How Much Does a Website Cost in 2026? Real Prices for Builders, WordPress and Designers
You want a website hosting, and every page gives a different number. So how much does a website cost? It depends on the route. A do-it-yourself builder can run a few hundred dollars a year. A custom site from a designer usually starts in the thousands. This guide shows sourced prices, the billing terms behind them, and three sample budgets, with prices checked in November 2026.
Quick note: prices change often. Every figure here has a source and a date. Confirm the total at checkout before you pay.
The Short Answer
There is no single price. The honest range is wide, and it depends on who builds the site:
| Route | Typical cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Website builder, annual plan | $204 to $348 a year for common plans | Wix and Squarespace pricing pages |
| WordPress, do it yourself | About $216 for hosting over a 3-year first term, plus a domain | GoDaddy hosting page, GoDaddy domain article |
| Hire a freelancer or designer | $5,000 to $10,000 for a small business site | FreshBooks pricing guide |
A smaller one-page site can cost less, and a complex custom site can cost much more. So how much does a website cost in practice? Most people land in the first or second row, and we explain each number below.
What You Pay For
When people ask how much it costs to build a website, they usually mean six things:
- Domain name. Your web address. It’s paid yearly.
- Hosting or a platform plan. Where the site lives. Builders bundle this into one price.
- Design. A template you pick yourself, or work from a designer.
- Content. Text, photos, and logos. This is easy to forget.
- Maintenance. Updates, backups, and fixes after launch.
- Extras. Business email, online store fees, and add-ons.
If a quote leaves out any of these, ask what happens to it.
Domain Name and Hosting Costs
Domain name
GoDaddy’s own domain guide says domain names cost between $10 and $20 per year to register. The same article lists a standard .com at $22.99 a year at GoDaddy, and a new .com at $0.01 with a 3-year registration that then renews at $22.99. Its prices are as of May 20, 2026. For a deeper look, read our cheap domain registration guide.
Hosting
Hosting is the service that keeps your site online. If the term is new, our website hosting guide explains it. GoDaddy’s web hosting page (checked November 7, 2026) lists these first 3-year term prices per month:
| Plan | Sites | Storage | Price per month (first 3-year term) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | 1 | 25 GB NVMe | $5.99 |
| Hosting for WordPress Basic | 1 | 10 GB NVMe | $5.99 |
| Deluxe | 10 | 50 GB NVMe | $7.99 |
| Ultimate | 25 | 75 GB NVMe | $12.99 |
The page does not show the price after the first term, so check the renewal price before you buy. Economy lists a free SSL certificate for one year. SSL is the padlock that turns your address into https. It doesn’t have to cost extra: Let’s Encrypt, a nonprofit, says anyone with a domain name can get a trusted certificate without paying. Read more on domain names and SSL certificates.
Squarespace Website Pricing and Wix Pricing
A builder puts design, hosting, and security in one monthly price. That makes it the easiest way to answer how much a website costs in your first year.
Squarespace website pricing
Squarespace’s pricing page lists four plans. The page shows two prices per plan and doesn’t label them, but the lower figure matches its “pay annually” toggle:
| Plan | Annual toggle (per month) | Monthly toggle (per month) | Online store fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $19 | $25 | 2% |
| Core | $29 | $39 | 0% |
| Plus | $49 | $65 | 0% |
| Advanced | $99 | $139 | 0% |
All plans include hosting, SSL, and 24/7 support. Squarespace says a custom domain is free for the first year on an annual term, then renews at the standard rate. Every site starts with a 14-day free trial, with no credit card required, and there is no free plan. Card payments run through Squarespace Payments, which charges 2.9% plus $0.30 on Basic and Core.
Squarespace has said it is rolling out these plans in phases, so confirm what you see on the Squarespace pricing page.
Wix pricing
Wix’s own guide, dated November 5, 2026, lists these plans. Prices are per month, billed yearly upfront, before tax:
| Plan | Price per month | Storage |
|---|---|---|
| Light | $17 | 2 GB |
| Core | $29 | 50 GB |
| Business | $39 | 100 GB |
| Business Elite | $159 | Unlimited |
Wix says paid plans include a free domain for the first year, but only for a new domain registered through Wix. It also lists a 14-day money-back guarantee. Details are in Wix’s premium plans guide. For a wider comparison of cheap builders, see our cheapest website builder guide and our list of AI website builders.
Website Design Cost: Hiring a Designer
Hiring a professional changes the price a lot. FreshBooks’ pricing guide, updated August 5, 2026, gives these figures:
- Design work: about $30 to $80 an hour.
- Development work: about $100 to $180 an hour.
- Small business company website: $5,000 to $10,000.
- Custom design: at least $5,000, and above $10,000 for complex projects.
- One-page site: as little as $500.
The same guide also shows lower ranges in another place, which tells you how much quotes vary. Ask for a written quote that lists pages, revisions, and what happens after launch. See our own notes on WordPress website design for what the work involves.
Content can add cost too. The FreshBooks breakdown puts content creation at about $500 on the low end.
Three Sample Budgets
These are simple examples built from the prices above. They are not quotes.
1. Builder, first year.
- Wix Light: 12 × $17 = $204 a year, billed upfront.
