A small business website in 2026 costs anywhere from about $200 a year if you build it yourself on a website builder, to several hundred dollars up to $10,000 or more if you pay a freelancer or agency to design and build it. Online stores and custom builds can run higher, and you should budget for ongoing costs such as your domain, hosting or platform plan, apps and maintenance on top of the build.
The right number for you depends less on the tool and more on how much of the work you want to do yourself, how many pages and features you need, and whether the site has to sell products. This guide breaks down each option with prices taken from official pricing pages and industry surveys, as of the time of writing.
How much does a small business website cost in 2026?
A small business website costs about $200 to $600 a year with a DIY builder, roughly $600 to $3,000 with a freelancer, and $2,000 or more with an agency, though Clutch says most agency projects on its platform cost under $10,000. Shopify stores start at $29 a month on the Basic plan, billed yearly. Here is how the routes compare.
- DIY website builder (Wix, Squarespace and similar): roughly $17 to $50 a month on yearly billing for the main plans, so about $200 to $600 a year, plus your own time. Best for simple brochure sites and tight budgets.
- Freelancer: Upwork lists median rates for web designers of about $15 to $30 an hour, so a small site of 40 to 100 hours of work would land somewhere around $600 to $3,000.
- Agency: Clutch reports that web design agencies typically charge $2,000 to $100,000, that most projects reviewed on its platform cost less than $10,000, and that common rates are $100 to $149 an hour.
- Shopify store: from $29 a month for the Basic plan on yearly billing, plus a theme (free to about $500), paid apps and payment fees. A professionally built store adds a design and setup cost on top.
These ranges are wide because a five-page site for a local plumber and a 200-product store with custom integrations are very different projects. Here is what drives the price.
How much does it cost to build a website yourself?
Building a website yourself costs about $17 to $50 a month on yearly billing for the main builder plans, roughly $200 to $600 a year, plus your own time. The plan bundles hosting, a security certificate and templates; you pick a template and add your own text and photos. Squarespace, for example, starts at $19 a month billed annually.
Squarespace pricing
On Squarespace's pricing page at the time of writing, plans cost the following per month:
- Basic: $19 a month billed annually, or $25 billed monthly. Online store sales carry a 2% transaction fee.
- Core: $29 a month billed annually, or $39 billed monthly, with no transaction fee on store sales.
- Plus: $49 a month billed annually, or $65 billed monthly.
- Advanced: $99 a month billed annually, or $139 billed monthly.
Annual plans include a free custom domain for the first year.
Wix pricing
Wix's US plans page lists its main website plans, on yearly subscriptions, at about $17.77 a month for Light, $29.77 for Core, $39.77 for Business and $159.77 for Business Elite. Paid plans include a free domain voucher for one year. Wix notes that prices vary by location, so check the page in your own country before you decide.
What DIY really costs
The subscription is the easy part. The hidden cost is your time: writing copy, sourcing photos, setting up forms and learning the editor. If your time is worth more spent on the business, a cheap DIY site can end up being the expensive option. It is a sensible choice when you need a simple, credible presence quickly and can update it yourself.
How much does a freelance web designer charge?
Freelancers sit between DIY and an agency. You get a person who does the design and build, usually on a builder, WordPress or Shopify, for less than an agency charges.
Upwork lists web designers on its platform at median rates of roughly $15 to $30 an hour. That figure is a global median, and rates vary a lot by country and experience. A seasoned freelancer in a high-cost market will charge far more, often closer to agency hourly rates.
Things to check before you hire a freelancer:
- Who owns the domain, hosting account and site files once the project ends. They should be in your name.
- Whether copywriting, photos and basic SEO setup are included or extra.
- How many rounds of changes are covered in the quote.
- What happens if something breaks after launch and who you call.
A good freelancer is great value for a straightforward site. The main risk is continuity: if they become unavailable, you need someone else to pick up the work.
How much does a web design agency charge?
Web design agencies typically charge $2,000 to $100,000 per project, according to Clutch, though most projects reviewed on its platform cost under $10,000. US agency rates are commonly $100 to $149 an hour. You pay more because you get a team covering strategy, design, development, copy, testing and project management. Survey data shows how wide the range is.
- Clutch notes that most web design projects reviewed on its platform cost less than $10,000, and that asking the agency to write your copy as well will increase the bill.
- Clutch reports that web design agencies typically charge $2,000 to $100,000, and that the average web design project reviewed on its platform cost about $38,000.
- Clutch puts the typical agency hourly rate at $100 to $149 in the US, Canada and Australia and $50 to $99 in the UK, while agencies in lower-cost countries often charge $25 to $49 an hour.
An agency makes most sense when the website is a key sales channel, when it has to connect to other systems such as a CRM or booking tool, or when you want design, copy, SEO and ads handled by the same people.
How much does a Shopify store cost?
A Shopify store costs from $29 a month on the Basic plan billed yearly, $79 on Grow and $299 on Advanced, plus online card fees of 2.5% to 2.9% plus 30 cents per sale with Shopify Payments. The plan covers hosting, security and checkout. Shopify's official pricing page lists these plans at the time of writing:
- Basic: $29 a month billed yearly, or $39 billed monthly. Online card rate of 2.9% plus 30 cents.
- Grow: $79 a month billed yearly, or $105 billed monthly. Online card rate of 2.7% plus 30 cents, with up to 5 staff accounts.
