# How Much Does a Custom Website Cost in 2026? A landing page from €400, a business card site from €600, a company website with CMS from €1,200, an online store from €2,000 — net. What drives the price and what comes after launch. **Canonical:** https://spoko.space/blog/how-much-does-a-website-cost/ **Language:** en **Published:** 2026-04-01 **Updated:** 2026-09-24 **Tags:** web development, pricing, custom website, business website, website cost **Category:** Guide --- A custom website for a small business costs **from €400 net for a landing page, €600 for a business card site, €1,200 for a company website with a CMS and €2,000 for an online store**. Most small-business projects land between €400 and €4,000. These are my own freelance rates for sites built from scratch, the same figures as on my [web development offer](https://spoko.space/web-development/#pricing). ## Website Pricing in 2026 {#website-pricing-in-2026} | Type | Price (from, net) | Timeline | |---|---|---| | Landing page | €400 | 3–7 days | | Business card site | €600 | 2–3 weeks | | Company website with CMS | €1,200 | 4–6 weeks | | Online store | €2,000 | 6–12 weeks | > Prices are net; VAT is added where it applies. Agencies typically charge 2–3× more for a similar scope. On top of the build, plan for a domain and hosting — roughly €50–120 a year for a small site. **Prefer to pay monthly?** A [website on subscription](https://spoko.space/subscription-websites/) starts at €25/month net: the design, a content panel, hosting and ongoing care in one fee, with no big invoice up front. An existing WordPress site can go on a [care plan](https://spoko.space/wordpress-rescue/) from €49/month. Below is what each type includes, what pushes the price up, and which costs come after launch. Custom development — built from scratch, no off-the-shelf themes — is 30–50% more expensive than a template-based site, but delivers better performance, security and a lower cost of running it over the years. --- ## What Counts as a Custom Website? {#what-counts-as-a-custom-website} A **custom website** is one built from scratch for a specific client, with a bespoke design and functionality — not a reskinned template. The distinction matters for cost: custom development takes more time upfront but delivers: - **Unique design** that reflects your brand, not a variation of themes used by thousands of other businesses - **Lean code** with only the features you actually need — no plugin bloat - **Better performance** (typically 95–100 PageSpeed Insights vs 40–60 for template-based sites) - **Lower maintenance cost** long-term (fewer plugins to update, no security patches for unused features) - **Freedom to customize** without fighting the template's constraints when requirements evolve The trade-off: **higher upfront cost** (30–50% more than a template) and longer timeline. For businesses that plan to run the site for 3+ years, the total cost of ownership is usually lower with custom — especially when you factor in hosting costs (templates with many plugins often require heavier hosting) and developer hours for fighting template limitations later. --- ## Landing Page — from €400 {#landing-page--from-400} A landing page is a single page focused on one goal: capturing leads, selling a product, or promoting a service. No navigation, no subpages — just content and a CTA button or form. **When it makes sense:** - Running a paid ad campaign (Google Ads, Meta Ads) - Promoting a single product or service - Collecting sign-ups for an event or webinar At this price point, a landing page includes responsive design, a contact form, basic SEO, and Google Analytics integration. --- ## Business Card Site — from €600 {#business-card-site--from-600} A business card site is the classic small business website: up to 5 pages covering home, services, about, contact, and optionally a gallery or testimonials. It's the most common choice for local service providers. **What's included:** - Up to 5 subpages - Custom graphic design - Contact form with spam protection - SEO optimisation (meta tags, headings, schema markup) - Responsive layout for mobile and tablet - Google Maps and Google Analytics integration **When it makes sense:** - You're a local service provider (salon, mechanic, accountant, clinic) - You need a professional online presence - Customers search for you by business name or service --- ## Company Website with CMS — from €1,200 {#company-website-with-cms--from-1200} A full company website with a content management system lets you update text, add posts, and manage images yourself — no developer needed. The right choice when you plan to publish content regularly or have a dozen or more subpages. **What's included:** - Multiple pages and sections - Admin panel for content editing - Company blog - Advanced SEO (breadcrumbs, [schema.org](https://spoko.space/glossary/structured-data/), sitemap) - Integrations (GTM, analytics, maps, newsletter, chat) - SSL certificate and first-year hosting (optional) --- ## Online Store — from €2,000 {#online-store--from-2000} An online store is considerably more complex than a business card site. It needs to handle products, a cart, payments, stock management, invoices, and shipping. The price depends on the number of products, payment gateway integrations (Stripe, PayPal), and any synchronisation with inventory or