How Much Does a Website Cost in 2026?

Ask three people to quote “a website” and you can get €300, €3,000 and €15,000. That doesn’t mean someone is trying to rip you off. Most of the time, the three quotes describe three different things.

This article covers the price ranges I see in 2026, what you actually pay for in each case, and the costs that show up after launch. The figures are typical for Romania and Eastern Europe; Western European and US agencies usually charge two to three times more. They are guidelines, not a fixed rate: your project can land lower or higher depending on what the site needs to do.

First question: what does the website need to do?

The price depends less on the number of pages and more on the role the site plays in your business. Most projects fall into one of these categories:

• Business website: says who you are, what you offer, where customers can find you and how they contact you.
• Online store: customers pick products, pay and get an order confirmation.
• Web app: customers or your team actually work in it: they sign up, book, manage data, get notifications.

Typical price ranges

Business website: €250 – €3,000

• Do it yourself on a platform like Wix or Squarespace: roughly €15–40 per month, plus your time.
• A ready-made theme, usually WordPress, with 3–6 pages set up by a freelancer or a small agency: roughly €250–1,000.
• Design and copy built around your business, from a senior freelancer or an agency: roughly €1,000–3,000. Most quotes you’ll see land around €1,000.

The gap between €500 and €3,000 is rarely in the code. It is in the work that comes first: page structure, copy, photos, search optimization and checking that the contact form actually reaches you.

Online store: €1,500 – €10,000+

• On Shopify or WooCommerce, with an adapted theme, card payments and shipping: roughly €1,500–6,000.
• With integrations (invoicing, stock from an ERP, couriers, a loyalty program) or a large catalog to import: €6,000 and up.

For an online store, also budget for the monthly costs you pay no matter who built it: payment processor fees, the platform subscription (Shopify starts at about $29 a month, before extra apps) or, with WooCommerce, better hosting.

Web app or platform: €6,000 – €20,000+

This covers customer portals, booking systems, SaaS platforms and internal tools. The cost gets close to that of a mobile app, because the hard part is the same: user accounts, a database, roles, payments, notifications. The details are in the article on how much a mobile app costs.

Sometimes you don’t need to build from scratch. If all you need is online booking, the Pixery appointments app starts at €490.

What drives the price up

• Copy and photos: if you don’t have them, someone has to write and shoot them. It is one of the most underestimated parts of a website.
• Multiple languages: each language means translated copy, separate pages and extra settings for Google.
• Integrations: CRM, invoicing, calendar, payments. Each one needs setup and testing.
• Custom design instead of an adapted theme.
• Moving an old site: content to transfer and redirects to set up, so you don’t lose your Google rankings.

The costs after launch

A website isn’t a one-time payment. Budget for the yearly costs too:

• Domain: usually €7–15 per year, depending on the registrar.
• Hosting: €4–25 per month for a business website, more for a store with real traffic.
• SSL certificate (the padlock in the browser): free and included with hosting in most cases.
• Maintenance: updates, backups, checking the forms. A maintenance plan for a WordPress site starts at around €35 per month, and for an online store it reaches €100–200. Updates aren’t optional: an outdated plugin is the most common way a site gets hacked.
• Changes: new prices, new services, a page for a campaign.

Before you sign, ask who handles all of this and what it costs. I wrote more about what to agree on in the article on maintenance after launch.

What to check in a quote

1. Whose name are the domain and hosting account in? Ideally yours or your company’s, or with access guaranteed in the contract.
2. Who writes the copy? If you do, find out when you need to send it and in what format.
3. How many rounds of changes are included?
4. What happens after launch? Is maintenance included, billed separately or not offered at all?
5. Is the site ready for Google? A title and description for every page, good speed on mobile, Google Search Console set up.

A very low quote isn’t necessarily a bad one, but it usually leaves out part of the list above. I collected the mistakes I see most often on new websites in New Website, No Clients?

Frequently asked questions

Can I build the website myself?

Yes, if you need a simple site and have time to learn the platform. The real cost is your time and the result: many business owners give up halfway or end up with a site that brings no inquiries.

How long does it take to build a website?

A simple business website can be ready in a few days if the copy is ready. A site with custom design usually takes 2–6 weeks, and an online store 4–10 weeks. Most delays come from the content, not the code.

Do I need a website if I have a Facebook or Instagram page?

Social media is good for being seen, but you don’t control it. A website shows up in Google and in AI assistants when someone searches for your service, and it stays yours no matter what the platforms change.

Website or mobile app?

For most small businesses, a website is the first step. I explained when an app is worth it in Website or Mobile App?

Conclusion

A business website costs between €250 and €3,000, most often around €1,000, an online store starts at around €1,500, and a web app at around €6,000. Before comparing prices, compare what each quote includes: the copy, maintenance, access to the domain and what happens after launch.

If you’d like to see what working together is like first, I can build you a free business website for 3 months, with domain and hosting included. After that, you can keep it for €10 per month. For a bigger project, get in touch and I’ll tell you in a short call which price range it falls into.