- Squarespace Basic (annual toggle): 12 × $19 = $228. Core: 12 × $29 = $348.
- The first year’s domain is free on both, then renews.
2. WordPress on shared hosting.
- GoDaddy Economy: 36 months × $5.99 = about $216 for the first 3-year term, or about $72 a year.
- A domain at $10 to $20 a year, based on GoDaddy’s guide.
- SSL: free, from the host or from Let’s Encrypt.
- Estimated first year: about $82 to $92 if you spread hosting evenly, but you may pay the 3-year term upfront.
3. Hire a designer.
- A small business site: $5,000 to $10,000 (FreshBooks).
- Add your hosting and domain, and a yearly maintenance budget (next section).
If you want to build the WordPress route yourself, follow our guide to start a WordPress website in 2026.
How Much Does a Website Cost for a Small Business?
A small business usually needs more than a one-page site: a few service pages, a contact form, and sometimes bookings or a store. FreshBooks’ guide puts a typical small business website at $5,000 to $10,000 when a designer builds it. It also gives a first-year average of $6,760 for a basic website, built from these parts:
| Part | Average in FreshBooks’ breakdown |
|---|---|
| Setup | $160 (range $50 to $200) |
| Design and building | $5,000 |
| Content creation | $500 (range $500 to $5,000) |
| Client training | $600 |
| Maintenance | $500 (annual range $500 to $1,000) |
Those parts add up to the $6,760 figure. You don’t need to pay for all of them. If you build the site yourself on a builder, design and training disappear, and your main costs become the plan, your time, and your content. If you hire someone, ask which of these parts are in the quote. That one question explains most price gaps between two designers.
Website Maintenance Cost
Websites need care after launch: backups, updates, and security checks. FreshBooks’ breakdown puts annual maintenance at about $500, with a range of $500 to $1,000 a year if someone does it for you.
You can do much of it yourself. Our WordPress website maintenance checklist lists 20 tasks. Website maintenance is the part people skip when they budget, and it’s cheaper to plan for than to fix a broken site.
Hidden Costs to Watch
- Renewal prices. Free or cheap first-year offers usually end. Squarespace says its free domain renews at the standard rate.
- Free domain limits. Wix’s free domain is for a new domain registered through Wix, for the first year only.
- Store fees. On Squarespace Basic, the online store fee is 2%, plus card processing.
- Plan upgrades. The plan with the feature you need may be higher than the one in the headline.
- Business email. Often a separate monthly cost per user.
- Content and photos. Easy to forget, and not free if you hire help.
- Taxes. Wix prices are before tax.
Which Route Fits You?
Here is a simple way to choose. It’s guidance, not a rule.
- You need a site this week and don’t want technical work. Use a builder such as Squarespace or Wix. The plan price covers hosting and security, so you can predict the first year.
- You want the lowest running cost and don’t mind learning. Use WordPress on shared hosting. Our guide to how to start a WordPress website shows the steps, and you stay in control of the content.
- You need a custom look, a complex store, or custom features. Hire a designer or developer. Budget from $5,000 upward and get a written scope.
- You’re not sure yet. Start with a free trial, such as Squarespace’s 14 days, and see how much of the work you enjoy.
So, how much does a website cost for you? Write down the route, the yearly platform price, the domain, and a maintenance number. That total is far more useful than any average.
Ways to Spend Less
- Start on a builder’s trial. Squarespace offers 14 days with no card.
- Choose the annual toggle if you’re sure, since it is cheaper per month.
- Write your own content and use your own photos.
- Skip plugins and add-ons you don’t need.
- Use a free SSL certificate.
- Do routine maintenance yourself.
FAQ
How much does a website cost per month?
On a builder, the plans above run from $17 to $159 a month on annual billing, with the lower plans at $17 to $29. Hosting alone on GoDaddy starts at $5.99 a month for the first 3-year term.
How much does a website cost to run each year?
Add the platform or hosting price, the domain renewal, and maintenance. For the builder example above, that can be a few hundred dollars. With a designer, add the yearly maintenance range of $500 to $1,000.
How much does it cost to build a website yourself?
A do-it-yourself site can cost a few hundred dollars a year. See the sample budgets above.
How much does a small business website cost?
FreshBooks puts a small business company site at $5,000 to $10,000 when a designer builds it. A builder or WordPress route costs far less.
Is Squarespace cheaper than WordPress?
It depends. Squarespace Basic is $19 a month on the annual toggle. WordPress hosting can be lower per month, but you handle more setup and maintenance.
Can I build a website for free?
Some platforms offer free plans, but they limit features and branding. Squarespace has no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
How much does website maintenance cost?
About $500 to $1,000 a year if you hire someone, according to FreshBooks. You can reduce that by doing the routine tasks yourself.
Do I have to pay for an SSL certificate?
Not always. Many hosts include one, and Let’s Encrypt says anyone with a domain can get a trusted certificate for free.
Conclusion
How much does a website cost? A few hundred dollars a year for a builder or a basic WordPress site, and $5,000 or more when a designer builds it. The sticker price isn’t the full cost, so check renewals, fees, and maintenance. Your next step: pick a route, write down the yearly total, and compare it against the sample budgets above.
