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How Much Does It Cost to Build a Website?

(2023 Data)

The Upwork Team

Apr 21, 2021
|
10 Min Read

Development & IT

Design & Creative

Sales & Marketing

Article
As a business, having a poorly designed website, or worse, not having a website, can be
detrimental to customer acquisition. In fact, 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to
a website after a bad experience. Therefore, to maximize the chances of attracting and retaining
customers, you’ll want to prioritize your online presence.

But how much does it cost to build a website, and where should you start? This article will
discuss:

 5 key factors that affect the cost of building a website

 The cost of website hosting platforms
 3 ways to build your website and how it will affect costs
 Next steps

5 key factors that affect the cost of building a website

Many factors affect the average cost of building a website. The nature of each business varies,
and so do their website needs. For instance, the variables that come into play when building a
website for a data analytics provider are entirely different from those involving creating a small
site intended for blogging. If you are getting started, try Upwork's Free Website Cost Calculator
tool to estimate costs associated with setting up every aspect of website.

In the next sections, we go over some elements that can impact the cost of building a website.
It’s important to note that this is far from an exhaustive list. In fact, there’s a wide array of other
factors specific to each business and website project.

Domain name

The first factor that you should consider is the domain name. Buying a new domain name for
your site will generally cost you between $10 and $15 a year. However, it’s important to note
that the cost can vary depending on several factors, including:

 Domain registrar: A registrar is an entity that helps you buy and register your domain
name. There are many registrars to choose from, with each one offering different
packages and features at varying price points.
 Top-level domain (TLD): A TLD refers to the extension at the end of the domain name.
Established TLDs such as “.com’ and “.org” tend to cost more than ones like “.site” or
“.xyz.”
 Length of commitment: Most registrars offer different prices depending on the length of
the contract. A longer commitment costs you less in the long term, whereas a shorter
contract is more cost-effective in the short term.
 Domain privacy: While providing personal information is required when registering a
domain, you can make that information inaccessible to the public. For an additional fee,
registrars offer clients privacy features that protect their identity and maintain their
anonymity.

Website functionality
Functionality plays a key role in determining website cost. Simply put, the more functions you
add to your site, the higher the cost will be. Website functions can range from essential ones
integral to your business to optional ones geared toward improving user experience. Here are
some examples:

 E-commerce functions: This encompasses all functions necessary to run an e-commerce

website. To get these businesses up and running, the sites must be equipped with several
design features that allow customers to find and purchase products. Basic online store
design elements include customer portals, payment processing, multiple delivery options,
and order fulfillment. While pricing points vary, the design costs of a fully custom
traditional e-commerce site can easily exceed $2,000.
 Membership portals: As the name suggests, this is a gated part of the site that only
registered members can access. Installing these portals is a great way to boost content
credibility, provide a streamlined user experience to website visitors, and grow a base of
loyal customers. Depending on the features and type of license you’re getting, a
membership portal function can run you anything from $89 to $399 per year.
 Subscription services: These functions are required for setting up a subscription model
for your site. They’re regular replenishment services that offer recurring deliveries of
products or curated ones that provide products depending on the needs of each customer.
Apps like Bold Subscriptions offer full subscription service integration starting at $49.99
per month.
 Custom programming: While a small business website doesn’t require much backend
programming, other businesses might need more complex design elements for their sites.
A good example of this is web portals. These websites handle a large amount of data and
provide customized access to different users. Hiring a web developer to add custom code
might be necessary when dealing with such complex architectures. Upwork has the
largest pool of independent web developers for any of your programming needs.

Website maintenance

Website maintenance is integral to your business, as it ensures that your site remains functional
and secure. Still, many people fail to accurately account for maintenance costs when mapping
out their budget. Some tasks that are part of website maintenance include:

 Fixing broken links

 Patching CMS and server software issues
 Quarterly testing of all website forms and e-commerce functions
 Fixing security vulnerabilities
 Regularly backing up the site

These tasks are generally handled by specialized agencies or web developers, and the cost will
vary based on the size and complexity of the website.

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Size of the site

The number of website features and the complexity of a website’s architecture are not the only
variables that can drive up web design costs. In many cases, the sheer size of the website can be
just as big of a factor.

The cost differential between building a large website and a small one is substantial. Building an
e-commerce website that consists of 500 pages will require a significant amount of time and
effort to build, and that will be reflected in what you pay for web development services. By
contrast, a simple website that features a standard template and only a handful of pages can be
built at a fraction of that cost.

The table below illustrates this difference:

Type of website Estimated design cost

Small business website (8 to 16 pages) $2,000 to $9,000
Large business website (25 to 75 pages) $10,000 to $35,000
E-commerce website (100 to 1,000 products) $5,000 to $55,000
Database website (20 to 2,000 pages) $6,000 to $75,000

Website hosting platform

Web hosting needs to differ from one business to another. If your business operates strictly
online, you should opt for dedicated server hosting. This will allow you to handle a potential
increase in traffic without experiencing server downtime. Moreover, you’ll have access to
advanced security features that can help you better safeguard your customers’ sensitive data.

Shared hosting is the more convenient option if you’re not planning on using your own website
for revenue-generating purposes. The affordability of these plans coupled with their low
maintenance requirements makes them ideal for the type of website that consists of just a few
pages of content.

Virtual private server (VPS) hosting occupies the middle ground between dedicated hosting and
shared hosting. You have access to some control and customization options, but you still don’t
have enough bandwidth to handle high traffic.

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How much do website hosting platforms (CMS) cost?

Here’s a comparison of the top CMS platforms in 2021:

WordPress Joomla Drupal Wix WooCommerce

CMS: Free
CMS: Free CMS: Free CMS: Free CMS: Free
Apps: $3 to $15
Plugins: $0 to Plugins: $0 to Plugins: $0 to Plugins: $0 to
Cost a month
$200 Themes: $70 Templates: $100 Themes: $200 Themes: $0
Templates:
$0 to $250 $0 to $200 $0 to $80 to $250
Free
Hard
Easy (No Moderate Easy (No
(Advanced Easy (No coding
Ease of use coding skills (Some coding coding skills
coding skills skills required)
required) skills required) required)
required)
Small Large
E-commerce, Small
businesses businesses Small e-commerce
Suitable for blogs, social businesses and
with simple with complex stores
networking startups
websites websites
Choice of Over 10,000 Over 8,000 Over 2,000 Over 300
Over 20 themes
designs themes templates themes templates
Extensions
50,000+ 7,000+ 39,000+ 200+ 100+
and plugins
Over 75 Over 1.5
Over 2.5 Over 3.3 Over 3.8 million
Popularity million million
million websites million websites websites
websites websites

‍
3 ways to build your website and how it will affect costs
Ultimately, the cost of building a website comes down to how you want to tackle the project: do
it yourself and save money or retain the services of a professional and incur higher costs. The
pros and cons of each approach are weighed below.

