Website cost is affected by lot of different things, and can be very cheap or very expensive. It all depends on the choices you make and what you want the website to be able to do. We’re going to break down the cost of building a website so you can have an idea what to expect.
So, let’s answer the big question: How much does a website cost in 2026?
There are four main ways to get your website built, and which route you choose will make a big difference.
Option 1: Use WordPress
Here at Let’s Website Build we’re big fans of WordPress, so we do recommend you go this route. (Read more about why we love WordPress.)
WordPress itself is free, so you won’t have to pay any kind of subscription or upfront fee to use it. However, you do need to pay for your hosting and a domain, and there are other optional things that you may decide you want to pay for, like premium themes and plugins.
Typically, a WordPress site that you build yourself is going to cost between $10 to $25 per month.
How Much WordPress Websites Cost
| WordPress Features | Average Cost | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | $30-$300/yr | Your hosting costs are going to depend on how much traffic your site gets and how big your site is. If you're just starting out then your hosting will probably cost around $35-$60/yr. |
| Domain Name | $10-$20/yr | Many hosting plans will give you a free domain for the first year, and then charge you $10-$20/yr after that. |
| Themes | $0-$100/yr | There are lots of great free themes available, so this is an optional expense. Most premium themes are around $60. More expensive themes can be $100/yr. |
| Plugins | $0-$500/yr | Plugins are optional, but they can be used to extend your WordPress site in amazing ways. There are lots of free plugins available. Premium plugins are typically $50-$100/yr. |
You can see from our table that at the very lowest end, you can pay as little as about $40 a year for a WordPress site! We’re talking less that $4 a month to have your own website. Most hosts will want you to pay for a year of hosting upfront, so expect that when you sign up.
You can check out our recommended WordPress hosts for 2026 here.
The Verdict
It’s very likely though that you will want some premium plugins and possibly themes and as your site starts to grow you’ll want to upgrade your hosting. So you can expect to pay between $100-$300 a year for a small to average-sized website, like small businesses, small eCommerce sites, or medium-sized blogs. Larger organizations that need more complex security, membership sites, or medium-sized eCommerce sites are going to average closer to $300-$1,000 a year.
The more complex your site is, the higher the annual price will be, but by building a WordPress site yourself you’re getting unlimited freedom while saving lots of money.
Option 2: Use a Website Builder
Website builders take less time investment to build than WordPress, but they are usually a little bit more expensive than WordPress and they don’t give you the unlimited freedom that WordPress does. Depending on your priorities, a website builder may be the perfect option for you.
Most website builders charge a monthly fee for their plans (if you pay annually you usually get a slightly better price). Website builder plans include the hosting and the theme, but charge a yearly fee for the domain and monthly fees for any add-ons you decide you want.
You can expect to pay around $20-$50 a month for a website builder.
How Much Website Builders Cost
| Website Builder Plans | Average Cost | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Free sites aren't going to be a good professional option, as they are very limited and don't allow you to use a custom domain. However, they can be a good way to test out a website builder and see if you like it. |
| Basic | $6-$14/mo | Basic plans are going to be good options for smaller businesses and blogs |
| Business | $12-$23/mo | Business plans are going to allow for higher levels of traffic and provide more storage space for media and content. |
| eCommerce | $15-$50/mo | An eCommerce plan will be required if you want to sell products through an online store. |
| Enterprise | $500+/mo | Enterprise plans are for very large organizations that will receive lots of heavy traffic and need dedicated support and security. |
| Additional Features | Average Cost | Details |
| Domain Name | $10-$20/yr | Many website builders will give you a free domain for the first year, and then charge you $10-$20/yr after that. |
| Add-Ons | $0-$100/mo | Add-ons are optional, but they can be used to extend your website in impressive ways. There are lots of free add-ons available. Premium add-ons are typically $5-$50/mo. |
The Verdict
For a basic website built with a website builder, there are some very reasonably priced plans. You can expect to pay as low as $80-$200 a year for a simple website for a small business or blog. If you want a medium-sized site or an eCommerce site, your yearly website cost will be $600-$1,200.
If your goal is to get your site up-and-running as quickly as possible with no tech skills needed, then using a website builder may be the right choice for you.
