Website costs Start here
How much does a small business website cost in 2026?
A small business website costs about $200 to $800 to start on a DIY builder like Wix, $2,000 to $7,600 with a freelancer, and $5,000 to $15,000 with an agency (WebsiteSetup, 2025). FreeWebGuy charges $0 to build and $15 a month after you approve it: $180 for hosting in year one, plus a domain if you need one.
Small business website prices run from nothing upfront to as much as $100,000 at the top of the agency range Clutch reports (September 2026), and most of that spread comes from who does the work. This guide splits the cost into what you pay to build the site, what you pay each month to keep it online, and what tends to show up later. Every price names its source and the date we read it. If you are still deciding how to get a site at all, start with the five ways to get a business website.
How much does it cost to build a small business website?
Building a small business website costs nothing upfront on a DIY builder, about $2,000 to $7,600 with a freelancer and $5,000 to $15,000 with an agency, according to WebsiteSetup’s cost guide (updated November 2025). The difference is labor. On a builder you put in the hours; a freelancer or agency bills you for theirs.
WebsiteSetup’s freelancer figure assumes 40 to 80 hours of work at $50 to $95 an hour. Ueni’s cost guide (updated September 2026) puts a small business site from a freelancer lower, at $1,500 to $3,500, and a custom agency build at $4,500 to $15,000. Clutch, which collects client reviews of design agencies, says agencies charge $2,000 to $100,000 and most projects reviewed on its site cost less than $10,000 (pricing page, updated September 2026).
| Route | Build cost | Who does the work | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY builder (Wix, Squarespace) | $0 upfront; you pay the monthly plan | You | Wix and Squarespace pricing pages, checked October 14, 2026 |
| AI builder (Durable) | $0 upfront; paid plans from $22 a month billed yearly | You, starting from an AI draft | Durable pricing page, checked October 14, 2026 |
| Freelancer | $2,000 to $7,600 (Ueni: $1,500 to $3,500) | The freelancer | WebsiteSetup, November 2025; Ueni, September 2026 |
| Agency | $5,000 to $15,000 | The agency | WebsiteSetup, November 2025 |
| Done-for-you subscription | $0 to $499 setup, then a monthly fee | The provider | UENI, Jottful and Hoot Host pages, checked October 14, 2026 |
| FreeWebGuy | $0 | Our team | FreeWebGuy pricing |
How much does a website cost per month?
The monthly cost depends on who runs the site: builder plans cost $17 to $49 a month on yearly billing, and done-for-you subscriptions cost $15 to $99 a month, according to each provider’s pricing page (checked October 14, 2026). A site built by a freelancer or agency needs its own hosting, which Ueni puts at $5 to $25 a month for shared hosting (September 2026).
| Route | Monthly cost | What the fee covers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY builder | $17 to $49 billed yearly | Hosting and the builder; you make every change | Wix and Squarespace pricing pages |
| AI builder | $22 to $49 | Hosting, AI tools and credits; you edit the draft | Durable pricing page |
| Done-for-you subscription | $15 to $99 | Hosting, plus a team that built the site | Hoot Host, UENI, Jottful and 99 Web Guys pages |
| Freelancer or agency site | $5 to $25 for shared hosting | Hosting only; changes are billed on top | Ueni, September 2026 |
| FreeWebGuy | $15, after you approve the site | Hosting with SSL, the AI builder and the platform’s 24/7 chat support | What the $15 a month includes |
The billing term moves the price too. Squarespace’s Basic plan is $19 a month billed annually and $25 billed monthly, about a third more, per its pricing page (checked October 14, 2026). The Squarespace cost guide and the Wix cost guide go plan by plan.
How much does it cost to maintain a website?
Maintaining a small business website costs $50 to $200 a month for content updates from a freelancer, on top of $5 to $25 a month for hosting, according to Ueni’s cost guide (updated September 2026). Hourly work runs $50 to $95 an hour for a freelance developer, per WebsiteSetup (November 2025).
On a builder, hosting and software updates come with the plan and the edits are yours to make. FreeWebGuy works the same way once your site is live: you make edits with your site’s AI builder and get help from the platform’s 24/7 chat support. New pages, a redesign or a large catalog after launch are quoted and approved before work starts. The website maintenance cost guide goes line by line.
What are the hidden costs of a website?
The costs that catch owners off guard are the domain, renewal prices, setup fees, store fees and their own time. None of them shows up in the headline monthly price.
The domain name
A .com domain costs about $12 to $25 a year, according to WebsiteSetup (November 2025), and Ueni puts the wider range at $10 to $50 (September 2026). Several builders include a free domain for the first year only: Squarespace’s free domain on annual plans renews at its standard rate after that, per its pricing page (checked October 14, 2026).