Do it yourself (DIY)

The DIY approach is the most cost-effective option for building a website. By doing the design
yourself, your costs will consist of the basic expenses needed to set up and host the site. These
include your domain name, hosting costs, an SSL certificate, a premium theme, and a drag-and-
drop website builder like Squarespace, Weebly, or Wix. You can also use a more traditional
content management system (CMS) like WordPress.

Keep in mind that once you take on the project, you’ll be responsible for every aspect of the
website. This entails figuring out how to make your website templates mobile-friendly, ensuring
that security protocols are in place, verifying that your WordPress theme is compatible with
third-party plugins, and installing the necessary add-ons, among many other tasks.

But while the DIY approach might be worth exploring when building a simple website, it’s not
always a viable option when dealing with large projects. Taking on the task of designing a
complex website on your own involves navigating a myriad of challenges and requires solving
several design problems that only experienced developers can handle.

Pros

 It’s the ideal option if saving money is a priority.

 It’s a good opportunity to expand your skills and learn more about website development.
 You’ll have the chance to test different ideas and experiment with various concepts.

Cons

 The learning curve might be too steep if you have no prior experience in web
development.
 The process can be time-consuming.
 The quality of the website might be below professional standards.

How much will it cost?

For a small business, brochure-style website, you’re going to need a domain name (at least $12
per year), a shared hosting plan (at least $60 per year), a premium theme ($60), premium plugins
($60 per year), and a website builder ($12 to $15). You can expect to pay over $200 when
building a website on your own.

Hire an independent professional

If you want to make sure that your website is up to the desired standard, hiring a freelancer is the
way to go. Experienced web designers can bring your ideas into execution, suggest features that
could enhance your business, and help you navigate the launch of your site without any hiccups.

Thanks to Upwork’s ability to connect businesses with skilled workers, you’ll be able to hire a
talented web developer in no time. These professionals can help you build a custom website at
various price ranges and work closely with you to ensure the success of your online venture.‍

Pros

 You’re guaranteed to get a sleek-looking professional website.

 You won’t have to spend weeks learning web design.
 Independent talent can help you manage the launch of the site.

Cons

 Working with a professional might require a significant financial investment, especially if

the project is too complex.
 If you need to make changes to the site in the future, there’s a chance that the
independent professional might not be available for hire. A new freelancer will need
some time to get familiar with the existing code.
 You might have trouble getting your ideas across if you’re not tech-savvy.

How much will it cost?

The cost will be determined by several factors, namely the hourly rate of the independent
professional, the functions of the website, the custom programming, and the page volume.

Experienced freelancers charge anywhere between $20 and $80 per hour. As a rough estimate, a
small business website could cost you anywhere from $1,500 to $5,000.

Use an agency

Businesses that routinely tackle complex projects can benefit tremendously from hiring a
professional web design agency. On top of handling advanced website designs, these agencies
can also provide a wide range of services beyond the scope of web development.

Working with a web design agency can cost tens of thousands of dollars, which is why their
client base consists mostly of large organizations.

Pros

 Agencies have the resources to tackle complex projects.

 They offer an all-in-one package that includes website design, maintenance, and SEO
services.
 They can help you define your marketing strategy.
Cons

 Their price point is out of reach for most small business owners.
 They take longer to finish projects.
 An agency is not going to prioritize a small project the same way an independent
professional would.

How much will it cost?

Depending on the size of the agency and the complexity of the project, the cost of hiring an
agency can reach up to $100,000.

Next steps
While determining the exact cost of building a website can be a difficult proposition, finding top
talent for your business isn’t. Whether it’s a simple WordPress site or a large online store,
Upwork will help you identify highly experienced professionals that can guide you through the
process of creating your ideal website.

You can also check out Upwork’s Project Catalog™, a new service that allows you to purchase a
specific project such as custom website builders and CMS without having to find a freelancer
yourself. It’s never been easier to have a professional-looking website.

Upwork is not affiliated with and does not sponsor or endorse any of the tools or services
discussed in this section. These tools and services are provided only as potential options, and
each reader and company should take the time needed to adequately analyze and determine the
tools or services that would best fit their specific needs and situation.

‍
https://www.websitebuilderexpert.com/building-websites/how-much-should-a-website-cost/

How Much Does a Website Cost in 2023? (Full Breakdown)

How Much Does a Website Cost in 2023?

(Full Breakdown)
On this page

 How Much Does a Website Cost Using a Website Builder?

 How Much Does a Website Cost Using WordPress?
 How Much Does a Website Cost Using a Web Designer?
 Before You Start
 How Much Does a Website Cost? Conclusion

There are three ways to build a website: with a website builder, with WordPress, or by hiring a
professional designer. The route you pick will affect the overall cost of building your website –
website builders are by far the cheapest option. So, if you want to save money we recommend
choosing a web builder.

If you choose to use a website builder, it could cost you as little as $6 per month, whereas using
WordPress increases that monthly price to anywhere between $11 and $50. Hiring a website
designer is the most expensive option, with an upfront price tag of over $10,000.

Being clear on costs and getting good value for money is important in today’s economic climate
– you need a website that meets your needs, serves your visitors, and doesn’t put a strain on your
funds. Below, we’ll take a deep dive into all three methods, giving you a rundown of all the full
costs involved, so you can choose the best route for your budget.

First of all, let’s play a quick game: which website do you think costs the most?

Website A
 Website B

Website C

What did you guess? If you chose Website A, then you’d be correct – it’s a custom-made site,
meaning it probably cost around $5,000. The other two designs are… drum roll please… free
website templates from DIY website builders Wix and Squarespace. With these builders, it costs
a minimum of $16 per month to build an ad-free website.

It’s pretty hard to tell which design costs more just by looking at them, which shows that there is
no right or wrong way to build a website. However, it is important to consider the varying costs
before learning how to build a website.
How Much Does Building a Website Typically Cost?
On average, though, you can expect to pay an upfront cost of around $200 to build a
website, with an ongoing cost of around $50 per month to maintain it. This estimate is higher if
you hire a designer or developer – expect an upfront charge of around $6,000, with an ongoing
cost of $1,000 per year.