Option 3: Hire a freelancer
Hiring a freelancer is an excellent way to get the exact website that you want with all the features you need, but it is much more expensive than the DIY-route. Depending on the freelancer you hire, their skill set, and the size and complexity of your website, your website will cost anywhere from $2,000-$30,000+.
If a freelancer is charging you hourly then expect to pay $50-$100 an hour on average for their services. However, it is more common for a freelancer to give you a total project price after they gather details about the website you want to build.
Freelancers set their own rates, so make sure you do your research before hiring someone. Usually, the price of their services is going to reflect their skill level, with less experienced web developers charging $40-$60 an hour and senior level developers charging $100+ an hour.
How Much Freelancer-Built Websites Cost
| Freelancer Features | Average Cost | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Design Rates | $30-$80/hr | A web designer will create an image of your site to hand off to a web developer to build, and oftentimes they will make a logo if you need one. They are experts in graphics, colors, fonts, and a good designer will also have a solid understanding of UX (user-experience). |
| Development Rates | $50-$120/hr | A freelance web developer will build your site for you. They have advanced technical skills and can customize your site however you want, along with extending or adding functionality. |
| Hosting | $30-$300/yr | Your hosting costs are going to depend on how much traffic your site gets and how big your site is. Some freelancers include the cost of hosting in their project price and others don't. Always double check. |
| Domain Name | $10-$20/yr | Many hosting plans will give you a free domain for the first year, and then charge you $10-$20/yr after that. |
| Themes | $0-$100/yr | If you're having a custom theme built then the cost of the theme will be included in the freelancer's project price (or hourly rate). However, it is also common for you to choose a free or premium theme and have a freelancer customize it for you. |
| Plugins | $0-$500/yr | Premium plugins are typically $50-$100/yr. If you are having a freelancer build custom functionality for you then the cost will be included in their project price (or hourly rate). |
| Maintenance | $500-$5,000+/yr | Maintenance is optional but strongly recommended if you hire a freelancer to build your website. Freelancers can make site changes, keep site backups, run updates, and monitor security for you. Maintenance is usually a set-monthly fee that you will agree on with your freelancer. |
The Verdict
When you are short on time or want a professionally built website, hiring a freelancer is a great way to go. While it is more expensive to hire a freelancer than it is to build a website yourself, you’re getting the peace of mind that comes with having an expert involved.
Keep in mind that if you hire a freelancer to build your site then it will also probably be a good idea to hire them to maintain your website for you– this includes making regular site backups, updating the site’s code, themes, or plugins, and changing the content on the site. So you’ll want to factor the cost of regular maintenance into your website budget.
Most smaller websites cost $2,000-$6,000 upfront when built by a freelancer, and then cost $500-$1,000 a year to maintain. Medium-sized sites will cost $5,000-$10,000 upfront and $1,000-$5,000 yearly to maintain. A very large, enterprise-sized website with custom features and security can easily cost $50,000+ to build and $10,000-$20,000 yearly to maintain.
Option 4: Hire an agency
The fourth and last option for building a website is to hire an agency. Agencies have teams that include designers, developers, marketers, graphic designers and content creators. The cost of a website built by an agency is going to depend on the size of the site and what features and customization you need, but expect to pay $5,000 at the very low end and $250,000 at the higher end.
On the plus side, you will get a fully custom website that can scale with growth and have any features that you want it to have. On the down side, it’s going to cost quite a bit more than any of the other options, a more complex site means longer development times, and you’ll most likely need to continue paying for maintenance from the agency on an ongoing basis.
How Much Agency-Built Websites Cost
Agency costs are going to be similar to freelancer costs, but because they have more people on their team the process will be more extensive– add extra time (and budget) for graphics creation, content writing, SEO (“search engine optimization”), and marketing. It means more of your needs will be be met and dealt with by professionals, but it’s really intended for medium to large businesses or organizations that have a larger budget.
The Verdict
Agency-built websites are going to start at around $5,000, and go up from there. There isn’t a max price here, it all depends on how big your site is and what you need it to be able to do. $10,000+ upfront with $1,000-$10,000 a year in maintenance is going to be fairly standard, but it’s going to cover a lot of different aspects of your website creation and promotion, so an agency can be your one-stop-shop.
So what’s next?
Now that you know what to expect in terms of cost, it’s time to build a website or start a blog!