Website design pricing
Every price we charge, what it includes, and what makes any quote go up.
An honest guide for small businesses
How much does a website cost in the UK?
How much you'll pay depends mostly on who builds it. Here are realistic 2026 ranges for each route, the running costs people forget, and a simple sum to find your cheapest option.
- Realistic ranges, not sales figures
- Upfront and running costs side by side
- A 3-year sum you can do with any quote
80+ websites built by Charlie through Transform Sites
Track record
- 80+websites built
- 100+happy clients
- 1working day to go live, once I have your answers
- £0upfront
Track record from Transform Sites, MonthlySite's parent company.
The short answer
How much should a small business website cost?
In the UK, a small business website typically costs £10 to £35 a month on a DIY builder plus your own time, £500 to £2,000 from a freelancer, or £2,000 to £6,000 or more from an agency. Pay monthly services typically charge £30 to £150 a month with hosting included. On top, budget for a domain, typically around £10 to £20 a year.
At a glance
- Price
- £49 to £99 a month
- Contract
- None
- Upfront
- £0
- Live within
- 1 working day of your answers
- Cancel
- Any month
- One-off
- From £549
80+ websites built by Charlie through Transform Sites.
On this page
- Website costs in the UK at a glance
- What your kind of website is likely to cost
- DIY website builders: cheapest to start, heaviest on time
- Freelancers and agencies: what the upfront price covers
- The running costs people forget
- Work out the real cost over 3 years
- What a small business website looks like at our price
- Questions
Website costs in the UK at a glance
Typical figures for a small business website of 3 to 10 pages. Real quotes vary, and shops or custom features will sit higher.
| DIY builder | Freelancer | Agency | Pay monthly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront | £0 | £500 to £2,000 | £2,000 to £6,000+ | Often £0 |
| Monthly | £10 to £35 | £5 to £30 hosting | £30 to £150 care | £30 to £150 |
| Your time | Several evenings | A few hours | A few hours | A couple of hours |
| Changes | You do them | Usually per job | Care plan or per job | Usually included |
| Tie-in | None | None | Care plan terms | None to 24 months |
Typical UK ranges for comparison, not quotes. Real prices vary with the job and the supplier.
What your kind of website is likely to cost
The type of site matters more than the type of business. Rough guidance only.
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A simple sole trader site
3 to 5 pages saying what you do, where and how to get in touch. Expect the lower end of every range above.
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A local business that wants Google enquiries
The same pages plus Google Business Profile setup and local SEO. Some designers include this, others quote it as an extra, so check.
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Several towns or services
More pages, each with genuinely useful content rather than the same text with a town name swapped in. More writing means a higher price.
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An online shop
Typically several thousand pounds from a designer, or a shop platform's monthly fee plus payment processing fees if you build it yourself.
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A regulated profession
Solicitors, dental practices and financial firms have rules about what their websites must show or can claim, which adds care and time to the build.
DIY website builders: cheapest to start, heaviest on time
Builders such as Wix and Squarespace cost nothing up front. To use your own domain and remove the builder's adverts you'll typically pay around £10 to £35 a month, and more for booking or shop features. Our Wix alternative guide compares the two routes in more detail.
The real cost is your time: choosing a template, writing every page, sorting photos, learning how Google Business Profile works, and coming back to fix things when they look wrong on a phone. It's a good fit if you enjoy that kind of job, or if cash is very tight and you have more evenings than money. It's a poor fit if your evenings are already spoken for.
Freelancers and agencies: what the upfront price covers
A freelance web designer typically charges £500 to £2,000 for a small brochure site, depending on the number of pages, whether they write the words and how experienced they are. Agencies typically start around £2,000, and a small business site with custom design, copywriting and SEO setup can reach £6,000 or more. Online shops cost more again.
The upfront price usually covers the build only. Hosting is typically £5 to £30 a month, and a maintenance or care plan, if you want one, typically £30 to £150 a month. Without a care plan, changes are usually charged per job. None of this is a reason to avoid a freelancer or agency. It just needs to be in your sums.
The running costs people forget
Whichever route you pick, these carry on after launch.
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Domain name
Typically around £10 to £20 a year for a .co.uk or .com, sometimes less in the first year. Make sure it's registered in your name. Our plans include one.
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Hosting
From a few pounds a month for basic shared hosting to £30 or more for managed hosting with backups and support.
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SSL certificate
Often free now through your host. Be wary of paying extra for a basic one.
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Business email
A mailbox on your own domain typically costs a few pounds per user each month.
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Updates and security
WordPress sites in particular need regular plugin and software updates. Either you do them or you pay someone to.