Website Feature Website Builder WordPress Web Designer

Upfront Cost: $12 - $60 Upfront Cost: $12 - $85 Upfront Cost: $35 - $600
Website Domain
Monthly Cost: $0 Monthly Cost: $0 Monthly Cost: $0
Upfront Cost: $35 -
Upfront Cost: $0 $600 Upfront Cost: $35 - $600
Website Hosting
Monthly Cost: $0 Monthly Cost: $2.95 - Monthly Cost: $2.95 - $50
$50
Upfront Cost: $0 Upfront Cost: $0 - $200 Upfront Cost: $0 - $200
SSL Certificate
Monthly Cost: $0 Monthly Cost: $0 Monthly Cost: $0
Website Template or Upfront Cost: $0 Upfront Cost: $0 - $50+ Upfront Cost: $0
Theme Monthly Cost: $0 Monthly Cost: $0 Monthly Cost: $0
Upfront Cost: $144 -
Upfront Cost: $120 - Upfront Cost: $5,000 -
$700
Ecommerce Functionality $600 $30,000+
Monthly Cost: $12 -
Monthly Cost: $10 - $50 Monthly Cost: $500 - $1000+
$60
Upfront Cost: $0 Upfront Cost: $0 Upfront Cost: $0
Website Content
Monthly Cost: $0 Monthly Cost: $0 Monthly Cost: $100 - $500
Upfront Cost: $0 -
Upfront Cost: $0 - $20+
$100+ Upfront Cost: $0
Apps and Integrations Monthly Cost: $0 -
Monthly Cost: $0 - Monthly Cost: $0
$20+
$100+
Upfront Cost: $0 Upfront Cost: $0 - $99 Upfront Cost: $0
SEO and Marketing
Monthly Cost: $0 Monthly Cost: $0 - $99 Monthly Cost: $100 - $500

There are three main ways to build a website: use a website builder, build with WordPress,
or hire a web designer. Which method you choose will have a huge impact on how much your
website costs. For example, creating content can be free with a web builder, but can cost over
$5,000 if you’re using a web designer.

Website builders are usually the cheapest way to build a website. While WordPress is
technically a free, open-source platform, you have to pay for hosting, themes, and plugins, and
even professional help from a developer, which can increase your total cost.
Hiring a web designer is the most expensive option, but it’s the best choice if you need absolute
control over the build and customisation of that site or that offers the highest levels of complex
functionality.

Web design pricing can be difficult to find online, so we’d recommend getting accurate, tailored
pricing information using this web design comparison tool powered by our trusted partners
Expert Market.

Realistically, you don’t want to pay less than $5,000 for a web designer, otherwise, you might
end up with a disappointing end result that you’re not happy with, but that you’ve still paid a few
thousand for.

You need to choose the right method for you. Hiring a web designer is more expensive, but it
takes the technical hassle out of your hands. Using a website builder is cheap and easy, but you
don’t get the same level of control as you do with WordPress. WordPress gives you flexibility,
but it’s the most time-consuming and hands-on approach.

We’ll walk you through each option, explore the various costs involved, and explain how to ask
the right questions to get the most out of your money. Ready? Let’s go!

Realising it's hard to find web design pricing online?

Our trusted partner Expert Market has built a simple web design price comparison tool; it gives you
tailored recommendations for design services based on what you need, and it’s 100% free to use!

If you’re short on time, you can watch our video breakdown, instead!
Further reading:

Website Builder Comparison Chart – Check out the best website builders side-by-side to
make your decision even easier

10 Best Website Builders – Use our expert reviews to help you decide which platform is right
for you

Cheapest Website Builders – Learn how to build a beautiful website on a budget

How Much Does It Cost to Start a Blog – Take a look at all the costs involved with setting up
and running a successful blog

SSL Certificate Cost – Find out exactly how much an SSL certificate for your website stands to
cost you

How Much Does a Website Cost Using a Website Builder?

$6 – $50 per month

Website Builder
Required? Price More Info
Cost Breakdown
Monthly $6 - $50 per This covers hosting, security, free themes, and built-in
✔️
subscription month features.
$0 - $20+ You can install free or paid apps to expand your site’s
Apps (optional) ✔️
per month functionality.
Themes ❌ $0 You don’t have to pay for website builder themes.
Hosting ❌ $0 You don’t have to pay for hosting – this is taken care of by
 Website Builder
Required? Price More Info
Cost Breakdown
your website builder.
You don’t have to pay extra for security – you get security
Security ❌ $0 features built in to your website builder to protect your site
from threats.
Website builders are easy to use, so you don’t need to hire
Professional help ❌ $0
a developer.

Using a website builder is the cheapest way to build a website, and is best for:

 Technical novices
 Anyone who needs a website live sooner rather than later
 Personal websites and portfolios

The full range of website builder prices ranges from free all the way up to around $500 per
month. However, most new sites will fall within the $6 to $50 per month bracket.

Let’s address the elephant in the room first – the free plan. The truth is, if you’re building a
website that anyone else is going to see, you need a paid plan instead of a free plan. This is
because free plans come with various limitations, the most common being:

 Adverts displayed on your website

 A free, non-custom domain, such as www.mywebsite.wix.com
 Limited features, such as low storage and bandwidth allowances
 No ecommerce features, meaning you can’t sell online
 Basic customer support

The free plan is only suitable for trying out the website builder, seeing if it’s the right fit for you,
and for building test sites to hone your skills and try out new ideas without any financial
pressure.

It’s the free plan that usually gives website builders a somewhat bad reputation for being cheap
and poor quality, but that’s not the case as long as you choose a good-quality builder. We try and
test builders so that we can recommend the top brands to our readers, to help you build a better
website and get more for your money.

Here’s the cream of the crop and how we rated them:

Best Overall Website Builder

4.8

out of 5
Top Choice
Ease Of Use

4.4 out of 5 stars

Value For Money

3 out of 5 stars

Design Flexibility

4.6 out of 5 stars

Features

4.8 out of 5 stars

Help and Support

4.8 out of 5 stars

Customer Score

4.7 out of 5 stars

Read our full review

Best for Creatives

4.7

out of 5
Ease Of Use

4.4 out of 5 stars

Value For Money

4.6 out of 5 stars

Design Flexibility

4.7 out of 5 stars

Features

4.6 out of 5 stars

Help and Support

4.8 out of 5 stars

Customer Score

4.5 out of 5 stars

Read our full review

Most time efficient

4.1

out of 5
Ease Of Use

4.1 out of 5 stars

Value For Money

4.3 out of 5 stars

Design Flexibility

4.3 out of 5 stars

Features

3.3 out of 5 stars

Help and Support

3.8 out of 5 stars

Customer Score

4.3 out of 5 stars

Read our full review

How Much Do the Best Website Builders Cost?

Wix and GoDaddy come with a free plans, while Squarespace provides a free 14 day trial.

The cheapest paid plan for each builder is:

 Wix: $16 per month

 Squarespace: $16 per month
 GoDaddy: $6.99 per month

It’s worth noting that GoDaddy’s lower price is only for the first year. After that, it increases to
$11.99 a month.

Below, you can see a more in-depth breakdown of the prices involved with each builder:

Free Plan / Free Cheapest Ad-Free Cheapest Ecommerce Most Expensive Number of
Trial Plan Plan Plan Plans
Wix Free plan $16 $27 $500 8
Squarespace 14-day free trial $16 $27 $49 4
GoDaddy 30-day free trial $11.99 $24.99 $44.99 4

Top Tip!

