How much does a website cost in 2026?

It's the first question every business owner asks: "What does a website actually cost?" And the answers you find online range from a few hundred to tens of thousands — enough to lose anyone. In this article, I give real, transparent ranges and, more importantly, explain why prices vary so much.

Real price ranges in 2026

Here's what you can reasonably expect by project type, for custom, professional work (not a recycled template):

Project type	Range (USD / EUR)	Timeline
Landing page (1 conversion page)	$300 – $600	1–2 weeks
Showcase site (5–8 pages)	$1,500 – $4,000	2–3 weeks
E-commerce (online store)	$4,000 – $10,000	4–8 weeks
Web app / 3D experience	$8,000 +	6 weeks +

These are market ballparks for polished work. You'll find cheaper — but often at the cost of a slow site, poor SEO, or one that's impossible to grow.

Why such a wide gap?

A website's price isn't a lottery. It depends on concrete factors:

• Custom vs template. A cheap off-the-shelf theme, lightly tweaked, costs little — but looks like thousands of other sites and loads slowly. A unique design coded for your brand takes more work.
• Number of pages and features. A contact form is simple. A booking system, online payments, a customer area — each block adds time.
• Performance and SEO. A site tuned to load in under 2 seconds and rank on Google takes real technical skill. It's invisible to the eye, but it's what makes customers find you.
• Content. Text, photos, logo: if you provide them, the project moves fast. If not, they have to be created — and that's billable.

A website isn't an expense, it's a salesperson working 24/7 that never takes a day off. The real question isn't "how much does it cost" but "how much does it bring in".

The recurring costs to plan for

Beyond the build, budget a small yearly amount:

• Domain name (your .com): ~$15 / year
• Hosting: from free (static sites) to ~$25 / month depending on needs
• Maintenance (updates, security, backups): optional but recommended

How to avoid getting burned

1. Beware of "too good to be true". A pro site for $50 delivered in two days is usually a recycled template that will cost you more to redo in six months.
2. Ask to see previous work. A good provider has a portfolio. (Here's mine.)
3. Insist that the site belongs to you. Code, domain, access: everything should be in your name, not the provider's.
4. Check mobile performance. Test delivered sites on your phone, on mobile data. If they lag, walk away.

In short

A serious website is an investment, not a cost. Expect a few hundred for a landing page and low thousands for a custom showcase site — and judge the price against what it earns you, not the sticker alone. Pick a provider who explains their pricing and hands you full ownership.