Planning a new website?
This guide covers realistic timelines, costs and what each budget tier actually buys you.
Need it live this week?
Launch48 delivers a complete site in 48 hours for $699, first month of maintenance included.
Last updated: August 2026
Build costs by route
DIY on a builder (Wix, Squarespace, WordPress.com): $0-$500 upfront, $16-$50/month forever. The cash cost is low; the real cost is 20-60 hours of your evenings and a result that depends entirely on your eye. Legitimate choice for pre-revenue businesses.
Fixed-scope professional build: $500-$2,000. A defined package, set page count, proven structure, fast delivery. Our own Launch48 sits here: 5 pages, live in 48 hours, $699 flat with the first month of maintenance included. This tier has quietly become the small-business default because it ships in days, not months.
Freelancer, semi-custom: $1,000-$5,000. More design flexibility, timeline of 1-4 weeks, quality variance from excellent to heartbreaking. The portfolio and references are the due diligence.
Agency, custom: $5,000-$50,000+. Strategy, custom design systems, content support, complex integrations. Worth it when the website is central to a funded brand; overkill for "we need a solid site that brings calls."
E-commerce adds a layer: a basic store adds $1,000-$5,000 to any route above (products, payments, shipping, tax), and complex stores go well beyond.
The running costs nobody puts in the quote
| Item | Realistic annual cost | Skippable? |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | $12-$25 | No |
| Hosting | $60-$600 | No |
| SSL | $0 (usually included) | No |
| Email on your domain | $72-$180/user | Shouldn't be |
| Maintenance (updates, security, backups) | $600-$2,400 | Only if you enjoy our hacked-site guide |
| Content updates | Varies | Your call |
So a professionally built site's true year-one total is the build price plus roughly $800-$3,000 in running costs. Any comparison that ignores the second number isn't a comparison.
Where owners overspend and underspend
Overspend: custom design for a business whose customers just need hours, services and a phone number; enterprise hosting for 500 visitors/month; agency retainers for work a maintenance plan covers at a fifth of the price.
Underspend: maintenance (the #1 source of $500-$1,000 emergency invoices later), copywriting (a beautiful site that says nothing converts nothing), and photography (stock photos of handshakes convince no one).
The pattern behind both lists: spend on what customers experience and what protects revenue; save on what flatters the owner.
A sane budget for a typical service business
First year: $699-$2,500 build + ~$1,200 running costs (decent hosting, domain, email, a $49-99/mo maintenance plan). Total: roughly $2,000-$3,700 year one, then $1,200-$1,800/year ongoing. If a quote lands wildly above this, you're buying custom work, make sure you need it. Wildly below, and something on the running-costs table has been quietly deleted, find out what.
FAQ
Why do quotes for "the same website" range from $800 to $15,000? Because "website" describes the output, not the work. The $800 quote configures a template; the $15,000 quote includes strategy, custom design, copywriting and project management. Both are honest, they're different products wearing the same name.
Are website builders cheaper than WordPress long-term? Roughly comparable in cash: builder subscriptions ($192-$600/yr) vs WordPress hosting + maintenance ($660-$1,800/yr, with more capability and ownership). The bigger difference is control: builders trade flexibility for simplicity. Neither is wrong; know which trade you're making.
How much should I budget for maintenance, honestly? $50-$100/month for a standard business site, $150-$300 for e-commerce. Skipping it doesn't remove the cost, it converts a predictable subscription into unpredictable emergencies at $100-150/hr.
Can I get a real website for under $1,000 or is that tier all scams? The fixed-scope tier is real and healthy, the honest ones publish exactly what's included and what isn't. The scam tell isn't the price; it's vagueness about scope and promises about Google rankings.
Need a website, not a six-week project?
Launch48 delivers a complete five-page business website in 48 hours for $699 flat, mobile-ready, secure and fast at launch, with your first month of maintenance included.