ERP systems. --- ## What Drives the Cost of a Website? {#what-drives-the-cost-of-a-website} ### 1. Custom design vs template {#1-custom-design-vs-template} A site built from scratch with a custom graphic design costs more than one based on a ready-made template. The price difference is typically 30–50%, but the difference in quality and uniqueness can be far greater. For what sets memorable sites apart from template clones in 2026 — from bento grids to kinetic typography — see [Modern Website Design Trends 2026](https://spoko.space/blog/modern-website-design-trends/). ### 2. Content management system (CMS) {#2-content-management-system-cms} Adding an admin panel so you can edit content yourself adds €250–750 to the cost. It's a one-time expense that saves money later — minor updates don't require calling a developer every time. ### 3. Integrations and extra features {#3-integrations-and-extra-features} Each integration takes additional time. Typical costs: - Contact form with anti-spam protection: included in base price - Booking system integration: +€120–380 - Newsletter (Mailchimp, etc.): +€80–200 - Multilingual support: +€380–1,000 - On-site search: +€120–380 ### 4. Copywriting and photography {#4-copywriting-and-photography} Many quotes exclude copy and images — the client provides the materials. If you need copywriting or product photography, add €250–1,200 depending on scope. ### 5. Freelancer vs agency vs website builder {#5-freelancer-vs-agency-vs-website-builder} | | Freelancer | Agency | Builder (Wix, Squarespace) | |---|---|---|---| | Price | €400–4,000 | €2,000–15,000 | €0–50/mo | | Uniqueness | High | High | Low | | Quality | Depends on person | Depends on agency | Low–medium | | Flexibility | High | Medium | Low | | Support | Direct | Via project manager | Self-service | --- ## Hidden Costs to Know About {#hidden-costs-to-know-about} The build price is just the start — a website has ongoing running costs: - **Domain**: €10–30/year (.com, .co.uk, etc.) - **Hosting**: €25–150/year (depends on traffic and site type) - **SSL certificate**: usually included with hosting or free (Let's Encrypt) - **Maintenance and updates**: €0–120/month (if you opt for a support package — [WordPress care](https://spoko.space/wordpress-rescue/) starts at €49/month) - **SEO**: €120–750/month if you want to actively grow in Google WordPress sites require regular plugin and core updates — otherwise they become vulnerable to attacks. A skipped update often ends in a break-in — I document a real case in my article on [Japanese SEO spam on WordPress](https://spoko.space/blog/japanese-seo-spam-wordpress/). Sites built in Astro (like the ones I build) don't have this problem: they generate static HTML, so there are no plugins to patch. What's left is hosting, backups and small changes — and those can come in one subscription instead of separate invoices. --- ## When Does a Cheaper Option Make Sense? {#when-does-a-cheaper-option-make-sense} Website builders like Wix or Squarespace make sense when: - You're just starting out and testing an idea - You don't need SEO or a custom design - Your budget is genuinely very tight But fair warning: builder sites have poor performance, limited SEO capabilities, and look similar to thousands of other sites. In the long run, it often turns out that investing once in a professional site was cheaper. --- ## Summary — What Budget to Plan For? {#summary--what-budget-to-plan-for} For a small business, a realistic website budget is: - **Minimum** (simple card site, template): €400–600 - **Sensible** (card site with custom design): €600–1,000 - **Optimal** (company site with [CMS](https://spoko.space/glossary/cms/)): €1,200–2,000 Add roughly €50–120/year for hosting and a domain. If long-term Google rankings matter to you — it's worth investing in an SEO-optimised site from day one. Fixing technical SEO issues after the fact is more expensive than getting it right upfront. --- Need a quote for your business? [Get in touch](https://spoko.space/contact/) — I provide free estimates. I'm based in Poland and work with clients across Europe. ## Frequently Asked Questions {#faq} ### Does the website price include hosting? {#faq-does-the-website-price-include-hosting} Usually not — hosting and a domain are separate costs (roughly €50–120/year). Some developers offer packages with first-year hosting included. ### Can I edit the site myself after it's built? {#faq-can-i-edit-the-site-myself-after-its-built} Yes, if the site has a built-in CMS. Worth clarifying before the project starts — an admin panel is an option, not a default. ### Why do quotes vary so much in price? {#faq-why-do-quotes-vary-so-much-in-price} Because "website" is a very broad term. A simple card site on a template can cost a few hundred euros. A full company site with custom design, CMS, and integrations — several thousand. Always ask for a detailed scope. ### Does cheaper mean lower quality? {#faq-does-cheaper-mean-lower-quality} Not necessarily. A freelancer can build a better site for less than an agency, because there's no overhead. More important than price: portfolio, client reviews, and whether they understand your business. ### How long does it take? {#faq-how-long-does-it-take} Landing page: 3–7 days. Business card site: 2–3 weeks. Company site with CMS: 4–6 weeks. Online store: 6–12 weeks.