How much does a website cost in the UK in 2026?

I get asked this question more than any other. And every article I’ve seen answering it does the same thing: gives a range so wide it’s useless (“anywhere from £500 to £50,000”) then tells you to get in touch for a quote.

I’m going to give you real numbers. These are based on 10+ years of building websites, what I charge, what I’ve seen agencies charge, and what the DIY options actually cost once you factor in the hidden stuff.

The quick answer

Those are starting points, not ceilings. A complex e-commerce site or web application will cost more in every category. But for a standard business website with 5-10 pages, a contact form, and decent design, those ranges are honest.

DIY website builders: £150-£500/year

Squarespace, Wix, Shopify (for e-commerce). You pick a template, add your content, and publish.

What you’re actually paying:

• Platform subscription: £12-£30/month
• Domain name: £10-£15/year
• Premium template (if you want one): £50-£100 one-off
• Stock photos: £0-£100

What’s good about this: It’s cheap and you can do it yourself this weekend. For a sole trader who needs a basic online presence quickly, it’s often the right call. Squarespace templates look professional out of the box.

What’s not good about this: You’re renting, not owning. If Squarespace doubles their prices or removes a feature you rely on, you’re stuck. Customisation is limited to what the template allows. Performance and SEO are decent but not great. And the time you spend fiddling with it is time you’re not spending on your actual business.

Honest take: If your website is a brochure that says “we exist, here’s our phone number,” a builder is fine. If your website needs to generate leads, rank on Google, or do anything custom, you’ll outgrow it.

WordPress with a premium theme: £800-£2,500

Someone (a freelancer, a friend’s kid, or you) installs WordPress, buys a theme, and customises it.

What you’re actually paying:

• Hosting: £5-£25/month
• Domain: £10-£15/year
• Premium theme: £40-£80
• Essential plugins (forms, SEO, security): £0-£200/year
• Setup and customisation (if hiring someone): £500-£1,500

What’s good about this: WordPress runs about 40% of the internet. There’s a plugin for almost everything. If you hire someone to set it up properly, you can manage content yourself afterwards. Lots of developers know WordPress, so you’re not locked into one person.

What’s not good about this: WordPress sites need maintenance. Plugins need updating, security needs monitoring, and things break. A WordPress site that nobody maintains for a year is a security risk and probably slow. Budget £20-£50/month for ongoing maintenance, or learn to do it yourself.

Honest take: WordPress is a strong choice for businesses that want to update their own content regularly, like blogs or portfolios. For a simple brochure site that rarely changes, it’s more overhead than you need.

Custom freelancer build: £1,500-£5,000

You hire a freelance developer (like me) to design and build something from scratch.

What you’re actually paying:

• Design and development: £1,500-£5,000
• Hosting: £5-£30/month
• Domain: £10-£15/year
• Ongoing support/maintenance: £0-£100/month (optional)

What’s good about this: You get exactly what you need. No template limitations, no bloated plugins. The site is built for your business, optimised for speed and search engines, and you own the code. You work directly with the person building it. No account managers, no miscommunication.

What’s not good about this: Finding a good freelancer takes effort. There’s no reception desk to complain to if things go wrong. And freelancers are human — they get ill, go on holiday, occasionally disappear. Check their portfolio, talk to previous clients, and make sure you own the code at the end.

Honest take: For most small businesses, this is the sweet spot. You get professional quality without agency markup. The key is finding someone who communicates well and has a track record. I’m biased here because this is what I do, but I also turn people away and point them to Squarespace when that’s genuinely the better option.

Agency build: £5,000-£25,000+

A web design agency with a team handles your project.

What you’re actually paying:

• Design and development: £5,000-£25,000+
• Project management overhead: built into the price
• Hosting: £20-£100/month (often their managed hosting)
• Ongoing retainer: £200-£1,000/month

What’s good about this: You get a team. Designers, developers, project managers, QA testers. For complex projects with tight deadlines, that structure matters. Agencies also tend to have more formal processes, which can be reassuring.