It’s often cheaper to buy a website builder plan in an annual or 36-month contract than pay monthly.
For example, Wix’s Combo plan monthly is $23, but if you choose the 36-month plan upfront it works
out at only $11 per month, meaning you will have saved $432!

Are Website Builders Worth Your Money?

With a high quality website builder, you can create a truly professional website. Sure, if you
choose poor tools, then you’ll end up with a shoddy product – but if you’re careful about the
builder you choose, then you can set yourself up for success.
What we’re trying to say is, it’s worth spending a little extra on a better builder than simply
picking out the first one you find. You’ll get much better value for money from a builder such as
Wix or Squarespace, for example, than a low-rated option such as SiteBuilder or 1&1 IONOS.

Here’s a breakdown to help you decide how much you might need to pay for a website builder
for your website:

Website Builder Price Plans Usual Cost Who Should Use It?
Hobby builders
Students building school projects
Free Plan $0
Private bloggers
Anyone trying out website builders
Bloggers
Basic Plan $12 per month People building portfolios
Small businesses
Online stores
Ecommerce Plan $12 - $60 per month
Businesses selling products on the side
Large businesses
Enterprise Plan $500 per month
Large online stores

What Costs Are Involved Using a Website Builder?

Professional Help: $0

You won’t need to pay for any professional designers to help out with your site, as builders are
easy to use and quick to get the hang of. You pay for a subscription, either monthly or annually,
and this is the main cost you’ll need to budget for.

Domain Name: $12 per year

A lot of website builders include a free custom domain in their plans – this usually gives you a
free domain of your choice for your first year, after which you’ll need to pay. Domains vary in
price, but average around $12 per year for a common one such as .com.

Apps: $3 – $60 per month

If you want to add apps to your site, then there’s often a mix of free and paid ones to choose
from. Paid apps aren’t usually expensive, ranging from $3 to $60 per month – you get to pick
which apps to install and which plan you want, so you’re in total control of this cost.

Themes, Hosting, or Security: $0

You don’t need to pay for themes, hosting, or security for your website – these costs are all
included in your website builder subscription.
Top Tip!

Many builders have deals and sales going on where you can get the builder for less, such as Black Friday.
These deals can be up to 80% off, so make sure you take advantage when you can!

Website Builder Cost: Summary

Average price range: $6 – $50 per month

The best website builders are:

 Wix: Starting at $16 per month

 Squarespace: Starting at $16 per month
 GoDaddy: Starting at $6.99 per month

What do you pay for?

 Subscription (monthly or annually): $6 – $50 per month

 Domain name: $12 per year
 Optional apps: $3 – $60 per month

Total cost estimate: $10 – $111 per month

Find out more

 Discover the Best Cheap Website Builders to make a small budget go further
 Wix is our top-rated website builder, but what are its plans like? Get a detailed look at our Wix
Pricing guide.
 Want to learn more about domains? Check out our What Is A Domain Name? Beginner’s Guide
for a full introduction

How Much Does a Website Cost Using WordPress?

$35 – $780 upfront cost, then $11 – $50 per month

WordPress Cost
Required? Price More Info
Breakdown
Monthly
❌ $0 WordPress is free
subscription
There are both free and premium plugins. Some charge a one-
Apps / plugins $0 - $100+
✔️ off fee, while others you need to pay monthly or annually to
(optional) per month
use.
Themes ✔️ $0 - $50+ There are both free and premium themes. You only pay a one-
upfront cost off charge for premium themes, rather than an ongoing
WordPress Cost
Required? Price More Info
Breakdown
subscription.
Hosting is an essential cost. It’s rare to find a host that accepts
$2.95 - $85
Hosting ✔️ monthly payments, so you should expect to pay a minimum of
per month
$35 per year upfront.
Security can come built-in to your hosting plan, but it’s worth
$0 - $200
Security ✔️ investing in extra security measures. There are free security
per year
plugins you can choose from if you’re on a tight budget.
This is an optional cost. If you’re building a custom site,
$80 - $180
Professional help ❌ chances are you’ll need a developer to help. This is the main
per hour
factor that hikes up the cost of building a WordPress website.

Using WordPress gives you a lot more control over your website – and your budget. It’s best for:

 Those with a little technical confidence

 Anyone who wants full customization
 Blogs, business sites, and very large websites

The cost of a WordPress website is pretty hard to pin down. It depends on a lot of different
factors, because there’s a lot of different aspects to think about when setting up a WordPress site.

On the one hand, WordPress is free. There are free themes and plugins too, so in theory, it should
be easy to keep costs low. However, you might find you need a premium theme, and then there’s
hosting to think about (and pay for). If you hire a WordPress developer, your total website cost
could quickly creep up into the thousands.

There are various costs that can affect the total price of building a WordPress website, but the
main one is hosting. You can get away with using free themes and plugins, but hosting is an
essential and important cost that’s vital for getting your WordPress website online.

So, how much does it cost to host a WordPress website? It depends on your provider. There are
tons of hosting providers out there to choose from, and some are better than others. For
WordPress, we recommend using Bluehost (and so does WordPress itself, come to that!)

Top Tip!

If you’re serious about WordPress, we suggest getting to grips with HTML. This is the code language
WordPress uses, and you’ll find out that to take your customizations to the next level, you will have to
get to grips with it.

What’s the Best WordPress Hosting Provider?

Bluehost is the number one WordPress hosting provider, making it the highest quality host you
can choose for your WordPress website. No, it’s not the cheapest on the market – but with prices
starting at $2.95 per month, it’s not going to break the bank, either.

Why is it the best? Not only does it come with an official recommendation from WordPress
itself, it also wowed us in our research – just check out its scores!

Best WordPress hosting provider

4.8

out of 5
Top Choice
Hosting Features

4.2 out of 5 stars

Disk Space

5 out of 5 stars

Uptime

3 out of 5 stars

Value For Money

4.7 out of 5 stars

Help and Support

3.5 out of 5 stars

Read Full Review

Okay, okay, we know what you’re wondering: Just how much will a Bluehost hosting plan cost
me?

Here’s the quick answer: between $2.95 and $49.95 per month, depending on which plan you
need. Here are the starting prices for each of Bluehost’s WordPress-specific hosting plans:
  Shared WordPress hosting: $2.95 per month, renews at $9.99 per month
 WooCommerce hosting: $9.95 per month, renews at $24.95 per month
 Managed WordPress hosting: $19.95 per month, renews at $29.99 per month

Bluehost’s WordPress specific hosting plans come with features to help you run your WordPress
site, such as automatic backups and automatic WordPress installation, to save you time and
hassle.

