How much does a website cost in the UK?

Updated · By Kieran W., co-founder of AutomateX

The honest answer is anywhere from a few pounds a month to tens of thousands. Most UK small businesses pay somewhere between £500 and £6,000 for a professional website, depending on who builds it and what it needs to do. This guide sets out typical prices, what changes them and the running costs to budget for, so you can compare quotes properly.

Typical UK website prices in 2026

DIY website builder
About £10 to £50 a monthWix, Squarespace and similar. Cheapest to start, but you do the design, writing and upkeep yourself.
Freelance web designer
About £500 to £4,000For a brochure site of around 5 to 10 pages. Quality and support vary widely.
Web design agency
About £2,500 to £10,000For a standard business website. London agencies often start higher.
Custom build or large shop
£10,000 and upBespoke features, large online shops, portals and integrations.

Rough guides drawn from published UK price guides (listed at the end). Quotes vary a lot, so always ask what is included.

What changes the price

Two websites can look similar and cost very different amounts. These are the things that make the biggest difference.

  • Number of pages

    A one-page site is quicker to design and build than a 30-page site with a page for every service and area. More pages also means more writing.

  • Custom design or a template

    A template is cheaper but looks like other sites. A design made for your business costs more and makes you stand out.

  • Selling online

    An online shop needs product pages, a checkout, payments, delivery options and order emails, so it costs more than a brochure site.

  • Features and integrations

    Booking systems, customer portals, AI chatbots and connections to your CRM or accounting software each add work.

  • Content and photography

    If someone has to write your text or take photos, that is extra. Having your words and images ready keeps the price down.

  • Who builds it, and where

    Agencies cost more than freelancers, and city-centre agencies more than regional ones, partly because of overheads.

Ongoing costs to budget for

The build fee is only part of the cost. Every website has running costs, and some quotes leave them out.

CostWhat to expect
Domain nameUsually a few pounds to around £20 a year for a .co.uk
Hosting and securityFrom a few pounds a month for a small site to much more for busy shops
Updates and changesOften charged hourly or as a monthly care plan
Payment feesA percentage per order if you sell online, charged by your payment provider
Builder subscriptions and pluginsMonthly fees that can add up on DIY and template sites

DIY, freelancer or agency?

A DIY builder suits you if you have more time than budget and only need something simple. You save money but spend your own hours on design, writing and fixes, and the result often looks like a template.

A freelancer is often the best value for a straightforward brochure site. Check their past work, and ask who looks after the site if they are busy or move on.

An agency brings design, development and support under one roof and can handle shops, bookings and integrations. You pay more for that, partly to cover overheads.

How to compare website quotes

Ask every provider the same questions, so you are comparing like with like.

  • What exactly is included in the price: pages, design rounds, writing, SEO setup?
  • Who owns the domain name and the website once it is paid for?
  • What hosting costs after the first year, and what it covers.
  • How changes are charged once the site is live.
  • If you are replacing a site, whether old pages will be redirected so you keep your Google rankings.
  • How long it will take, and what they need from you.

What a website costs with AutomateX

We are a small UK team, so our prices sit well below typical agency rates. Every site is designed for your business and includes hosting, your SSL certificate, uptime monitoring and security updates in the monthly fee.

  • Starter£249

    + £9.95/mo hosting

    A single, focused landing page for launches, campaigns and new businesses.

  • Growth£449

    + £9.95/mo hosting

    A complete business website with bookings and lead capture.

  • ProFrom £799

    + £29.95/mo hosting

    A fast online store built to turn visitors into customers.

  • EnterpriseFrom £1,499

    + £49.95/mo hosting

    A large website or a custom web application for established businesses.

Get a quoteFull pricing

Sources

FAQs

Website cost questions.

  • How much does a small business website cost in the UK?

    A basic DIY site can cost under £50 a month, a freelancer typically charges around £500 to £4,000 for a brochure site, and an agency around £2,500 to £10,000. Our prices start at £249 for a one-page site and £449 for a business website of up to 6 pages.

  • How much does an ecommerce website cost?

    Online shops cost more than brochure sites because of products, checkout and payments. Expect from a few thousand pounds with most agencies, and much more for large or custom shops. Our Pro online shop starts from £799 plus £29.95 a month for hosting.

  • What are the ongoing costs of a website?

    Your domain name, hosting and security, and any changes or maintenance. Online shops also pay a fee per order to their payment provider. Ask for these in writing before you choose a provider.

  • Is a cheap website worth it?

    It can be, if it is fast, works well on phones, is set up for Google and makes it easy to get in touch. A cheap site that does none of these costs you more in lost customers than it saves.

  • How long does it take to build a website?

    From one to two weeks for a one-page site to four to six weeks or more for an online shop or a large site. Having your content ready is the biggest thing that speeds it up.

Tell us what's slowing your business down.

Book a free 20-minute call. We'll tell you honestly what we'd build and what it would cost.

Book a Free Callor email us