What’s not good about this: You’re paying for the office, the team, and the process. A significant chunk of your budget goes to overhead that doesn’t improve your website. You might never speak to the person actually writing the code. And agency contracts can be rigid — changing scope mid-project gets expensive fast.

Honest take: If your project genuinely needs 3+ specialists working simultaneously, or if you’re spending £20k+ and want formal contracts and SLAs, an agency makes sense. For a 5-page business website, you’re overpaying for structure you don’t need.

Monthly plans: £69-£149/month

This is how I work for smaller projects. You pay a monthly fee that covers design, development, hosting, and ongoing support. No big upfront cost.

What you’re actually paying:

• Monthly fee: £69-£149/month (12-month minimum)
• Domain: £10-£15/year (or I include it)
• That’s it

What’s good about this: Low barrier to entry. You get a professionally built custom site without spending £2,000+ upfront. Hosting and support are included. If something breaks or needs updating, it’s covered. Over 2-3 years the total cost is comparable to a one-off freelancer build, but the cash flow is much easier for a small business.

What’s not good about this: You’re committed to at least 12 months. If you cancel after month 3, you’ve paid £207 for a website you don’t own yet (ownership typically transfers after the minimum term). Not every developer offers this model, so your options are more limited.

Honest take: I offer this because I’ve watched small businesses delay getting a website for months because they can’t justify £2,000 upfront. The monthly model removes that barrier. It’s not the cheapest option over 5 years, but it gets businesses online faster.

The costs nobody tells you about

These apply to every option above.

Content creation. Someone has to write the words and take the photos. If your developer does it, it’s included in the price. If you’re providing it yourself, budget time for it. Bad content on a beautiful website is still a bad website.

SSL certificate. Most hosting includes this for free now. If someone is charging you extra for SSL in 2026, find a different provider.

Email. A professional email address (you@yourbusiness.co.uk) costs £5-£12/month through Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. This isn’t a website cost exactly, but it comes up in every conversation about getting a business online.

SEO. Building a site that’s technically SEO-friendly is one thing (and should be included in any professional build). Ongoing SEO work — content creation, link building, local SEO — is a separate service. Budget £200-£500/month if you want someone actively working on your rankings. Or learn the basics yourself and do it for free, just slower.

Photography. Stock photos are fine for blog posts but your homepage should have real photos of your business, your team, or your work. A professional photographer costs £200-£500 for a half-day shoot. Worth it.

How to avoid getting ripped off

Get at least three quotes. Not to find the cheapest — to understand the range. If two quotes are £2,000 and one is £8,000, ask the expensive one why.

Ask what’s included. Hosting? SSL? Ongoing updates? Mobile responsiveness? SEO basics? Content writing? Some quotes include everything, others are just the build with a monthly hosting bill on top.

Ask who owns the code. If you part ways, can you take your website with you? Some agencies host your site on their own infrastructure and won’t give you the files. This should be non-negotiable.

Check their portfolio. Not just screenshots — visit the live sites. Are they fast? Do they work on mobile? Are they still online? A beautiful portfolio piece that’s been taken down is a red flag.

Ask about maintenance. What happens after launch? Is there a support contract? What does it cost? What’s the response time? A website isn’t finished when it launches — it needs looking after.

My recommendation

If you’re a small business in the UK with a budget under £3,000, you’ve got two good options: a freelancer build or a monthly plan. Both get you a professional, custom website without the agency markup.

If your budget is under £500, use Squarespace. Seriously. A well-done Squarespace site beats a cheap freelancer build every time.

If your budget is £5,000+, you can choose between a senior freelancer or a small agency. At that price point you should expect excellent design, performance, and SEO out of the box.

Whatever you choose, make sure you own the code, the content, and the domain name. Everything else is negotiable.

Want to talk through your options? Drop me a line. I’ll give you an honest opinion even if the answer is “use Squarespace.”