6 min read
How much does a custom website cost in 2026?
Business website, online store, complex project: what a custom website really costs in 2026, what drives the quote up or down, and how to avoid nasty surprises.
It is the first question we are asked, and the most honest answer is: it depends. But “it depends” doesn’t help anyone set a budget. So here are real price ranges, what moves them, and how to read a quote without getting caught out.
Prices at a glance
| Type of project | Indicative range |
|---|---|
| Business website (5 to 8 pages) | €1,500 to €4,000 |
| Content-rich website (20+ pages, copywriting, in-depth SEO) | €4,000 to €7,000 |
| Online store | €4,000 to €9,000 |
| Complex project (online booking, client area, back office, custom business features) | from €8,000, often €8,000 to €15,000 |
These prices are for a website designed and built from scratch, not a recycled theme with your logo dropped on top. Highly specific projects (platforms, business applications) go beyond these ranges and are quoted case by case.
Business website: €1,500 to €4,000
This is the most common case: a tradesperson, a practice, a restaurant, a small business that wants to be found and contacted. The site presents what you do, your services, a few past projects and a simple way to reach you.
Expect €1,500 to €2,500 for a short site, with copy supplied and a clean, simple design. It rises to €3,000–€4,000 when the project calls for real design work, copywriting, animations or several languages.
Content-rich website: €4,000 to €7,000
Some businesses need far more than a few pages: a dental practice detailing each of its treatments, a training provider with a course catalogue, a tradesperson offering many services. The site is still a showcase, with no complex features, but the volume changes everything.
Every content page has to be structured, written or proofread, and optimised to be found on your future clients’ precise searches (for example “dental implants in Tours” rather than “dentist”). Depending on the sector, the legal notice, privacy policy and tone also need care, especially in healthcare. This editorial and SEO work makes up a good share of the budget.
Online store: €4,000 to €9,000
Selling online adds building blocks that take time: catalogue, cart, secure payment, stock and shipping management, order emails, legal pages (terms of sale in particular). The more products, variants and shipping options you have, the higher the budget. A small direct-sales shop sits at the low end of the range, a large catalogue at the top. To choose between a store and a business website, our article Business website or online store: how to choose? can help.
Complex project: from €8,000
As soon as the site does more than present and sell, the price moves into another category. Examples: online booking connected to a calendar, a client area with login, a quote tool, an admin interface, connections to other software.
This is no longer just design but real application development: security, data handling, testing, edge cases. That is why a project of this kind is often quoted between €8,000 and €15,000.
What drives the price
Five things weigh most on the quote:
- The number of pages and features. Every extra feature (advanced form, booking, payment, members’ area) adds work.
- How custom the design is. A design made for you takes more time than a standard layout.
- Content. Copy, photos, videos: if you supply them ready to use, the budget goes down. If we have to write or produce them, it goes up.
- SEO. A site built to be found (structure, speed, markup) takes real upfront work, not a tweak at the end.
- Deadlines. A rush project ties up the studio more intensively and costs more.
Costs after launch
A website is not a one-off purchase. Plan for:
- Domain name: around ten euros a year.
- Hosting: from a few euros to around thirty euros a month, depending on the project.
- Maintenance and updates: software updates, security, small changes. Many studios offer a monthly plan, worth comparing with paying as you go.
Always ask what is included in the quoted price and what is not. A very low quote that leaves out hosting, revisions or SEO often ends up costing more than a complete one.
Why a custom website costs more than a template
A website based on a ready-made template is quick to set up and cheaper at the start. It also has limits: a design others are using, features constrained by the template, often slower loading, and difficulty evolving.
A custom website is built around your business and what your clients need to do when they land on it. It takes a bigger budget, but it is faster, easier to evolve and unlike any other. For a business that relies on its website to win clients, the difference shows in the results.
How to read a quote
Before signing, check these points:
- Is the scope described precisely (pages, features, languages)?
- Are copy, photos and SEO included or optional?
- Who owns the website and the code once it is paid for?
- What happens if you want to change something after delivery?
- What is the timeline, and what are the payment stages?
A quote that is clear on these five points is the sign of a serious provider.
What about your project?
The right way to get a reliable price is to describe what the website needs to do for you: present, sell, take bookings, inform. Everything else follows from there. If you’d like to prepare before writing to us, our guide How to plan your website project in thirty minutes will save you time.
At Giotti Studio, we quote every project individually, with no commitment, within two working days: tell us about yours in the quote form.