- Advanced: $299 a month billed yearly, or $399 billed monthly. Online card rate of 2.5% plus 30 cents, with up to 15 staff accounts.
- Plus: from $2,300 a month, aimed at high-volume and enterprise brands.
If you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments, Shopify adds a transaction fee of 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced. Shopify also offers a free trial followed by a low introductory monthly price for the first few months; check the pricing page for the current offer.
Other Shopify costs to budget for
- Theme: Shopify includes free themes with every plan, and its own guide puts prebuilt themes at $0 to $500.
- Apps: the Shopify App Store has thousands of apps, many free. Paid apps usually charge a monthly subscription, and a handful of them can add up quickly.
- Domain: Shopify estimates $10 to $30 a year for a store domain.
- Custom design and development: Shopify's guide puts custom builds at $2,000 to $20,000 or more, depending on complexity.
- Payment processing: the card rates above apply to every sale, so factor them into your margins.
For agency-built online stores more generally, Clutch reports that most ecommerce development projects reviewed on its platform cost less than $10,000, although the average is pulled much higher by large builds.
What are the ongoing costs of a website?
Beyond the launch price, a website has yearly running costs: a domain at around $10 to $30 a year, hosting if you are not on a builder or Shopify (basic shared hosting is about $3 to $10 a month), paid apps or plugins, and maintenance. Fiverr's guide puts basic upkeep at about $5 to $50 a month.
Domain name
A domain usually costs around $10 to $30 a year, depending on the extension and registrar. Many builders give you the first year free, then charge the normal renewal rate.
Hosting or platform plan
On a builder or Shopify, hosting is part of your monthly plan. If you run WordPress or a custom site, you pay for hosting separately. Fiverr's maintenance cost guide puts basic shared hosting at about $3 to $10 a month.
Apps, plugins and tools
Booking tools, email marketing, reviews, live chat and advanced forms often come as paid add-ons.
Maintenance and updates
Someone has to keep the site secure, fix broken links, update plugins and make content changes. Fiverr's guide puts a basic website at about $5 to $50 a month for essentials such as hosting and updates. Larger sites that need regular changes, new pages or ongoing support cost considerably more.
Security certificate
Builders and Shopify include an SSL certificate. If you host your own site, basic certificates are often free through your host, while paid certificates cost more depending on the level of validation.
How do I choose the right option for my budget?
Match the option to what the site must do. A website builder suits a simple presence you manage yourself, a freelancer suits a custom-looking site on a budget, an agency suits a site that drives leads or connects to other tools, and Shopify suits selling physical products online. A simple way to decide:
- You need a simple, professional presence and have time to do it yourself: a website builder plan.
- You want a clean, custom-looking site without agency prices: a reputable freelancer, with ownership of accounts in your name.
- Your site is a main source of leads or must connect to other tools: an agency, ideally one that can also handle SEO and ads.
- You sell physical products online: Shopify, starting on Basic and moving up as order volume and staff needs grow.
Whichever route you take, write down what the site must do before asking for quotes. A clear list of pages, features and goals makes quotes easier to compare and stops surprise costs later.
Where Sygze fits
Sygze Media builds websites and Shopify stores for small and growing businesses in the US, UK, Canada and the GCC. Website and Shopify projects are quoted per project after a free audit or short call, so the price reflects what your site actually needs rather than a fixed package.
If you also want ongoing marketing, the Growth Engine package at $1,899 a month includes an SEO audit and on-page fixes, Google and Meta ads management, content across three platforms and a live reporting dashboard. Ad spend is always paid directly to Meta or Google and is never part of the fee. For full details, see the packages page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to get a small business website?
The cheapest route is a website builder plan you set up yourself. Entry plans on Wix and Squarespace start below $20 a month on yearly billing at the time of writing. Builders also have free plans, but these usually show the builder's branding and do not let you use your own domain.
How much should a small business pay for a website?
Many small businesses spend a few thousand dollars for a professionally built site. Clutch reports that most web design projects reviewed on its platform cost less than $10,000, while freelancers can come in well below that. Choose based on what the site must achieve, not just the lowest quote.
Is Shopify cheaper than a custom online store?
For most small shops, yes. Shopify's Basic plan starts at $29 a month on yearly billing and includes hosting and checkout, while Shopify's own guide puts custom ecommerce builds at $2,000 to $20,000 or more. You still need to budget for apps, a theme and payment fees.
How much does website maintenance cost per month?
Fiverr's guide puts maintenance for a basic website at about $5 to $50 a month, while complex sites can run from $100 to over $2,000 a month. On a builder or Shopify, the platform handles much of the technical upkeep for you.
Do I need to pay for a domain every year?
Yes, domains are renewed yearly or for several years at a time. Expect around $10 to $30 a year for a typical domain. Make sure the domain is registered in your business's name, not your designer's.
If you would like a second opinion on your current site or a planned build, message Sygze on WhatsApp for a free 10-minute audit.
Sources
- Shopify: Pricing
- Shopify: Ecommerce Website Cost, Full Guide for 2026
- Squarespace: Pricing Plans and Features
- Wix: Plans and Pricing
- Upwork: Web Designer Hourly Rates
- Fiverr: Website Maintenance Cost Guide
- Clutch: Web Design Company Pricing Guide
- Clutch: E-Commerce Website Development Pricing Guide
