How much does a website cost in India? (2026 price guide)

The short answer

For a typical Indian small business — a shop, clinic, restaurant, salon, jeweller or tutoring centre — a website in 2026 costs anywhere between ₹3,000 and ₹2,00,000+. That huge range comes down to five common routes:

• Freelancer: ₹5,000–50,000 one-time
• Agency: ₹25,000–2,00,000+ one-time, plus retainers
• DIY builders (Wix, Squarespace): roughly ₹1,000–2,500/month, priced in USD
• WordPress (self-hosted): ₹8,000–30,000 first year, then ₹5,000–15,000/year
• All-in platform (Neweb): ₹249/month, domain + hosting + SEO included

The sticker price is only half the story, though. What separates a cheap website from an expensive one is rarely the design — it is the ongoing cost of keeping it online, secure and updated. Let's go through each option honestly.

Option 1: Hiring a freelancer (₹5,000–50,000)

Hiring a freelancer from a marketplace or a local contact is the most common first step for Indian SMBs. A junior freelancer might build a basic 4–5 page site for ₹5,000–15,000. A more experienced one charging ₹25,000–50,000 will give you custom design, a contact form and basic SEO.

What you usually get: a one-time build and then... silence. The price typically covers the design and code only. Domain, hosting, SSL and email are usually billed separately or set up under the freelancer's account — which becomes a problem the day they stop replying.

The catch: every future change — a new price, a festival banner, a new staff photo — is a fresh negotiation and a fresh ₹500–2,000 bill. If your freelancer moves on, you can be locked out of your own site. Great for a one-off project, risky as a long-term home for your business online.

Option 2: Hiring an agency (₹25,000–2,00,000+)

A web design agency is the premium route. For ₹25,000–60,000 you get a polished small-business site; for ₹1–2 lakh and above you get custom design, copywriting, advanced SEO and integrations. Agencies are the right call if you need a serious brand presence, e-commerce with thousands of products, or custom functionality.

The catch: agencies almost always add a monthly retainer of ₹5,000–25,000 for maintenance, hosting and support. Over two years, a ₹60,000 build plus a ₹10,000/month retainer becomes ₹3,00,000. For a single-location shop or clinic, that is far more website than the business needs — and far more money.

Option 3: DIY website builders — Wix & Squarespace

Drag-and-drop builders like Wix and Squarespace let you build it yourself with no coding. The trap for Indian businesses is that their pricing is set in US dollars. A Wix plan advertised at "$16/month" is around ₹1,350/month once converted — and the genuinely useful plans (custom domain, no Wix ads, more storage) sit higher still.

You also pay in USD, so currency swings and card forex fees nudge the real cost up. The builders are powerful, but you are doing all the work yourself: writing copy, choosing a template, setting up SEO and connecting Google Business by hand. See our full Neweb vs Wix comparison for a side-by-side breakdown.

Option 4: WordPress (the "free" software that isn't)

WordPress software is free and open-source, which is why it powers a huge share of the web. But a live WordPress site is never actually free — you are assembling and paying for the parts yourself:

• Domain: ₹600–1,500/year
• Hosting: ₹2,000–10,000/year (shared to managed)
• Premium theme: ₹3,000–6,000 one-time
• Plugins: ₹0–15,000/year (forms, SEO, security, backups — the good ones are paid)
• Developer to set it all up: ₹5,000–20,000

Realistically, a self-hosted WordPress site costs ₹8,000–30,000 in year one, then ₹5,000–15,000 every year after for renewals, updates and security. WordPress is flexible and you own everything, but it also means you own the updates, the security patches and the 2 a.m. "white screen of death". Our Neweb vs WordPress comparison covers who each one suits.

Option 5: Neweb — everything bundled at ₹249/month

Neweb takes a different approach built specifically for Indian small businesses: one subscription that includes the website, a free domain, hosting, SSL, Google Business setup and an SEO autopilot — all for ₹249/month. There is no setup fee, no per-edit charge, and no renewal surprise, because there is only one bill.

You answer a few questions about your business, and Neweb generates and publishes a professional site, then keeps your hours, photos and information in sync with Google. For the vast majority of SMBs that just need to be found, look credible and capture enquiries, this is the lowest total cost of ownership by a wide margin. Browse ready-made templates or see the full Neweb pricing.

Website cost in India: side-by-side comparison

Here is how the five routes compare on what actually matters — upfront cost, ongoing cost, time, skill needed, and what is included.

Prices are indicative 2026 market ranges for a small-business website in India and vary by city, scope and provider.

The hidden costs nobody quotes you

Whichever route you pick, watch for the costs that rarely appear in the first quote. These are what turn a "₹10,000 website" into a ₹40,000-a-year commitment:

• Domain renewal: the first year is often discounted; renewals run ₹600–1,500/year, every year, forever.
• Hosting: ₹2,000–10,000/year, and it goes up if your traffic grows or you want it to load fast.
• SSL certificate: the padlock in the browser. Free options exist, but some hosts still charge ₹1,000–3,000/year.
• Maintenance & security: updates, backups and patching — either your time, or a retainer.
• Content edits: every price change, new photo or festival offer can be a paid request.
• Redesign: websites look dated in 2–3 years; a refresh is another ₹15,000–1,00,000.

So, what should an Indian SMB actually pay?

Be honest about what your business needs. If you require a large e-commerce store, complex custom features or a flagship brand experience, an agency (and its budget) is justified. If you are technical and enjoy tinkering, WordPress gives you total control.

But if you are like most Indian small businesses — you want to be discoverable on Google, look professional, take enquiries on WhatsApp, and never think about hosting or renewals again — then paying lakhs upfront or wrangling plugins is overkill. An all-in platform at ₹249/month gives you everything that actually moves the needle, at the lowest total cost over the years your business is online.