Renewal prices
Hostinger’s Website Builder Premium plan costs $2.99 a month only on a 48-month prepay of $143.52, and it renews at $10.99 a month (Hostinger, checked October 14, 2026). Wix’s 50% promotion on its Core, Business and Business Elite plans applies to the initial term only (Wix plans page, checked October 14, 2026).
Setup fees
UENI charges a $79 setup fee, shown against a $599 list price, on top of its monthly plan (UENI pricing, checked October 14, 2026). Jottful charges $199 to build up to five pages if you sign up within 48 hours of seeing the free preview site it makes first; after that it is $499 for five pages plus $99 for each extra page (Jottful pricing, checked October 14, 2026).
Store and payment fees
Squarespace’s Basic plan adds a 2% fee on online-store sales, per its pricing page (checked October 14, 2026). Payment processors charge their own fees on every platform, FreeWebGuy included.
Your time
Ueni estimates 1 to 2 weeks to build a site yourself on a website builder (September 2026). That time comes out of your working week, and every later change takes more of it.
What will the first year cost?
In the first year, a small business website costs $180 on the cheapest done-for-you subscriptions, $204 to $300 on an entry builder plan, and $2,000 or more with a freelancer, based on list prices checked October 14, 2026 and WebsiteSetup’s freelancer range (2025). The table shows the arithmetic for each.
| Option | First-year cost | How it adds up |
|---|---|---|
| FreeWebGuy | $180, plus a domain if you need one | 12 × $15, starting when you approve the site; a new domain is about $10 to $25 a year |
| Hoot Host | $180 | 12 × $15 |
| WebsitesForFree.net | $180 | 12 × $15 |
| Hostinger Premium | $143.52 upfront, covering 48 months | 48 × $2.99, then $10.99 a month at renewal |
| Wix Light | $204 | 12 × $17, billed yearly |
| Squarespace Basic | $228 billed annually; $300 billed monthly | 12 × $19; 12 × $25 |
| Durable Launch | $264 billed yearly; $300 billed monthly | 12 × $22; 12 × $25 |
| UENI Website Launch | $328.90 billed yearly; $378.88 billed monthly | $79 setup + $249.90; $79 + 12 × $24.99 |
| Jottful Let’s Go | $979 | $199 setup + 12 × $65 |
| 99 Web Guys | $1,188 | 12 × $99 |
| Freelancer | about $2,060 to $7,900 | $2,000 to $7,600 build (WebsiteSetup) + 12 × $5 to $25 hosting (Ueni) |
| Agency | $5,000 to $15,000, plus hosting | WebsiteSetup build range |
FreeWebGuy’s first year is $180 for hosting, plus a domain if you need one. That is less than the Wix, Squarespace and Durable entry plans, and you build nothing. It is not the lowest cash figure on the page: Hostinger’s 48-month prepay costs less upfront, but you build the site yourself and the price more than triples at renewal. To add years two and three for your own situation, use the website cost calculator.
How can I get a website for less?
The cheapest way to get a small business website is to cut the labor you pay for and keep an eye on renewals. 6 ways to do that:
- Build it yourself on an entry plan billed yearly, if you have the time. Wix Light is $17 a month and Squarespace Basic $19 (pricing pages, checked October 14, 2026).
- Read the renewal price before you prepay. A low monthly rate on a 48-month term is a four-year commitment, and the rate after it can be several times higher.
- Pick a provider with no setup fee. Setup fees of $79 to $499 at UENI and Jottful (October 2026) come on top of the monthly price.
- Register the domain in your own name, so it stays yours if you switch providers.
- Get a fixed quote in writing if you hire someone. It should list the pages, who writes the text, how many rounds of changes are included and what hosting costs after launch. Hiring a web designer compared with FreeWebGuy covers the trade-offs.
- Use a done-for-you service that charges only for hosting. FreeWebGuy builds the site for $0 and charges $15 a month once you approve it; a website with $0 up front explains that model. You see the finished site before you pay anything.
Is a free website worth it?
A free website is worth it when the free part covers what your business needs and you know what you will pay later. There are two kinds: free builder plans, where you build the site and the provider keeps its own branding or address, and free builds, where someone builds the site for you and you pay for hosting.
Free builder plans come with limits. Wix’s free plan does not connect a custom domain; that needs a paid plan (Wix plans page, checked October 14, 2026). Durable’s free plan is a private preview; its paid Launch plan is $25 a month, or $22 on yearly billing (Durable pricing, checked October 14, 2026). Squarespace has no permanent free plan, only a 14-day trial (Squarespace pricing, checked October 14, 2026).
Free builds charge for hosting instead. FreeWebGuy, Hoot Host and WebsitesForFree.net all charge $0 to build and $15 a month to host, per each provider’s own page (checked October 14, 2026). They differ in what you get and what you can take with you:
- Hoot Host builds up to 5 pages and a blog with 1 design option, and says its sites cannot be exported or moved off its platform.