Find out more

 Read our Bluehost Review to learn about Bluehost’s pros and cons
 Take a closer look at Bluehost’s plans in our Bluehost Pricing Review

How Much Do the Best Web Hosts Cost?

Although Bluehost is the best WordPress hosting provider, it’s not the only option. Here’s a
quick run-down of the best WordPress hosting providers according to our research, and their
prices plans:

Cheapest
Cheapest Shared Cheapest
Money-back Managed Total Number of
WordPress WooCommerce
Guarantee WordPress WordPress Plans
Hosting Hosting
Hosting
Bluehost 30 days $2.95 $19.95 $9.95 9
InMotion 90 days $4.49 $50 $50 12
HostGator 45 days $5.95 ❌ ❌ 3

Bluehost is the best overall, for both shared and managed WordPress hosting. InMotion offers a
strong set of managed WordPress plans, making it a great Bluehost alternative if you’re looking
for something more robust, but be mindful that it’s more expensive. HostGator only provides
shared WordPress hosting, but it does it well.

You can see how we scored these WordPress hosts in our research below:

Best WordPress Host

4.8

out of 5
Top Choice
Types of Hosting

4 out of 5 stars

Hosting Features

4.2 out of 5 stars

Uptime

3 out of 5 stars

Value For Money

4.7 out of 5 stars

Help and Support

3.5 out of 5 stars

Read Full Review

Best for uptime

4.7

out of 5
Types of Hosting

3.7 out of 5 stars

Hosting Features

4.1 out of 5 stars

Uptime

4 out of 5 stars
Value For Money

3.5 out of 5 stars

Help and Support

3.5 out of 5 stars

Read Full Review

Robust security across the board

4.5

out of 5
Types of Hosting

4.3 out of 5 stars

Hosting Features

5 out of 5 stars

Uptime

3 out of 5 stars

Value For Money

3.8 out of 5 stars

Help and Support

3.5 out of 5 stars

Read Full Review

Other top WordPress hosts include:

 iPage – starting at $1.99 per month

  DreamHost – starting at $2.59 per month
 SiteGround – starting at $2.99 per month
 WPEngine – starting at $25 per month

As you can see, there’s a lot of variation in how much it costs to host a WordPress website.
Some hosts offer just shared or just managed WordPress hosting plans, which affects the price –
managed hosting tends to be more expensive.

Of course, you don’t have to choose WordPress specific hosting, but we highly recommend it –
you’ll save a lot of time and headaches by letting your host handle some of the techy stuff!

Which Type of Hosting Should You Pay For?

Managed WordPress, shared WordPress, ecommerce… how on earth are you supposed to pick
the best one for you, and find one to suit your budget? You don’t want to overpay for a plan you
don’t need – or shoot your site in the foot by skimping on a plan that’s too limiting for your
needs.

We’ll quickly walk you through the different types of WordPress hosting, and hopefully point
you in the direction of the plan that’s best for you, your site, and your budget.

Hosting Types Usual Cost Who Should Use It?

New builders on a budget
Bloggers (small blogs)
Shared WordPress $2 - $15 per month Hobby builders
People creating personal portfolios
Students building school projects
Bloggers (larger blogs)
Managed WordPress $20 - $60 per month People building large portfolios
Businesses
Online stores
Ecommerce $7 - $30 per month
Businesses selling products on the side

The cheapest type of hosting is shared WordPress hosting, so if you’re looking to keep costs as
low as possible, then that’s the place to start. We recommend Bluehost’s $2.95 per month
Basic plan, which is perfect for new WordPress sites, small blogs, and personal portfolios.

However, it’s worth knowing that shared hosting is the most basic type of hosting – hence why
it’s the cheapest. Your site shares its resources with other sites, meaning that you’re more
susceptible to crashes and security breaches.

For larger sites that need to handle more traffic, and automate even more of the technical side so
that you can focus on growing your site, check out managed WordPress hosting. It’s more
expensive, but that’s because it works harder for you.
Bluehost’s managed WordPress hosting starts at $19.95 per month, which gives you daily
backups, a marketing center, and domain privacy, among other things.

If you’re building an online store, you’ll need either managed WordPress hosting, or specialized
ecommerce hosting – one example is Bluehost’s WooCommerce plans, starting at $9.95 per
month.

Top Tip!

The most important hosting aspect you should know is uptime. This is the amount of time the provider
will keep your site live. They can’t keep them up forever, but even a 1% drop in uptime is 87 hours per
year, so make sure you choose one with a good track record.

What Extra Costs Are Involved Using WordPress?

Okay, so we’ve covered the main cost associated with creating a WordPress website. But what
about other costs aside from hosting? Let’s run through how much it costs to build a website
when you consider extras such as domains, plugins, and themes.

Professional Help: $300 – $100 per hour

Many beginners use WordPress, but if you want a complex or custom website, then chances are
you might need to hire a WordPress developer to help make your ideas a reality. This is
optional, so we won’t be factoring this cost into the final WordPress total, as many people build
quite happily without a developer’s help.

However, if you do need to hire someone to help you with your WordPress site, you’re looking
at a cost anywhere between $30 and $100+ per hour. Usually, the more you pay, the better the
developer is likely to be – but always do your research before hiring someone.

Spending around $100 per hour on a developer may sound like a lot, but that’s within the
average cost you should expect to pay for a capable WordPress specialist.

Domain Name: $12 – $85 per year

You need a domain for your WordPress website to help people find you online!

Unlike with website builders, you don’t get a free branded subdomain, so you need to pick out a
custom domain from day one. This is usually part of the sign-up process when you create a
hosting account, making the whole registering process super easy.

Domains vary in price depending on the hosting provider you register with, and the domain you
pick (such as .com versus .rich) – these two factors will hugely affect how much you should
expect to pay for your domain.
On average, though, domains cost anywhere between $12 and $85 per year. The good news
is that some web hosts, such as Bluehost, give you a custom domain for free for your first year –
after that, you’ll need to pay the yearly domain fee.

Plugins: $0 – $100+ per year

Plugins add functionality to your WordPress website, such as contact forms, testimonials,
newsletter subscriptions, and whatever else you want your site to have! Popular plugins include
adding ecommerce or multilingual functionality to your WordPress website.

There are free plugins and paid plugins, so it’s up to you how much you want to spend adding
new features to your site. Some plugins come with different plans, so that you can start off using
the free plan and then upgrade to unlock a better version.

The cost of plugins range from $0 to $100+ per year.

Themes: $0 – $50 per theme

Just like plugins, there are both free and premium themes for you to choose from. Free
themes are a great way of getting started, and you can find some stylish ones in the WordPress
theme directory. Just bear in mind that they might not be as professional or loaded with features
as premium themes, which can cause you to rely more heavily on plugins further down the line.

