Website costs depend on whether you build it yourself or hire someone, and what features you need
A website can cost anywhere from nothing to tens of thousands of dollars. The difference comes down to three things: whether you use a website builder or hire a developer, what features you need, and whether you want a custom design or a template. A small business using a template and a website builder might spend $200 to $500 per year. A custom site built by a developer for a larger business typically costs $5,000 to $50,000 upfront, plus ongoing hosting and maintenance.
The biggest cost trap is thinking you need a developer when a website builder would work fine. Most small businesses, freelancers, and nonprofits can launch a working site for under $300 a year without writing any code. The second trap is underestimating the cost of keeping the site running after launch — hosting, domain renewal, and updates add up every year.
Key Takeaways
- Website builders like Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress.com charge $10 to $40 per month and include hosting, making them the cheapest route for most small sites.
- Hiring a web developer to build a custom site costs $5,000 to $50,000 upfront depending on complexity, plus $50 to $200 per month for hosting and maintenance.
- A domain name costs $10 to $15 per year from registrars like GoDaddy or Namecheap, and you need one regardless of which building method you choose.
- Monthly costs continue after launch for hosting, security updates, and backups, so budget for at least $15 to $100 per month ongoing.
- Self-hosted WordPress with a theme costs $100 to $500 per year and gives you more control than a website builder, but requires more technical knowledge to maintain.
Website builders: the lowest cost for most people
A website builder is software that lets you drag and drop content onto a page without writing code. Wix, Squarespace, WordPress.com, and Weebly are the most common. They charge a monthly subscription that includes hosting, a domain name (usually after the first year), security, and backups. You pick a template, add your text and images, and publish. Most people can launch a site in a few hours.
Costs range from $10 to $40 per month depending on the builder and which plan you choose. A basic plan might be $10 to $15 per month and includes a free subdomain (like yourname.wix.com). A plan that lets you use your own domain name costs $15 to $25 per month. Plans with e-commerce features (if you want to sell products) cost $25 to $40 per month. Over a year, a basic plan runs $120 to $300. After the first year, add $10 to $15 for domain renewal if you're using your own domain.
Website builders work well for portfolios, small business sites, blogs, and online stores under 100 products. They don't work well if you need custom code, complex integrations with other software, or a site that handles thousands of visitors per day. They also lock you in — if you want to move your site to a different platform later, you usually have to rebuild it from scratch.
Self-hosted WordPress: more control, more responsibility
WordPress.org (different from WordPress.com) is free software you install on your own hosting account. You pay for hosting separately, usually $5 to $15 per month. You also choose a theme (a template) that costs $0 to $100 one-time, and you may add plugins (add-ons) that cost $0 to $500 per year depending on what you need.
Total first-year cost for self-hosted WordPress is typically $100 to $500. After that, you pay $60 to $180 per year for hosting, plus whatever plugins you use. The advantage is control — you can customize almost anything and you own your data. The disadvantage is that you're responsible for updates, backups, and security. If something breaks, you fix it or pay someone to fix it.
Self-hosted WordPress makes sense if you're comfortable with technical tasks or willing to learn them, or if you plan to grow the site significantly and want to avoid rebuilding later. It's overkill for a straightforward five-page business site.
Hiring a web developer: custom design and complex features
A web developer builds a site from scratch using code. They design it specifically for your business, integrate it with your other software (like a customer database or payment processor), and build custom features you can't get from a template.
A developer charges either a flat project fee or an hourly rate. Flat fees for a small business site typically range from $5,000 to $15,000. A more complex site with custom features, e-commerce, or integrations costs $15,000 to $50,000. Hourly rates run $50 to $150 per hour depending on experience and location. A straightforward site might take 40 to 80 hours; a complex one takes 200 to 500 hours.
After launch, you pay for hosting ($50 to $200 per month depending on traffic and complexity) and maintenance ($100 to $500 per month for updates, backups, and fixes). Some developers include a few months of free maintenance; others charge from day one. Always ask what's included in the upfront price and what costs extra afterward.
Domain names and hosting: the ongoing costs
A domain name is your web address — yourname.com or yourbusiness.net. You buy it from a registrar like GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Google Domains. A domain costs $10 to $15 per year for most extensions (.com, .net, .org). Some extensions like .io or .co cost $20 to $40 per year. You renew it every year or it expires and someone else can buy it.