- WebsitesForFree.net builds a one-page site and says it hands over the source files if you cancel.
- FreeWebGuy builds the full site from your brief and sends a private preview first. Your domain, logo, photos and text stay yours. The site design and the hosting platform are licensed to you while your $15 plan is active.
For the catch in each model and the questions to ask any provider, read Is a free website really free?. For one provider against another in detail, see Hoot Host compared with FreeWebGuy or all website comparisons.
Price snapshot: October 2026
We read each provider’s own pricing page on October 14, 2026 and recorded the plans a small business would weigh. Prices are in US dollars, before tax and promo codes, and they change, so check the provider’s page before you buy. We re-check them every quarter.
| Provider | Who builds it | Monthly price | Setup or build fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | You | Light $17, Core $29, Business $39, Business Elite $159, billed yearly | $0 |
| Squarespace | You | Basic $19, Core $29, Plus $49, Advanced $99 billed annually; $25, $39, $65, $139 billed monthly | $0; 14-day free trial |
| Durable | You, with an AI first draft | Launch $25 ($22 yearly), Grow $49 ($41 yearly); free private preview | $0 |
| Hostinger Website Builder | You | Premium $2.99 on a 48-month prepay of $143.52, renews at $10.99; Unlimited $3.99 ($191.52), renews at $16.99 | $0 |
| UENI | UENI | Website Launch $24.99, or $20.83 billed yearly ($249.90) | $79 (list price $599) |
| Jottful | Jottful | Let’s Go $65, Grow $79, Pro $169 | $199 for up to 5 pages within 48 hours of its free preview; otherwise $499 plus $99 per extra page |
| Hoot Host | Hoot Host | $15 managed hosting; up to 5 pages and a blog | $0 |
| WebsitesForFree.net | WebsitesForFree.net | $15; one-page design | $0 |
| Free Website Idaho | Free Website Idaho | $29; Idaho businesses only | $0 |
| 99 Web Guys | 99 Web Guys | $99 | No setup fee |
| FreeWebGuy | Our team | $15 for hosting, starting when you approve the preview and go live | $0 |
Questions
Does FreeWebGuy charge a setup fee?
No. FreeWebGuy charges $0 to design and build your site, with no setup fee. Hosting is $15 a month, billed through SMBcrm, and it starts only when you approve the preview and go live. A new domain, if you need one, costs about $10 to $25 a year, paid to the registrar, in your name.
Is $15 a month enough to run a business website?
For hosting a small business site, yes. FreeWebGuy's $15 a month covers hosting with SSL, your domain connected, the AI builder for your own edits and the platform's 24/7 chat support. A new domain and payment-processing fees are extra. See what the $15 a month includes.
Why do some website plans look so cheap?
Most low prices are first-term or prepaid rates. Hostinger's $2.99 a month requires paying for 48 months upfront and renews at $10.99 a month, and Wix's 50% discount on Core, Business and Business Elite covers only the first term (pricing pages, checked October 14, 2026). Compare the renewal price before you buy.
Should I use a website builder or hire a web designer?
Use a builder if you have the time and enjoy the work: Wix plans start at $17 a month billed yearly (Wix, October 2026). Hire a designer when you need custom features, at $2,000 to $7,600 for a small business site (WebsiteSetup, 2025). A done-for-you service sits between the two. DIY versus done for you compares them.
Who should own my website's domain name?
You should. Register the domain in your own name and keep the login, so the address moves with you if you change providers. With FreeWebGuy, a domain you already own stays yours and we connect it. A new one costs about $10 to $25 a year, paid to the registrar, in your name.
Sources
- WebsiteSetup, Small Business Website Costs (What to Expect in 2026),
- Ueni, Average cost of a website for a small business,
- Clutch, Web designers pricing,
- Wix, Plans and pricing,
- Squarespace, Pricing,
- Durable, Pricing,
- Hostinger, Website Builder plans,
- UENI, Pricing,
- Jottful, Pricing,
- Hoot Host, Free website with $15 a month hosting,
- WebsitesForFree.net, Free website with $15 a month hosting,
- Free Website Idaho, Free website for Idaho businesses, $29 a month,
- 99 Web Guys, Websites for $99 a month,
Keep reading
- I need a website for my business: 5 ways to get one Five ways to get a small business website: DIY builder, AI builder, freelancer, agency or done for you, with first-year cost, your hours and who edits it.
- Is a free website really free? The build can be free. Hosting on your own domain costs money everywhere. What FreeWebGuy charges and when, who owns what, and how 5 other free offers work.
- What does website maintenance cost per month? Vendor guides put small business website maintenance at $30 to $500 a month in 2026. What it covers, each item's cost, and what FreeWebGuy's $15 includes.
- Website cost calculator Your first-year and three-year cost by route.