Premium themes tend to be around $50, but can reach up beyond the $200 mark – however,
this is a one-time charge, after which the theme is yours to customize and edit for as long as you
wish.

The upside to using a premium theme is that it usually comes with more support and regular
updates, to stop it from breaking or becoming outdated, and also has features built-in to save you
spending money on premium plugins. Think of it as a theme and plugin bundle!

It’s totally your choice whether to use a free or premium theme – just remember to think about
your website and its essential features when choosing.

Security: $0 – $200 per year

Any hosting provider worth it’s salt will come with security features built into its plans.
However, WordPress sites can be pretty vulnerable to online attacks, so it’s worth investing in
some extra security measures.

There are free security plugins available – for example, Sucuri is a security plugin that scans,
blocks, and removes threats from your site. The plugin is free, but if you want a Sucuri account
and access to all its features, then the cheapest Sucuri plan costs $199.99 per year.

Sucuri isn’t the only option, so it’s worth doing some research. Other popular choices include:
  Wordfence – $0 – $99 per year
 JetPack Security – $0 – $299 per year
 Cloudflare – $0 – $200 per month
 iThemes Security – $80 – $199 per year
 All in One WP Security & Firewall – $0

WordPress Website Cost: Summary

Average price range: $200 upfront cost, $11 – $50 per month ongoing cost

WordPress cost: free!

The best web hosts are:

 Bluehost: Starting at $2.95 per month

 InMotion: Starting at $4.49 per month
 HostGator: Starting at $5.95 per month

What do you pay for?

 Hosting subscription: $2.95 – $50 per month

 Domain name: $12 – $85 per year
 Premium plugins (optional): $5 – $100+ (some one-off, some ongoing)
 Premium themes (optional): $55 – $200+ (one-off)

Total cost estimate:

Upfront cost: $250

Ongoing cost: $3.95 – $150 per month

Note: It’s worth knowing that hosting providers often charge you for your plan upfront. So if you
choose a 12-month plan, you’ll be paying a lump sum rather than month-by-month. This means
you could pay an upfront fee of $35 to $600 upfront for hosting alone, depending on which plan
you choose.

Find out more

 Discover the Best Cheap Web Hosts and compare over 50 of the cheapest plans in our helpful
review
 Want a closer look at the Best WordPress Hosting Providers? Find out more in our full
comparison
 Read our WordPress Pricing review for an even closer look at the costs involved in creating a
WordPress website

How Much Does a Website Cost Using a Web Designer?

$5,000 – $30,000 upfront cost

Web Designer
Required? Price More Info
Cost Breakdown
$500 - You may end up paying an ongoing fee, but this depends on
Monthly
✔️ $1,000 per your contract with your designer, and how much
subscription
year maintenance you need.
Apps / plugins Your designer will include these in your site if you’ve asked for
❌ $0
(optional) certain features, meaning it’s included in their quote.
If your designer is building from scratch, then this cost is
included in their quote. Alternatively, you can buy a theme
Themes ❌ $0
and ask a designer to customize it for you, in which case you
need to pay for a theme yourself first.
Hosting is an essential cost. Some designers handle this for
you, but others don’t, so always check. Remember that
Hosting ✔️ $2.95 - $50
hosting is usually charged per year, so expect to pay at least
$35 per year upfront.
Security can come built into your hosting plan, but it’s worth
$0 - $200 per
Security ✔️ investing in extra security measures. There are free security
year
plugins you can use to keep costs low.
$5,000 - You’re paying an expert to design and create your website for
Professional help ✔️ $30,000 you. If the site is super complex, you’ll also need to hire them
upfront cost on an ongoing basis to make edits to your site.

Want more precise pricing information?

Our trusted partner Expert Market has built a quick and easy web design price comparison tool; it gives
you tailored quotes for design services based on what you need, and it’s 100% free to use!

Hiring a web designer to plan and create your site puts your project firmly in the hands of the
professionals. You don’t get to totally sit back and relax – you’ll need to work with your web
designer to create a site you love – but it does take a lot of the heavy lifting away from you.

Hiring a web designer is best for:

  Anyone needing a very complex website
 Those with zero time or technical confidence
 Big budgets and big, custom websites

This is possibly the hardest cost to estimate, because different web designers will charge
different rates depending on the project and their own experience. You might choose an agency
or a freelancer, and this will also affect the cost.

On the whole though, you’re looking at a cost between $5,000 and $30,000 to get someone to
create your website for you.

We tried and reviewed the design agency Hibu, so we can give you a more accurate estimate
based on their charge rates. However, remember that other agencies and freelancers will have
their own pricing tables.

When we tested Hibu, we paid an upfront cost of $449, and then an ongoing fee of $129 per
month.

Hibu’s upfront quotes range between $99 and $449, which covers the creation of your
website. This is dependent on how many pages you need, which features you want, and if you
need to sell through your site.

There is then an ongoing fee, which ranges from $99 to $159 per month. This covers hosting
and security, grants access to support, and lets you create maintenance requests.

Price is pretty important here, because if you pay less than $5,000, you could end up with a
poorly designed website – and run into problems pretty quickly as you try to maintain it. This is
not an option if you’re not confident in your budget, so don’t overstretch yourself!

Top Tip!

There are a ton of sites that specialize in connecting you to a web designer. Companies like Upwork,
Behance, and Fiverr all connect you with professionals whose style you can get a load of before hands,
choosing the right person for the job.

What Affects the Cost Of Hiring a Web Designer?

Here are some things to think about when hiring a web designer, which will all factor into the
final cost of building your website:

 How complex is your website plan?

 Do you want the designer to handle hosting, domains, and plugins for you? Or do you just
want them to design and build your site?
 Will you need them to carry out ongoing maintenance on your site? Or will you do this
yourself?
  Do you have a premade template you want the designer to customize? Or do you want the
designer to build your site from scratch?
 What sort of features do you need? For example, will you be selling online?
 How many pages is your website going to be? You’ll need to know this beforehand to get an
accurate quote.

It’s often a good idea to manage your own hosting and domain name, because then it’s in your
name and under your control. This makes running your site easier, and gives you a bigger say
over your site – for example, it’ll make moving hosting providers much easier.

This is a lot to consider when trying to estimate web designer costs! If you want to budget for a
web designer we’d highly recommend using the web design comparison tool powered by
Expert Market. Take one minute to answer a few question about what you need, and you’ll get
web design recommendations and price information that’s tailored to you.

Cost of Building a Website: Web Designer Breakdown

So, what exactly are the costs involved in hiring a web designer? The table below breaks down
the different factors that you pay for, to give you a better idea of exactly what you’re paying for,
and the average costs involved:

Factors Hiring a Web Designer

Setup $160
Design & Building $5,000
Content Creation $500
Training to Use it $600
Maintenance $500
Total $6,760

This highlights some of the often unseen costs of using a web designer, such as having to train to
use your own website after they’ve made it. The average cost of hiring a web designer to build
your website is $6,760.

