Cost calculator

Website cost calculator: DIY, designer, agency or done for you

Choose how many years to plan for and whether you already own a domain. The calculator adds up the cash cost of 6 ways to get a small business website, using list prices checked October 14, 2026. If you would build the site yourself, add your hours to see what that time is worth. No email address needed.

Prices checked October 14, 2026

Start with your numbers

Your situation

How many years should the estimate cover?

If you don't, each total adds $10 to $25 a year for one, except in years the plan includes it.

Your time (optional)

Counts only for the DIY and AI builder rows, where you do the building. Leave both blank to compare cash only.

Your estimate

Inputs: 3 years; domain not yet owned; your hours not added.

Total cost over 3 years, lowest first. Prices checked October 14, 2026.
Route Cash cost Domain Your time Total
FreeWebGuy We do $540 $30 to $75 (3 years) Not counted $570 to $615
DIY website builder You $612 to $1,764 $20 to $50 (2 years) Not added $632 to $1,814
AI website builder You, with an AI first draft $792 to $1,764 Included in the plan Not added $792 to $1,764
Done-for-you subscription Their team $979 to $7,164 Included in the plan Not counted $979 to $7,164
Freelance web designer A freelancer $2,180 to $8,500 $30 to $75 (3 years) Not counted $2,210 to $8,575
Web design agency An agency team $5,180 to $15,900 $30 to $75 (3 years) Not counted $5,210 to $15,975

In plain English

Website cost over 3 years, at list prices checked October 14, 2026. FreeWebGuy: $570 to $615. DIY website builder: $632 to $1,814. AI website builder: $792 to $1,764. Done-for-you subscription: $979 to $7,164. Freelance web designer: $2,210 to $8,575. Web design agency: $5,210 to $15,975. Totals include a domain at $10 to $25 a year for the years a plan does not cover. Your own hours are not counted. Source: https://freewebguy.com/website-cost-calculator/

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Typical costs at a glance

Cash cost of each route at list prices for 1, 3 and 5 years. A domain and your own hours are not included here.

Website cost by route and horizon. Prices checked .
Route Who builds it First year3 years5 years
DIY website builder Wix Light to Squarespace Plus, billed yearly You
$204 to $588
$612 to $1,764
$1,020 to $2,940
AI website builder Durable Launch billed yearly to Durable Grow billed monthly You, with an AI first draft
$264 to $588
$792 to $1,764
$1,320 to $2,940
Freelance web designer 40 to 80 hours at $50 to $95 an hour, plus hosting at $5 to $25 a month A freelancer
$2,060 to $7,900
$2,180 to $8,500
$2,300 to $9,100
Web design agency A typical small business build, plus hosting at $5 to $25 a month An agency team
$5,060 to $15,300
$5,180 to $15,900
$5,300 to $16,500
Done-for-you subscription UENI Launch billed monthly with its $79 setup, to B12 Professional billed monthly Their team
$379 to $2,388
$979 to $7,164
$1,578 to $11,940
FreeWebGuy $0 to build, $15 a month once you approve the preview We do
$180
$540
$900
  • DIY website builder: Monthly billing costs more. Squarespace Basic is $25 a month instead of $19.
  • AI website builder: Hostinger's builder costs less with a long prepay. $143.52 covers 48 months, then it renews at $10.99 a month.
  • Freelance web designer: Regular content updates often add $50 to $200 a month (Ueni). They are not counted here.
  • Web design agency: Clutch says most web design projects it reviews cost under $10,000.
  • Done-for-you subscription: Hoot Host and WebsitesForFree.net also charge $0 to build and $15 a month.
  • FreeWebGuy: Hosting starts only after you approve the site. No contract.

Sources: Wix plans ; Squarespace pricing ; Durable pricing ; Hostinger Website Builder ; WebsiteSetup: small business website costs (updated November 22, 2025) ; Ueni: average cost for a website (updated September 22, 2026) ; Clutch: web designer pricing (updated September 21, 2026) ; UENI pricing ; B12 pricing ; Jottful pricing ; FreeWebGuy pricing .

Sources and arithmetic

Where each number comes from

Each route runs from the lowest-priced plan we checked to the highest-priced one. Oldest check date on this page: October 14, 2026.

