Website costs depend on whether you build it yourself or hire someone, and what features you need

A website can cost anywhere from $0 to $50,000 or more in the first year, depending on how you build it and what it does. If you use a website builder like Wix or Squarespace and design it yourself, you'll pay $10 to $30 per month. If you hire a designer or developer to build a custom site, expect $2,000 to $15,000 upfront, plus hosting and maintenance costs. The difference comes down to labor — your own time is free, but a professional's time costs money.

Most small businesses and individuals don't need the expensive option. A self-built site on a website builder covers blogs, portfolios, small online stores, and service businesses. You pay only for the platform and domain name. Custom development makes sense when you need something a builder can't do — a complex e-commerce system, custom integrations with other software, or a site that handles thousands of daily visitors.

Key Takeaways

  • Website builders cost $10 to $30 monthly and require no coding; you design the site yourself using templates and drag-and-drop tools.
  • Hiring a freelance designer or developer costs $2,000 to $15,000 upfront for a custom-built site, plus ongoing hosting and maintenance.
  • Domain names cost $10 to $15 per year regardless of which route you choose, and most builders include hosting in their monthly fee.
  • A basic site on a builder platform can launch in days; a custom site typically takes 4 to 12 weeks depending on complexity.
  • Ongoing costs include monthly hosting or platform fees, annual domain renewal, and optional services like email, SSL certificates, or professional support.

Self-built sites on website builders: $10 to $30 per month

Website builders like Wix, Squarespace, Shopify, and WordPress.com handle hosting, security, and updates for you. You pick a template, add your content, and publish. The monthly fee covers everything except the domain name, which you buy separately for $10 to $15 per year.

Wix and Squarespace charge $10 to $27 per month for basic plans, with higher tiers if you want advanced features like email marketing or more storage. Shopify starts at $29 per month because it's built for online stores. WordPress.com's free plan exists but is limited; their paid plans start at $4 per month for a personal blog and go up to $25 per month for business features.

The real cost is your time. Building the site yourself takes 20 to 40 hours if you're comfortable with computers and willing to learn. If you're not, you can hire someone to set it up for you — usually $500 to $2,000 for a basic site — then manage it yourself afterward. This hybrid approach is common for small businesses that want a custom look without paying full custom-development prices.

Custom-built sites from a designer or developer: $2,000 to $15,000 upfront

A freelance web designer or small agency will build a site tailored to your needs. They handle the design, coding, and setup. Costs depend on complexity: a straightforward five-page site for a service business runs $2,000 to $5,000; a more complex site with custom features, integrations, or an online store runs $5,000 to $15,000. Large companies or sites with unusual requirements can cost much more.

You'll also pay for hosting separately, usually $10 to $50 per month depending on traffic and features. The developer may offer to manage hosting for you, which adds $50 to $200 per month to their fee. Domain registration is still $10 to $15 per year.

Custom development takes longer — typically 4 to 12 weeks from start to launch — because the developer builds the site from scratch rather than using a template. You'll have meetings to discuss what you want, review drafts, request changes, and test the finished product. This process costs more but gives you a site that works exactly the way you need it to.

Hosting and domain costs that explore to both routes

Every website needs a domain name (the address people type in) and hosting (the server that stores your files). Website builders include hosting in their monthly fee, so you don't pay separately. If you build a custom site, you pay for hosting on its own.

Domain names cost $10 to $15 per year through any registrar — GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, or whoever you choose. Some builders include the first year free or discounted. Hosting for a custom site runs $10 to $50 per month for a small business site, or $100 to $500 per month if you expect heavy traffic or need advanced features.

If you use WordPress (the self-hosted version, not WordPress.com), you buy hosting and a domain separately, then install WordPress yourself or have someone do it. This route costs less per month than a website builder but requires more technical knowledge or hiring help to set up and maintain.

Add-on costs that vary by what your site does

Beyond the base platform or hosting fee, you may need to pay for extras. Email addresses tied to your domain (like hello@yoursite.com) cost $5 to $10 per month if your builder doesn't include them. An SSL certificate, which encrypts data and shows a padlock in the browser, is free on most builders and hosting plans but costs $50 to $200 per year on some older hosting setups.

If you want to sell products, you'll need a payment processor like Stripe or PayPal, which takes a percentage of each sale (usually 2.2% to 3% plus a small fee per transaction). This isn't a monthly cost — you only pay when you make a sale.

Professional email support, priority customer service, or advanced analytics may cost extra depending on your builder. Most small sites don't need these, but they're available if you do.

Maintenance and updates after launch

Once your site is live, you'll have ongoing costs. Website builders handle updates and security automatically, so your monthly fee covers that. Custom sites need someone to install security updates, back up files, and fix problems — either you do it, or you pay a developer $50 to $200 per month for maintenance.

If you hire a designer to build your site, ask whether they offer ongoing support and what it costs. Some charge a flat monthly retainer; others charge hourly when you need changes. Budget $100 to $500 per month if you want professional help managing your site, or $0 if you're comfortable doing it yourself.

Content updates — adding new pages, changing text, uploading photos — are free if you do them yourself on a website builder. If you hire someone to do this work, expect to pay $50 to $150 per hour.

Comparing total first-year costs

A self-built site on a website builder costs $120 to $360 in the first year (12 months of platform fees) plus $10 to $15 for the domain, totaling roughly $130 to $375. This assumes you do the work yourself and don't buy add-ons.

A custom site from a freelancer costs $2,000 to $15,000 upfront, plus $120 to $600 per year for hosting and domain, totaling $2,120 to $15,600 in year one. In year two and beyond, you pay only the hosting and domain costs unless you hire someone for updates.

A hybrid approach — hiring someone to set up a website builder site for you — costs $500 to $2,000 for setup, plus $130 to $375 for the platform and domain, totaling $630 to $2,375 in year one. After that, you manage it yourself and pay only the platform and domain fees.

When to choose each option

Use a website builder if you're starting a blog, portfolio, or small service business; you want to launch quickly; or you're comfortable learning the platform yourself. Builders work well for most small businesses and cost the least over time.

Hire a custom developer if you need features a builder can't provide, you expect high traffic, you're integrating with other software, or you want a professional to handle everything. Custom development costs more upfront but may save money long-term if you'd otherwise spend hours learning a builder or paying for expensive add-ons.

The hybrid approach — hiring someone to set up a builder site — works if you want a polished look without custom development costs, and you're willing to manage updates yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I build a website for free?

Yes, using the free tier of WordPress.com, Wix, or Weebly. You'll have limited features, a subdomain instead of your own domain name (like yourname.wix.com), and ads on your site. For most people, paying $10 to $15 per month for a builder is worth it to remove these limits and use your own domain.

What's the difference between a website builder and hiring a developer?

A website builder is a platform you use yourself with templates and drag-and-drop tools. A developer writes custom code to build exactly what you need. Builders are faster and cheaper; developers give you more control and features but take longer and cost more.

Do I need to pay for hosting if I use a website builder?

No. Website builders include hosting in their monthly fee. You only pay for hosting separately if you build a custom site or use self-hosted WordPress. Your builder fee covers everything except the domain name.

How much does it cost to redesign a website?

Redesigning a site on a website builder costs only your time — you change the template and content yourself. Hiring a designer to redesign a custom site typically costs $1,500 to $5,000 depending on how much work is involved. If you're redesigning to move from a builder to a custom site, expect $2,000 to $10,000.

What happens if I stop paying my website builder fee?

Your site goes offline and becomes inaccessible. Most builders give you a grace period to read your content before deleting it. If you want to keep your site, you need to keep paying the monthly fee or move it to a different platform.