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Changes
New prices, photos, services and opening hours. Small jobs, but they add up if each one is billed separately.
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Your own time
The cost nobody invoices. It still counts.
Work out the real cost over 3 years
Headline prices hide the long-run cost. This takes about 5 minutes with any quote, including ours.
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Step 1: Take the upfront price
Include any setup, design or deposit fee, whatever it's called.
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Step 2: Add 36 months of running costs
Hosting, care plan or monthly fee, plus 3 years of domain renewals.
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Step 3: Add the changes you'll need
Estimate how many a year and what each will cost if they aren't included.
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Step 4: Put a price on your own time
If you're doing any of it yourself, give your hours a value. Even a modest hourly figure adds up quickly.
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Step 5: Compare the totals
The cheapest option is usually clear by now, and it isn't always the one with the lowest headline price.
A worked example. Say a local plumber wants a 5-page site. A freelancer at £1,200, plus hosting at £15 a month (£540 over 3 years) and four changes a year at £40 each (£480), comes to £2,220 over 3 years. Our Growth plan at £79 a month comes to £2,844 over the same 3 years, with nothing up front, no contract, and unlimited small edits, Google Business Profile setup and local SEO included. Our Starter plan at £49 a month is £1,764. The figures are made up for the example, so run the sum with your own quotes.
From Charlie
In my experience, the build is rarely where people overpay. It's the years after it, one small invoice at a time. Always ask what year two costs.
What a small business website looks like at our price
Price ranges only tell you so much. This is a live builder's template, the starting point for a free preview.
What to notice
- Services and the areas covered, set out clearly
- Space for photos of your recent work
- A phone number and enquiry form on every page
Where MonthlySite fits
We're in the pay monthly column: £49 to £99 a month, no contract and no setup fee. One-off builds start from £549.
£1.61a day for Starter, billed as £49 a month. No contract.
-
Starter
£49a month
- Up to 3 pages
- Hosting and SSL included
- 1 change a month
-
Growth Charlie's pick
£79a month
- Up to 6 pages
- Google Business Profile setup
- Unlimited small edits
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Pro
£99a month
- Up to 10 pages
- A page for each area
- Priority 48-hour edits
No contract. Cancel any month. No upfront fee.
Compare plans in detail
Build my free preview
Free. No card. About 60 seconds.
Rather own it outright? One-off builds from £549.
MonthlySite is new. I'm not.
80 websites and counting, built for small businesses through Transform Sites, MonthlySite's parent company.
- 80+websites built
- 100+happy clients
I only publish genuine reviews, and MonthlySite's first ones are on their way. Until then, here's my promise: you'll deal with me, and I'll reply within one working day.
Charlie, founder
Questions people ask
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How much does a website cost per month in the UK?
Hosting a site you already own typically costs a few pounds to £30 a month, plus the domain each year, and care plans typically add £30 to £150. Pay monthly websites, build included, typically cost £30 to £150 a month. Ours are £49 to £99 a month, no contract.
How much do web designers charge in the UK?
For a small business website, freelancers typically charge from around £500 to £2,000, and agencies typically start around £2,000 and can reach £6,000 or more. Rates vary with experience, location and whether copywriting is included, so compare quotes on what's included as well as the total.
How much does it cost to maintain a website in the UK?
Maintenance or care plans typically cost £30 to £150 a month, depending on what's covered: hosting, backups, updates, security checks and a number of changes. Some people pay per job instead. Our monthly plans include hosting, updates and changes in the price.
How much does a domain name cost in the UK?
A .co.uk or .com domain typically costs around £10 to £20 a year. Watch for cheap first-year offers that renew at a higher price, and make sure the domain is registered in your name rather than your designer's, so you can move it if you ever need to.
How long does it take to build a website?
A small business site from a freelancer or agency typically takes a few weeks, and much of that is waiting for content and feedback. DIY depends on your spare time. Ours go live within 1 working day of your answers.
Is it cheaper to build a website yourself?
In cash, usually yes. A builder plan typically costs £10 to £35 a month. In time, it's the most expensive route: writing, design, photos, setup and fixes are all yours. If your time is better spent on paid work, a done-for-you option often works out cheaper.
Why do website quotes vary so much?
Mostly because they cover different amounts of work. One quote might include writing the words, several rounds of design, a year of hosting and Google Business Profile setup, while another is a template with your logo on it. Ask each designer for a list of what's included and compare those, not only the totals.
See your website before you spend a penny.
Pick your trade, add your business name and see it on a laptop and a phone. If you like it, plans start at £49 a month with no contract.