  1. DIY website builder

    Wix Light to Squarespace Plus, billed yearly.

    First year: 12 x $17 = $204 (low) and 12 x $49 = $588 (high)

    Monthly billing costs more. Squarespace Basic is $25 a month instead of $19.

    Sources: Wix plans , checked October 14, 2026; Squarespace pricing , checked October 14, 2026.

  2. AI website builder

    Durable Launch billed yearly to Durable Grow billed monthly.

    First year: 12 x $22 = $264 (low) and 12 x $49 = $588 (high)

    Hostinger's builder costs less with a long prepay. $143.52 covers 48 months, then it renews at $10.99 a month.

    Sources: Durable pricing , checked October 14, 2026; Hostinger Website Builder , checked October 14, 2026.

  3. Freelance web designer

    40 to 80 hours at $50 to $95 an hour, plus hosting at $5 to $25 a month.

    First year: $2,000 + 12 x $5 = $2,060 (low) and $7,600 + 12 x $25 = $7,900 (high)

    Regular content updates often add $50 to $200 a month (Ueni). They are not counted here.

    Sources: WebsiteSetup: small business website costs (updated November 22, 2025) , checked October 14, 2026; Ueni: average cost for a website (updated September 22, 2026) , checked October 14, 2026.

  4. Web design agency

    A typical small business build, plus hosting at $5 to $25 a month.

    First year: $5,000 + 12 x $5 = $5,060 (low) and $15,000 + 12 x $25 = $15,300 (high)

    Clutch says most web design projects it reviews cost under $10,000.

    Sources: WebsiteSetup: small business website costs (updated November 22, 2025) , checked October 14, 2026; Clutch: web designer pricing (updated September 21, 2026) , checked October 14, 2026.

  5. Done-for-you subscription

    UENI Launch billed monthly with its $79 setup, to B12 Professional billed monthly.

    First year: $79 + 12 x $24.99 = $378.88 (low) and 12 x $199 = $2,388 (high)

    Hoot Host and WebsitesForFree.net also charge $0 to build and $15 a month.

    Sources: UENI pricing , checked October 14, 2026; B12 pricing , checked October 14, 2026; Jottful pricing , checked October 14, 2026.

  6. FreeWebGuy

    $0 to build, $15 a month once you approve the preview.

    First year: 12 x $15 = $180

    Hosting starts only after you approve the site. No contract.

    Sources: FreeWebGuy pricing , checked October 14, 2026.

How the calculator works

The calculator adds a build fee to a monthly price over the months you choose: build + monthly x 12 x years. The low end of each row uses the lowest-priced plan we checked in that route and the high end the highest-priced one, so the range shows how far the plans in that route spread.

If you do not own a domain yet, each row adds $10 to $25 a year for one. Wix and Squarespace annual plans include the first year of a domain, and Durable, UENI and B12 include one with the plan, so the calculator does not charge for those years twice. The guides to what a Wix website costs and what a Squarespace website costs price the renewals, email and fees on top.

Your hours count only on the DIY and AI builder rows, because those are the routes where you do the building. Routes where someone else builds still take some of your time for a brief, your content and reviews; the calculator does not put a price on that.

Totals leave out tax, promo codes, payment-processing fees, paid apps and plugins, and later redesigns. Prices change, so each source above shows the day it was read.

Questions about the calculator

Where do the calculator's numbers come from?

The FreeWebGuy team read each provider's own pricing page on October 14, 2026 and took the list prices shown to a US visitor, before tax and promo codes. Freelancer and agency ranges come from published cost guides by WebsiteSetup, Ueni and Clutch. Every source and the day it was read is listed on this page.

Why doesn't the calculator assume how many hours I would spend?

The calculator leaves hours blank because the time an owner spends building and maintaining a site depends on the person, the pages and the tool. We found no source we trust to average it. Enter your own estimate and what an hour of your time is worth, and the DIY and AI builder rows add it.

What does the FreeWebGuy row include?

The FreeWebGuy row is $0 to build and $15 a month for hosting, which starts only after you approve the preview and go live. The $15 covers hosting with SSL, connecting your domain, a layout built for phones first, SEO basics, a contact form that emails you, the AI builder for your own edits and the platform's 24/7 chat support. A new domain is about $10 to $25 a year, paid to the registrar.

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