Website Cost Calculator.
A five-page small business website typically costs about $200 to $450 a year on a DIY builder, $1,500 to $5,000 upfront from a freelancer and $5,000 to $25,000 from an agency in the US (as of November 2026). Set your pages, features and currency and this calculator shows the upfront, yearly and three-year cost of each route.
Planning ranges as of November 2026, drawn from published builder prices and typical advertised freelancer and agency rates. They are not quotes: city, seniority and scope move real prices a lot. Nothing is sent to a server.
Website Cost Calculator is a free online tool from Neweb (neweb.ai) for small businesses, with no sign-up. A five-page small business website typically costs about $200 to $450 a year on a DIY builder, $1,500 to $5,000 upfront from a freelancer and $5,000 to $25,000 from an agency in the US (as of November 2026). Set your pages, features and currency and this calculator shows the upfront, yearly and three-year cost of each route.
| Cost | Free, no account, no watermark |
|---|---|
| Built for | small businesses, freelancers and sole proprietors |
| Made by | Neweb, the AI website builder and online presence manager (free plan; paid plans from $9/month billed yearly) |
Facts checked October 2026.
What you'll get.
A real example of what this tool produces. Run it above with your own inputs.
"How much does a website cost?" has no single answer, because the same five-page site can be built in a weekend on a builder, in a month by a freelancer or in a quarter by an agency. This calculator puts the three routes side by side for your specification, so you can compare like with like: what you pay upfront, what you pay every year after launch, and the three-year total, which is the number that actually matters.
Pick your market (US, UK, eurozone, Australia, Canada or India), the number of pages and what the site needs: an online store, bookings or integrations, copywriting, more than one language or custom design. The ranges come from published builder prices and the rates small agencies and freelancers typically advertise as of November 2026, the same sources used in the 2026 website cost guide. They are planning ranges, not quotes.
The tool is free and comes from Neweb, the AI website builder for small businesses. Neweb's own route is shown as a reference row: a free plan to preview the site, then from $9/month billed yearly ($19 month-to-month) with hosting and a first-year domain included. It is not always the right pick; a large online shop or a brand-led custom design is better served by a dedicated platform or an agency.
How to use the website cost calculator
Choose your currency and market. Freelancer and agency rates differ more by market than builder prices do.
Enter the number of pages you need. Five (home, about, services, gallery or portfolio, contact) is the usual small business baseline.
Tick what the site needs: online store, bookings or integrations, copywriting, more than one language or custom design.
Click Estimate cost. The table shows the upfront build, the yearly cost after launch and the three-year total for each route.
Use the ranges to set a budget, then get two or three written quotes for the route you prefer and compare them against the table.
Why this matters for your business
Year one hides the real cost. A builder looks expensive per month and a freelancer looks cheap per year until you add hosting, domain renewals and the edits you will pay for later. The three-year total puts every route on the same footing.
Scope moves the price more than the vendor does. An online store, a booking system or copywriting can each add 15 to 70 percent to a professional build. Knowing which extras drive the quote helps you decide what to leave for phase two.
A budget makes quotes comparable. Walking into a conversation with a freelancer or agency knowing the typical range for your specification is the fastest way to spot a quote that is padded or one that is too low to be realistic.
Tips for better results
- Count pages by unique layout, not by URL. Ten service pages that share one template cost far less than ten pages with different designs.
- Ask every freelancer or agency whether hosting, the domain, copywriting and photos are included. Those four lines explain most gaps between quotes.
- Register the domain and hosting in your own name and pay for them on your own card, whichever route you choose.
- If you are unsure what you need, launch a smaller site first and add the store or booking system once you know customers want it.
- Budget for business email (about $6 to $7 per user per month on mainstream suites) and photos; neither is in most website quotes.
- Write your page copy before you start. Missing content, not design, is the usual reason a paid build runs months late.
Example
A real-world walkthrough
A physiotherapy clinic in Manchester wants a ten-page site with online booking. The owner chooses GBP, enters 10 pages and ticks "Bookings, quote forms or integrations". The calculator estimates £175 to £435 a year on a DIY builder with a booking app, £1,250 to £4,650 upfront from a freelancer and £4,650 to £23,500 from an agency, with three-year totals of roughly £1,700 to £6,450 for the freelancer and £7,350 to £37,500 for the agency.
She asks two freelancers to quote. One comes back at £2,900 including copy, the other at £6,500 with a custom design. The first is inside the range; the second is above it because of the custom design, which she decides she does not need. She also previews an AI-built version on a free builder plan before committing, which costs nothing.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a small business website cost in 2026?
As of November 2026, a five-page small business website typically costs about $200 to $450 a year on a DIY builder including the domain and a few apps, $1,500 to $5,000 upfront from a US freelancer and $5,000 to $25,000 or more from an agency. In the UK the equivalent ranges are about £150 to £380 a year, £800 to £3,000 and £3,000 to £15,000. Online stores, booking systems, copywriting and custom design push every route higher.
How accurate is this website cost calculator?
It gives planning ranges, not quotes. The figures come from published builder prices and the rates small agencies and freelancers typically advertise as of November 2026. Real prices depend on the city, the vendor's experience, how much content you supply and how many revision rounds are included. Use the ranges to set a budget and sanity-check quotes, then get two or three written quotes for your actual project.
Is it cheaper to build a website yourself?
In cash, almost always: a DIY builder costs a few hundred dollars a year against thousands for a professional build. In time it is not free; a first site usually takes two to five days of evenings, plus ongoing updates. AI website builders shorten that by drafting the pages from a description of your business. A freelancer or agency is worth paying when you need custom design, complex features or simply do not have the time.
What ongoing costs does a website have?
Every route has yearly costs: the builder subscription or hosting, the domain renewal (usually $10 to $25 a year), business email, any paid plugins or apps, and edits. Freelancer-built sites often need paid changes; agencies usually sell a maintenance or content retainer. Online stores also pay card processing of roughly 2 to 3 percent per sale. The calculator's "per year after launch" column covers the typical total.
Why are agency quotes so much higher than freelancer quotes?
An agency sells a team's time: strategy, design, copywriting, development, testing and project management, often 60 to 200 hours on a small site. A freelancer does most of that alone, usually with less discovery and fewer revision rounds. Agencies also carry more overhead. For a business whose brand is a real competitive advantage the agency can be worth it; for most local service businesses a freelancer or a builder covers the need.
Where does Neweb fit?
Neweb is an AI website builder with managed WordPress hosting, a free first-year domain, SSL and AI search optimisation, with a free plan to preview the generated site and paid plans from $9/month billed yearly ($19 month-to-month). It suits service businesses that want a professional site without a build project. It is not the best fit for a large online shop, where a dedicated e-commerce platform is usually better, or for a fully bespoke brand design, where an agency is.
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