking which is included.
A template or a design made for you
A template is quicker and cheaper. A design made for your business takes longer, and should fit your brand and your customers better. Both can work: the question is what your business needs.
Running costs
The build is paid once. The running costs carry on, so ask about them before you start:
- The domain: your web address, renewed every year or so.
- Hosting: where the site lives. Some hosts charge monthly, and some hosting is free.
- Changes and care: updates, fixes and checks. Some designers charge a monthly retainer, and others charge per change.
ExpertSure gives £50 to £150 a month for a freelancer’s maintenance retainer, and O’Brien Media puts ongoing costs at £300 to £1,500 a year. My own running costs are further down this page.
A DIY builder, a freelancer or an agency
Each of these suits someone, and none is the wrong answer for everyone.
A DIY website builder usually costs least up front. You do the work yourself and pay the builder a plan fee for as long as the site is live. If you enjoy that kind of thing and your needs are simple, it can be enough.
A freelancer is one person who designs and builds the site with you. You deal with the same person from start to finish, and the published freelancer ranges above are generally lower than an agency’s. The thing to check is what happens after launch: who makes changes, and how quickly.
An agency has a team of designers and developers, and often writers and marketers. That suits bigger projects, and businesses that want more than a website, and the price reflects it.
My prices
So you have real figures as well as ranges, here's what I charge and what each includes.
Starter
from £495
- 1 to 3 pages
- Mobile first
- Contact form
- Links to your existing booking system
- Set up on Google
Business
from £950
- Up to 6 pages
- Gallery
- Online booking
- Reviews
- Search Console and Google Business Profile
- One month of free changes after launch
Online shop
from £1,950
- Products and variations
- Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay
- Postage rules
- Order and dispatch emails
- Stock and product options
- Set up on Google
- One month of free changes after launch
Care plan (optional add-on, no contract)
£30 a month
For websites I’ve built, once they’re live. It looks after your site; it doesn’t include building one.
- Small monthly changes (prices, photos, opening hours)
- Checks that everything is working
- Google kept up to date
Running costs: just your domain, usually £10 to £15 a year. Hosting is free on Cloudflare.
Every project starts with a free mockup, so you see it before you pay anything.
What I’d do
- Write down what the site has to do: how many pages, booking or not, a shop or not, and who writes the words.
- Ask for a fixed quote, in writing, for exactly that.
- Ask what it costs to run each year: the domain, the hosting and any changes.
- Make sure the domain and hosting will be in your own name. My guide to owning your domain explains why.