You’ll likely find there’s some overlap here with the WordPress building method, because many
designers and developers use WordPress to create their sites.

In fact, one way of cutting down the cost of hiring a web designer is to buy a premium
WordPress theme and then ask the designer to customize it for you, rather than getting them to
build you a site from scratch. If you’re looking to save where you can, this is a good middle-
ground, which we’ll discuss in more detail next!

How to Reduce the Cost of Hiring a Web Designer

Okay, you might be thinking you can’t afford to spend over $6,000 for a web designer to create
your site. What you mustn’t do is find a designer with dirt-cheap prices to save funds – you
won’t get value for your money this way.

If you’re super tight for cash, the reality is you should probably head to either the website builder
or WordPress section of this article, because a web designer is supposed to cost thousands of
dollars. You usually get what you pay for when it comes to hiring a designer!

However, there is a way to slightly lower the cost of hiring a designer to create your site. And
that’s to buy a premade WordPress theme, and ask a designer to customize it for you.

This option is “in-between” a DIY website and a fully custom built website design.

You can hire a designer to help customize a premade template into something unique just
for you.

This is a good option if you are not ready for an entirely custom website, and if pre-made
templates are not exactly what you want.

You can pay by the hour or by the project for design customizations.

Expect to pay between $300 and $1,000 for template customization – the average is around
$600 for this sort of service.

The cost varies depending on how much work you want to be done, such as adding a header
image, moving the logo, creating a fixed navigation bar, changing the overall layout design etc.

However, for a full, custom job from a capable designer, you’re looking at at least $10,000.

How Much Does It Cost to Create Website Content? $50 – $80 per hour

Once the framework of your site has been designed, you need content for your website.
Designers can charge for content creation by the hour, or by project:

 $50 – $80 per hour

 $250 – $500 minimum charge per project. This may include a minimum of 3 pages, and
additional pages will be a slightly cheaper.
 Logo or branding design will be about $100 – $1500 depending on the extent of the branding
design you need.

You may also want to budget for ongoing maintenance costs. That’s usually about $100 – $500
per year, provided you don’t make any major alterations to your website design.

Here’s a summary of the various costs involved in hiring a professional to build your site for
you:
 Hosting Cost: $5 – $250/month
Website Setup Costs Hiring a Pro to Set Up: $50 – $200 (1-time fee)
Time: 1 to 6 hours
Paid Tutorials: $50/month
Website Builder Software
Time to Learn Basics: Few hours
Learning Costs
Time to Learn WordPress: Weeks
Basic Templates: $35 – $50
Premium Templates: $80 – $200
Website Design Costs
Template Alterations: $300 – $1,000
Custom Design: $5,000 – $10,000+
Free if you do it yourself (but will cost you time)
Hourly Costs of a Designer: $50 – $80/hour
Website Building Costs Average Cost of Content Population: $500 – $5,000*
The range is wide as it depends on how much content you have, and
how many pages.
Developer Cost: $100 – $180 per hour
Website Maintenance Costs
Estimated Annual Cost: $500 – $1,000

Overall, the most expensive option is to hire a web designer to build you a site from
scratch. This will cost you somewhere around the $10,000 mark. There are certain things you
can do to bring the cost down, such as keeping your site to a minimum number of pages and
being ruthless with the features you need.

You can save some money by buying a premade theme, and then asking a designer to
customize it for you – this customization usually costs around $600.

However, what you mustn’t do is try to save money by hiring a web designer on the cheap.
You’ll still end up paying a few thousand, and chances are you’ll end up with a website you’re
not 100% happy with!

Web Designer Website Cost: Summary

Average price range: $6,000 – $10,000+

Two charges:

Upfront cost: $5,000 – $10,000+

Ongoing charge: $500 – $1,000 per year

What do you pay for?

 Security and hosting included in some packages (always check)

 Web design
  Website creation
 Content creation
 Ongoing maintenance

Total cost estimate:

Upfront cost: $6,760

Ongoing cost: $500 – $1,000 per year

Find out more

 Got the budget, but unsure about how best to work with a designer? Our 8 Tips For Working
With a Web Designer has got you covered

Interested in using a web design service?

Explore your web design options using the handy web design comparison tool on Expert Market. Answer
a few questions on their short questionnaire and be shown prices tailored to your requirements — it’s
completely free to use!

Before You Start

Building a website is, in our opinion, one of the most exciting things you can do. And it’s
understandable, even advisable, to have big dreams for your website. But don’t get carried away
and expect too much too soon.

Here are some tips that we’ve put together, to help you save money further down the line.

Start Small

Everyone makes mistakes the first time they build a website, so take the time to practise. There
are plenty of free and cheap options where you can brush up on your building skills, without the
pressure of knowing you’ve got a lot of money invested in the project.
Starting out small limits your potential losses, and reduces the chance of you falling over
common stumbling blocks later on (when you’ve got more money on the line). Just have fun to
start with!

Find out more

 Discover the Best Free Website Builders to try building websites with no financial risk.

Be Realistic

You might have big plans for your website. You could be dreaming of all the bells and whistles,
complex programming, shiny design features, and interactive elements galore – but remember to
be realistic, and set achievable goals for yourself when you’re starting out.

A new website isn’t going to match up to the likes of Amazon or Facebook, for example. It
doesn’t have to be boring, but it should be within your scope to create. There are three main
things that determine how high you can set your website goals:

 Your budget – the bigger your budget, the more you can spend on fancy features.
 Your tech skills – the more advanced your tech skills, the more you can do yourself.
 Your time – the more time you have, the more work you can put into your site.

This isn’t to say that if you’re broke, busy, or a total tech novice that you’ll end up with a
lame website – it simply means you need to spend your time and money wisely to get the best
results. We’ll show you how to do this in the rest of our guide!

Ask the Right Questions

We already know the first question: How much does a website cost? But there are other
questions you need to ask to work out the answer, and keep sight of the bigger picture.

Your budget doesn’t have to hold you back, but it does affect your building options. If you’re on
a tight budget, for example, you probably won’t be able to afford a professional web designer –
meaning you’ll be better off choosing WordPress or a website builder, rather than risking a
sketchy hire job.

Remember that there are two main costs you need to budget for:

 The upfront cost of the website’s design and setup

 The ongoing costs of maintaining your website

We’ll get into more specific numbers below, but as a general rule, website builders have the
lowest upfront costs, while WordPress usually requires a larger upfront sum to get started. Hiring
a website designer remains the most expensive option, but you won’t pay any ongoing fees
unless you arrange an ongoing contract with your web designer.
Setting a firm budget before starting is essential for success. It means you won’t overpay for
things you don’t need, and it will also help your project stay on-track.

