How Much Does a Website Cost in 2026? Prices, Examples and Cost Drivers

In short: What a website costs depends mainly on who builds it and what it needs to do. A website builder such as Wix charges a monthly subscription and you do the work yourself. Freelancers usually charge by the hour or a fixed project fee. At Con Radius, a business website with its own design, a content management system and SEO foundations starts at EUR 3,000 as a one-off fee. Ongoing costs for hosting, your domain and maintenance come on top in every case.

This guide walks you through the three options, the main cost drivers and how to recognise a fair quote. Last reviewed: October 2026.

The three options compared

1. Website builder: cheap per month, expensive in time

With builders such as Wix, Squarespace or Jimdo, you build the site yourself from templates. As an example, Wix's German price list shows its standard plans at EUR 16.66 (Light), EUR 29.75 (Core) and EUR 40.46 (Business) per month including VAT. Prices in other countries differ.

• Pros: low upfront cost and a quick start.
• Cons: your own time, limited design and technical options, and dependence on one platform.
• Good for: clubs, start-ups and side projects on a small budget.

2. Freelancer: flexible, but dependent on one person

Freelancers usually work by the hour or for a fixed price. Rates vary widely with experience and specialism, so compare what is included rather than the hourly rate alone.

• Pros: direct contact and often lower cost than an agency.
• Cons: design, development, copy and SEO are rarely covered by one person; illness or holidays can stall the project.
• Good for: clearly defined projects where you manage the process yourself.

3. Agency: everything from one team

An agency takes care of concept, design, development, copy and search engine optimisation, and stays your point of contact after launch. It costs more than a website builder. In return you save time and reduce the risk that the site is not found or does not generate enquiries.

• Pros: one point of contact, a coordinated package and support after launch.
• Cons: a higher upfront investment.
• Good for: businesses that want their website to win new customers.

What drives the price

These factors decide whether a quote sits at EUR 3,000 or well above:

• Number and type of pages: a home page with five service pages is a different job from 30 industry and location pages.
• Copy and images: do you supply text and photos, or do they need to be written and shot?
• Design: an adapted template or a bespoke design.
• Features: appointment booking, multi-step forms, member areas, a shop or integrations with other systems.
• Multiple languages: every language means extra content, review and maintenance.
• CMS and technology: a system that lets you update content yourself instead of paying for every change.
• SEO and AI search foundations: page structure, metadata, structured data and loading speed, planned from the start.
• Redesign and migration: for an existing site, content has to be moved and old URLs redirected so existing Google rankings are kept.
• Legal requirements and accessibility: privacy policy, cookie notice and, depending on your business, accessibility requirements.

Ongoing costs after launch

Many quotes only show the project price. Also budget for:

• Domain and hosting: from a few to several dozen euros per month, depending on the provider and service.
• Maintenance and updates: security updates, backups and small changes, as a flat fee or by the hour.
• Licences: for example for extensions, fonts or image rights.
• SEO and GEO support: if the website should keep being found on Google and in AI answers. At Con Radius from EUR 350 per month.

How much does a website redesign cost?

A redesign often costs about as much as a new website, sometimes more. On top of design and development, content has to be moved, old URLs redirected and rankings protected. Skip that part and the new site can lose visibility the old one already had. At Con Radius, a redesign starts at EUR 3,000, and a straight migration without a new design, for example from Webflow to Payload, at EUR 2,000. The number of pages, languages and features determines the quote.

How to approach it, and the SEO checklist for before and after launch, is covered in our website redesign guide.

How to recognise a fair quote

• The scope is specific: pages, features, languages and rounds of revisions.
• It is clear who supplies copy and images.
• One-off and ongoing costs are listed separately.
• You can update the content yourself later and are not locked in to one provider.
• SEO foundations are either included or explicitly excluded.
• There is a timeline and a sign-off step.
• For a redesign, the handling of old URLs is defined.

A much cheaper quote is not automatically worse. Just check whether it includes the same work.