Hosting is the server that stores your website files and makes them available on the internet. If you use a website builder, hosting is included in your monthly fee. If you use self-hosted WordPress or hire a developer, you pay for hosting separately. Shared hosting (where your site shares a server with others) costs $5 to $20 per month. Dedicated hosting (your own server) costs $50 to $500 per month. Most small sites use shared hosting.
You also need an SSL certificate, which encrypts data between your site and visitors' browsers. Website builders include this. Self-hosted sites can get a free SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt. Dedicated hosting usually includes it. Without an SSL certificate, browsers show a warning that your site is "not find," and visitors won't trust it.
Hidden costs that add up
Beyond the base cost of building and hosting, several expenses catch people off guard. Email hosting costs $5 to $10 per month if you want a professional email address (yourname@yourbusiness.com) instead of Gmail. Premium themes or plugins can cost $20 to $200 per year each. If you want professional photos instead of stock images, that's $100 to $1,000 depending on how many you need. SEO tools, analytics, and marketing software add $10 to $100 per month.
Maintenance and updates are ongoing. If you use a website builder, they handle updates automatically. If you use self-hosted WordPress, you update it yourself or pay someone $50 to $200 per month to do it. If you hire a developer, maintenance is usually a separate contract. Backups, security monitoring, and bug fixes all cost money if you're not doing them yourself.
The most expensive hidden cost is rebuilding. If you choose the wrong platform or builder and need to switch later, you often have to rebuild the entire site from scratch. That's why it's worth thinking through what you actually need before you start.
Comparing the routes side by side
| Route | First Year Cost | Monthly Ongoing | Best For | Biggest Drawback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Website builder (Wix, Squarespace) | $120–$500 | $10–$40 | Small business, portfolio, blog | Limited customization; hard to move later |
| Self-hosted WordPress | $100–$500 | $5–$30 | Growing site; technical owner | You manage updates and security |
| Hire a developer | $5,000–$50,000 | $100–$500 | Complex features; large business | High upfront cost; ongoing maintenance fees |
How to choose without overspending
Start by answering three questions. First, what does your site need to do? If it's a portfolio, blog, or small business site with contact forms and a few pages, a website builder is enough. If you need to sell products, take payments, or integrate with other software, you might need self-hosted WordPress or a developer. If you need custom features or expect thousands of visitors per day, hire a developer.
Second, who will maintain it? If you don't want to think about updates and security, use a website builder. If you're comfortable learning technical tasks or have someone on staff who can, self-hosted WordPress saves money long-term. If you want someone else to handle everything, hire a developer and budget for ongoing maintenance.
Third, might you outgrow this platform? If there's any chance you'll need features a website builder doesn't offer, start with self-hosted WordPress instead. Moving from a builder to WordPress or a custom site is expensive and time-consuming. Starting with WordPress costs a bit more upfront but gives you room to grow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I really build a website for free?
Yes, but with limits. Free website builders like Wix Free, Weebly Free, and WordPress.com Free let you create a site at no cost, but they include ads, limit your storage, and give you a subdomain instead of your own domain name. You'll eventually want to pay for a domain and remove the ads, which costs $10 to $20 per month. Free is good for testing whether you need a website at all.
What's the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?
WordPress.com is a website builder — you pay a monthly fee and they handle hosting. WordPress.org is free software you install on your own hosting account. WordPress.com is simpler but less flexible. WordPress.org gives you more control but requires you to manage hosting and updates yourself.
Do I need to hire a designer separately from a developer?
Not always. Many developers handle both design and coding. Some specialize in one or the other. If you hire someone who only codes, you'll need a designer too, which adds $2,000 to $10,000 to the project. Website builders and WordPress themes include design, so you don't need a separate designer.
How much should I budget for ongoing costs after launch?
At minimum, budget $15 to $30 per month for hosting and domain renewal. If you use a website builder, that's your only cost. If you use self-hosted WordPress or a custom site, add $50 to $200 per month for maintenance, updates, and backups. If you hire a developer, ask what maintenance is included and what costs extra.
What if I want to move my site to a different platform later?
Moving from a website builder to another platform usually means rebuilding because builders don't export content easily. Moving from self-hosted WordPress to another platform is easier — you can export your content and import it elsewhere. This is another reason to choose self-hosted WordPress if you think you might grow significantly.