Website cost
How much does a website cost in the UK?
Realistic 2026 costs for a small business website — upfront builds, monthly subscriptions and the bills people forget.
Steady Editorial Team 10 min read Updated 18 August 2026beginner
The three pricing models
| Model | Upfront | Ongoing | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY builder | £0 | £15–£40/month | Testing an idea |
| Freelancer | £800–£3,000 | £20–£60/month | Simple brochure sites |
| Agency build | £3,000–£15,000+ | £50–£300/month | Bespoke requirements |
| Subscription | £0–£199 setup | £40–£150/month | Businesses wanting it handled |
What drives the price
- Number of pages, and how many need bespoke design
- Copywriting and photography — usually excluded from quotes
- Functionality: forms, bookings, payments, portals, integrations
- SEO structure: service and area pages, schema, internal linking
- Who maintains it afterwards, and how quickly they respond
The costs people forget
| Item | Typical UK cost |
|---|---|
| Domain (.co.uk) | £10–£15/year |
| Hosting | £5–£30/month |
| SSL certificate | £0 with most decent hosts |
| Maintenance and updates | £20–£100/month |
| Content changes | £60–£120/hour, or included in a subscription |
| Rebuild every 3–5 years | The original cost again |
Three-year comparison
Compare like for like over three years, not on the first invoice. A £4,000 build plus £40 a month of hosting and maintenance comes to roughly £5,440. A £95 monthly subscription that includes design, hosting, domain, support and ongoing changes comes to £3,420 — and the site does not go stale, because updates are part of the arrangement.
What a good quote includes
Quote checklist
- Page-by-page scope, not just a total
- Who writes the copy and sources the images
- Hosting, SSL, backups and their renewal costs
- Response times for changes and for outages
- Ownership and exit terms in writing
Frequently asked questions
- Is a website subscription cheaper than paying upfront?
- Over three years, subscriptions usually cost less than an agency build plus separate hosting and maintenance, and the site keeps being updated. Over ten years with no changes, a one-off build can work out lower.
- How much does a small business website cost per month in the UK?
- Most small business subscriptions sit between £40 and £150 a month including hosting, domain, support and changes.
- Can I move my website if I change provider?
- You should always be able to take your domain and content. Check ownership terms before signing, as some subscription builders keep the design on their platform.
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