Ask five web designers what a website costs and you will get five different numbers. That is not because pricing is random. It is because “a website” can mean a one-page template or a custom online shop. Once you know which kind you need, UK prices fall into fairly predictable ranges.
How much does a website cost in the UK?
Most UK small businesses pay £3,000 to £6,000 for a professionally built website. A basic site from a freelancer can cost £300 to £1,000, a five-page brochure site from an agency is usually £3,000 to £5,000, and ecommerce or custom builds commonly run from £5,000 to £20,000 or more. On top of the build, expect to spend around £500 to £2,000 a year on hosting, domain, licences and maintenance.
This guide brings together published UK price ranges for 2026 to show what each type of website usually costs, what you will pay every year to keep it running, and how to compare quotes fairly.
How much does each type of website cost?
| Website type | Typical UK price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| DIY website builder (Wix, Squarespace and similar) | About £2–£260 a month, depending on plan | Very early-stage businesses with time to build it themselves |
| Basic site from a designer | £300–£1,000 | A simple online presence with a few pages |
| Brochure site (about 5 pages), freelancer | £1,500–£3,000 | Local service businesses |
| Brochure site (about 5 pages), agency | £3,000–£5,000 | Businesses that want design, SEO set-up and support in one place |
| Custom business site (15+ pages) | £5,000–£15,000 | Several services, locations or languages |
| Ecommerce website | £5,000–£20,000+ | Selling products online |
Build ranges from the Whito UK website design costs guide (UK prices excluding VAT, businesses with fewer than 50 staff). Builder plans and basic designer prices from Startups.co.uk.
What affects the price of a website?
- Number of pages. Each extra page typically adds £150 to £400, according to Whito.
- Custom design or template. A template is quicker and cheaper; a custom design takes more time but fits your brand and goals.
- Who builds it. Freelancers commonly charge £25 to £70 an hour, and agencies £50 to £150 or more. London and the South East sit at the top of those ranges.
- Features. Online booking, payments, member areas and integrations all add development time.
- Content. Professional copywriting and photography are often quoted separately.
- Languages. A bilingual English and Chinese site needs every page written, translated and set up for search twice.
- SEO set-up. A site built to rank, with proper page titles, structure, speed and schema, takes more work than one built only to look good.
How much does it cost to run a website each year?
The build is only part of the cost. A website also needs hosting, a domain, security certificates, software licences and regular updates. Whito puts the yearly total for a typical UK small business at about £500 to £2,000, or roughly £50 to £200 a month. The largest item is usually maintenance, at £300 to £1,200 a year.
Should you pay one-off or pay monthly for a website?
There are two common ways to pay for a website:
- One-off build: you pay for the build up front, then pay separately for hosting and maintenance. You usually own the website outright.
- Pay monthly: you pay a fixed monthly fee that covers the build, hosting and support, usually with a minimum term. There is no large upfront cost, which helps cash flow.
As an illustration, a £3,000 build plus a £50-a-month care plan costs £4,800 over three years. A £99-a-month package costs £3,564 over the same period. The right choice depends less on the headline price and more on what is included, how long the minimum term is, and what happens to the website if you leave. Tiso Digital offers pay-monthly websites from £99 a month, and we explain those terms before you sign.
What hidden website costs should you watch for?
Whito estimates that extras can add 30% to 50% to the quoted build price. The most common ones are:
- Copywriting, often £50 to £150 per page
- Photography, often £200 to £800
- SEO set-up, often £300 to £1,000
- Premium plugins or themes, often £50 to £300
- Changes after launch that are charged by the hour
- Paying again to move the site if you change provider
How do you compare website quotes?
- Check that each quote covers the same number of pages and features.
- Ask whether copywriting, images and SEO set-up are included.
- Ask what hosting, maintenance and support will cost each year.
- Confirm who owns the domain, the website files and the content.
- Ask how many rounds of changes are included before launch.
- Ask to see recent websites they have built for similar businesses.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a small business website cost in the UK?
Most UK small businesses pay £3,000 to £6,000 for a professionally built site. Simpler sites from a freelancer can cost £300 to £3,000.
How much does an ecommerce website cost in the UK?
A professionally built ecommerce website typically costs £5,000 to £20,000 or more, depending on the number of products, payment and delivery set-up, and integrations.
How much does it cost to maintain a website each year?
Expect about £500 to £2,000 a year for hosting, domain, licences and maintenance. Care plans in the UK commonly start at around £50 a month.
Is a website builder cheaper than a web designer?
Upfront, yes. Builder plans start from a few pounds a month. But you do the design, writing and SEO yourself, and costs rise as you add paid features and apps.
How Tiso Digital builds websites that bring in enquiries
Tiso Digital is an award-winning web design, SEO and AI search team in London. Every website we build is designed to be found and to turn visitors into enquiries:
- SEO-ready from day one: page structure, speed, schema and Google Business Profile set up properly.
- English and Traditional Chinese versions written by people, not machine translation.
- Clear calls to action and tracking, so you can see which pages bring in calls and messages.
- A clear, itemised quote before any work starts, including ongoing costs.
Get a website quote, start with a free SEO audit of your current site, or message us on WhatsApp.
Sources: Whito, UK website design costs (UK prices excluding VAT, 2026; care plan data from 18 UK price lists, September 2026); Startups.co.uk, How much does a website cost? (updated March 2026).
Eric Lee
Founder & CEO, Tiso Digital
Eric Lee founded Tiso Digital to give small and medium-sized businesses the kind of senior digital strategy usually reserved for large brands. He has spent more than a decade designing websites, leading SEO programmes and, more recently, helping businesses appear in AI-generated answers.
Meet our founder
