Marketing design
8
min read
Website design costs can range from $3,000 for a simple, small-business site to $40,000+ for a custom, feature-rich solution. Your final price depends on factors like page count, functionality, design complexity, and whether you hire a freelancer, agency, or in-house team. This guide breaks down the numbers so you know what to expect and what you’re paying for.
Looking to create a new website for your business or giving your existing one a makeover?. Website design cost can be different, so to help you out, in this article, we'll break down the various pricing options and factors that impact the cost of designing a website. Hopefully, this will help you make an informed decision. Let’s begin, shall we?
So, how much does it cost to design a website? As you probably learned from the article’s title, the final cost can range from $3,000 to $40,000 and beyond. Now, onto the details.
If you're tight on budget or need a simple website, you can create one on your own without hiring a professional web designer and developers or investing huge sums of money.
Wix, Squarespace, Portfoliobox, or similar are user-friendly low-code/no-code platforms allowing individuals and businesses to create websites without specific knowledge and skills. These websites have extensive template libraries, allowing you to choose a design that aligns with your brand and vision. You can further customize these templates to make your website unique.
The platforms are known for their user-friendly drag-and-drop editors, making it relatively simple for beginners to create and manage their websites. You can add text, images, videos, and other elements to your site with ease.
While they are simple to use, they still give you more control over layout, branding, and content compared to rigid website builders of the past.
Except for ease of use, another most attractive feature of web builders is obviously their cost. They can even offer free hosting in some cases (though you’ll need a paid plan for a custom domain).
For example, for personal use, web design pricing with Wix starts with as little as $4,5 per month. Business and eCommerce plans (the main distinction is that even the cheapest one facilitates online payments) will cost you $17-35 per month.
Squarespace will cost you a bit more, ranging from $16 per month for personal use (no online payments) to the Advanced Commerce plan, which is up to $49/mo.
It's a bit more advanced but still a rather low-maintenance and cost-effective option. Webflow is a visual web design and development platform that allows you to create highly customized websites without any coding. However, working with Webflow may require some design expertise, especially if you want a highly tailored look and feel.
Webflow provides the option to add advanced features like animations, dynamic content, and e-commerce functionality. These additional features can increase the overall cost but also enhance the functionality and interactivity of your website.
Webflow even has a free plan – in this case, you won't have a custom domain. Pricing ranges from $14 to $39 for general use and $29 to $ 212 for e-commerce.
It all comes down to your business domain, but a more or less advanced website builder might be more than enough. And overall, a simple website design cost will amount to a couple of cups of coffee per month.
Website builders are great for testing ideas, building landing pages, or attracting early website visitors. But as soon as you need more complex sites, premium plugins, or a strategy-driven user experience, you’ll likely need custom development to scale effectively and will need to work with a designer. And here, the costs start getting tricky.
As web design trends evolve, it’s clear that not all templates can keep up. Whether you’re exploring bold aesthetics like brutalism web design or creating a conversion-focused lead generation website, the right design approach can make the difference between a site that looks good and one that actually performs.
So, what is an average cost for website design? It all boils down to the cooperation model you choose and how complex your website would be? While we don’t know much about the latter (feel free to contact us if you want to learn the details), we would be glad to dwell on the former.
Hiring a freelance web designer can be a cost-effective option, with rates varying based on the candidate’s experience and location. A general tip is to multiply the estimated work hours by the designer's hourly rate. If you’re not sure how to find a web designer who matches your goals, research portfolios and client reviews before committing. Choosing someone skilled in modern web design ensures your site will look sharp and perform seamlessly. And when you’re ready to hire a website designer, focus on finding a partner who understands both aesthetics and strategy — that’s where the real value lies.
Many factors determine this hourly rate. The designer's experience, portfolio, seniority level, and their location can influence the costs. A quick look at Upwork will show you a wide range of hourly rates from $10 to $120 and more.
However, as mentioned, the cost will also depend on the complexity of your project. Custom website design cost always goes higher. Average hourly rates for designing a one-page site with a basic layout and UI will range from $15-40+, while designing a full custom site will cost you, on average $45-75+ per hour. A small project might take about 10 hours, while a full-scale one might take dozens of hours + time for feedback and revisions.
If your website will grow over time or if you expect regular redesigns, it might be worth considering hiring an in-house web designer.
In the US, the average cost of hiring a website designer will be $25,39 per hour, which respectively will amount to $50,5K a year. So, at first glance, the costs do not exceed those of hiring a freelancer. But you should take into account the variety of benefits: paid time off, maternity and sick leaves, and so on. So, hiring an in-house designer might be a good idea if you expect you to have many ongoing tasks and need someone with the technical knowledge to handle them effectively. In other cases, in all fairness, it will increase the average price for web design services quite much, and is not worth your time.