There’s nothing worse than giving yourself or a web designer a budget, then realizing you got
your calculations wrong and need to cut the budget in half once the project is underway. Chances
are, this will result in a website you’re not 100% happy with!

Always be realistic when setting your budget. Don’t start with all the fancy features you want
and bend over backwards trying to scrape the funds together. Work out how much you have to
spend, and then look at what you can get for your money to plan your project.

You can either choose to manage your website yourself, or you can hand it off to a developer to
free up your time.

The benefit of running the site yourself is that you don’t have to wait for changes to be made by
your developer – you can edit your site any time you like. However, it also means that you need
to be careful about the actions you’re taking on your site.

For example, if you have a custom-built website, you might find that installing certain plugins
can interfere with custom code and break parts of your website, which you’ll then need to get a
developer to fix for you.

The main downside to letting someone else manage your website is that you’ll have to wait for
them to get round to it – and wait times will vary depending on how busy your developer is. This
means it always pays to get your requests in with plenty of time to spare, so that you don’t miss
any time sensitive deadlines.

In terms of website cost, it can be more expensive to have a developer manage your website
for you, because you’ll be paying ongoing fees to have them work on your site.

It’s natural to want everything when you’re planning your website. But jumping feet first into a
complex website is likely to bring more trouble than it’s worth. You don’t need an all singing, all
dancing website to get the job done or bring the money in.

Instead of trying to build an overly complicated website, be ruthless. What features do you
really need right now? What are the features your website can’t function without?

Separate your ideas into three sections:

 What features do you need now to get your website up and running?
 What features do you need later, once your site has found its feet and needs an update to keep
it bringing in conversions?
 What features would be nice to have, in an ideal world? These aren’t essential now or in the
near future, and should be left out of your plans!
Questioning each feature will help you to create a lean, functional website that focuses on getting
the job done, rather than wasting time trying to dress it up too much and losing sight of your end
goals.

Your business won’t fail if you don’t have the most beautiful, most perfect, most complex
website on the block. Trust us – focus on creating a site that ticks the essential boxes for your
visitors, and you’ll be off to a great start.

Remember that a website isn’t a one-off creation, either. Your site will continue to grow and
evolve over time, so you can always upgrade it when you need to start adding more advanced
features.

Start off with the basics, then add more features once you understand exactly what your visitors
are looking for and how well your business plan is working.

Are you ready and raring to get hands on with your website, and manage all aspects of the day to
day running? Or would you like to leave the technical side to someone else to look after?

Perhaps you just want to dip your toe into the technical waters – to try your hand at SEO, but not
have to worry about your site’s security or hosting, for example.

Think about these things sooner rather than later, because this will directly impact which website
building method you choose. This is where you need to think about the other costs of building a
website, apart from money. Building a website takes time – some people are rich in time, while
others are short on it. Either way, there’s a building method to suit you.

You need to budget your time just like you need to budget your money. If you’re a working
mom with a full-time job and starting a new side hustle, for example, you probably don’t have
time to run all the technical maintenance needed for WordPress.

The amount of time you can realistically and regularly spend on your website will influence your
decision about which method is right for you. Be honest with yourself about how much time you
can put in, and pick accordingly.

By thinking about all these things before you start building your website, you’ll find you can get
a more accurate answer to the question: how much will my website cost? You’ll be in a better
position to both save money, and make your money go further in building your website.

Here’s a quick summary to help you get an idea of which building method might best suit your
needs and your budget:

 Website Builders: If you want to dip your toe into the world of website building without
worrying about your technical skills or needing a large budget, website builders are perfect for
creating a professional site without any hassle. You can run your own site without investing too
much time or money.
  WordPress: If you want full control over your website, don’t mind handling the technical side of
things, and have wriggle room in your budget, then WordPress is a sensible option. You also
have the choice to hire a developer to help you if you want.
 Web Designer: If you have a big budget and would prefer someone else to handle everything,
then a web designer can take the work out of your hands. This is also recommended if you have
complex needs beyond your own technical abilities.

Next, we’ll recap the three main methods of building a website and how much it costs to build a
website with each one, to help you pick the best value option for you.

How Much Does a Website Cost? Conclusion

We’ve walked you through the costs involved in making a website, from using a website builder
to hiring a professional designer to build it for you. Hopefully you now have a clearer idea of the
best method for you, and which one best suits your budget.

Remember that working out how much a website costs isn’t just about money. It’s also
about the other resources you have, such as time, tech skills, and design skills. If you have tons
of time, you can learn new skills, but if you’re pressed for time and have a large budget, you can
delegate the work to a professional.

Thinking about what you want from your site, how much time and money you can realistically
put into your site, and how you want to run your site on a day to day basis, will all help you
make the most of your money in the long run.

Although every site comes with its own unique set of costs, here’s a recap of our estimates, to
help you pick the best option for you.

Website Cost: Recap

 Use a website builder: $0 – $50 per month – cheapest option

 Use WordPress: $35 – $780 upfront cost, $11 – $50 per month ongoing cost – lots of control
over how cheap (or expensive) your site ends up being
 Hire a web designer: $500 – $10,000+ – minimal time investment, but most expensive option

Whether you’re counting out every cent or have a huge budget to play with, there is a website
building option for you. The most important thing is to get value for your money. Here’s a
summary of each method to help you pick the right one for you:

We recommend using a website builder if:

 You have a tight budget

 You’re a first-time builder
 You’re short on time
 You want to have a go at creating a site yourself
 You don’t want to deal with all the technical stuff
We recommend using WordPress if:

 You have a little more wriggle room in your budget

 You want total control over your site
 You have plenty of time
 You want a high level of customization
 You’d enjoy handling all the technical stuff

We recommend using a web designer if:

 You have a large budget

 You don’t want the responsibility of creating a site yourself
 You’re very short on time
 You need a very complex or custom design
 You’d be happy letting a professional manage your site

Building a website doesn’t have to be expensive – as long as you pick the right method and get
value for your money, your website will be worth every cent. Happy building!

Written by:

Lucy Carney Writer

I’m the Content Manager here at Website Builder Expert, which means I read and edit nearly all
the content we publish, and work with our wonderful writers and researchers to bring you the
best possible advice for achieving your online goals. Over the past five years I’ve built demo
websites using all the website builders we review, so I have the experience and expertise to help
you out. You’ve got the experts on your side – I’m here to help you reach your online goals, and
enjoy the process too!

About Us

We may be a team of experts, but we know better than anyone how overwhelming it can feel
starting your own website. There are so many questions to ask – will I need to learn code?
What’s a domain name? How much will a website cost?

We’re here to answer those questions. We’ve been helping others build their online presence for
over 10 years – and we can’t imagine doing anything else. Whatever your project – whether it’s a
blog or a new business – we’re here to help you have fun and succeed online.

Happy browsing, and happy building!