Sometimes, it's hard to reduce website design costs while still getting what you need. Collaboration with custom web design agencies is a top-tier option in these cases, which is probably the best way to get a complex website in a limited timeframe. Agencies normally charge by project and it's nearly impossible to know their rates without contacting them. But you can get an approximate estimate depending on your website. Let’s have a closer look at them.
Designs here are simplistic and tailored to encourage page viewers to contact the company for specific tasks. They are known for their clean, minimalist, and professional design. Corporate websites prioritize functionality, user experience, and a clear path to conversion rather than complex or elaborate aesthetics. The design is often aimed at presenting information and features in a straightforward and easy-to-navigate manner.
The site design cost for a corporate website ranges between $20,000 – $30,000.
Landing pages are simple, focused web pages designed with a single purpose: to convert visitors into leads or customers. They are often used in digital marketing campaigns, where a concise and persuasive message is essential.
Landing pages typically cost between $1,500 and $2,500. This cost covers the creation of a streamlined and persuasive layout, compelling content, and the integration of key elements like lead capture forms or call-to-action buttons. Landing pages are known for their minimalist design, aiming to eliminate distractions and guide visitors toward a specific action, such as signing up for a newsletter, downloading an ebook, or making a purchase. Still, the cost varies based on factors like design complexity, the need for custom graphics, and the extent of functionality.
Looking at SaaS landing page examples, you’ll notice how simplicity and strategic messaging drive conversions — every visual element works toward a single goal. To maintain that consistency long-term, it helps to create a website owner’s manual, a guide that keeps your site structure, tone, and design standards aligned as your business grows.
Software as a Service (SaaS) web applications are dynamic and intricate digital platforms. They provide users with interactive experiences, usually offering features like data processing, user accounts, and subscription management.
Designing and developing a SaaS web app is quite a complex task. This leads to web design costs that typically range from $25,000 to $45,000. SaaS web apps demand extensive planning, design, development, and testing, encompassing various elements such as user interfaces, database systems, secure user authentication, and scalable architecture.
The need for responsiveness and adaptability across multiple devices and platforms adds to the complexity and the web page design price. Customization to meet unique business requirements, as well as potentially demanding security and regulatory standards, also contributes to the final price.
E-commerce websites are powerful platforms designed to sell products or services online, manage transactions, and provide a seamless shopping experience for website visitors. They often include features like product catalogs, shopping carts, secure checkout systems, and integrations with payment gateways, shipping providers, and marketing tools.
Designing and developing an e-commerce site is more involved than a simple brochure website. Costs vary widely depending on factors like the number of products you plan to sell, the complexity of your catalog, and the level of customization required. Premium plugins for inventory management, subscription billing, or advanced analytics can also increase overall development costs.
E-commerce website design pricing typically ranges from $10,000 to $50,000+, depending on functionality and scale. Sites with hundreds of SKUs, custom filters, membership systems, and complex integrations with ERP or CRM software will fall on the higher end. You should also budget for ongoing expenses, such as dedicated hosting, security updates, and marketing automation, to drive business growth and maintain a smooth customer experience.
The need for scalability and performance optimization adds to the investment, especially if you expect significant traffic spikes during campaigns or seasonal sales. A well-built e-commerce site can become a revenue engine for your company, so thinking strategically about design, user experience, and future upgrades is key to maximizing ROI.
Except for the type of website and collaboration, there are other things to keep in mind when doing website design cost breakdown.
Beyond custom design and development pricing, remember to budget for these hidden costs:
- Web hosting costs: Shared hosting services are cheaper, but dedicated hosting offers better performance and security for high-traffic sites.
- Premium plugins: Subscription-based features like SEO tools, forms, or payment gateways add up.
- Security and SSL Certificates: Don’t forget the cost of securing your site. Many hosting providers include a free SSL certificate, but for e-commerce or more complex sites, you may need a premium SSL certificate for added trust and compliance, which can add to your annual costs.
- Marketing strategy: Continuous search engine optimization to attract and convert website visitors.
Obviously, if you're on a tight budget and you need something quite simple, it might be a good idea to opt for a website constructor. However, if you require quite a complex website, you might end up needing to pay a professional web design agency to ensure the speed and quality of work are up to your expectations. Obviously, if you're on a tight budget and need something simple, a website constructor might do. But if your project is complex, hiring a professional web design agency ensures speed, quality, and website design for SEO. Great sites balance aesthetics with website speed metrics — that’s mastering web design.
A cost-effective option that will not compromise your quality is to cooperate with TodayMade. We offer all of the security of collaborating with a design agency, but without the associated bureaucracy: we can start working right away! Our subscription-based model, with pricing starting at $4,999 per month, ensures you pay no more than an in-house designer and get all the perks of one, including close communication, constant support, and help with maintenance without the time it takes to hire and onboard a designer and any extra costs.
Contact us today to start designing the website of your dreams!
