What Does a Professional Website Cost in 2026?
Price comparison: agency, freelancer, or website builder? Complete cost breakdown for building a website — including hidden fees.
Website Costs at a Glance
"How much does a website cost?" is one of the most common questions small businesses ask. The answer depends on which path you choose. In 2026, there are essentially three options: hire an agency, work with a freelancer, or use a website builder. Each has its pros and cons — and very different price tags.
Option 1: Web Design Agency
A professional agency offers a full-service package: consultation, design, development, and ongoing support.
Typical costs:
| Service | Price Range |
|---|---|
| Simple business website (5–7 pages) | €3,000 – €8,000 |
| Website with custom design | €5,000 – €15,000 |
| Online store | €8,000 – €25,000 |
| Ongoing maintenance | €100 – €500/month |
Pros: Custom design, personal consultation, professional result.
Cons: High upfront costs, long project timeline (4–12 weeks), dependency on the agency for changes.
Option 2: Freelancer
A freelance web designer is often cheaper than an agency but has fewer resources.
Typical costs:
| Service | Price Range |
|---|---|
| Simple website | €1,000 – €3,000 |
| Website with CMS | €2,000 – €5,000 |
| Hourly rate | €50 – €120/hr |
Pros: Cheaper than agency, personal contact, more flexible.
Cons: Single person = risk of unavailability, varying quality, changes cost extra.
Option 3: Website Builder
Modern builders like Velo let you create your website yourself — no coding needed, in hours instead of weeks.
Typical costs:
| Provider | Monthly Cost | Domain Included? |
|---|---|---|
| Velo Free | €0 | No (subdomain) |
| Velo Pro | €9/month | Yes, from €8.99/year |
| Velo Business | €29/month | Yes, included |
| Wix | €17 – €159/month | Partially |
| Squarespace | €16 – €65/month | Yes (1 year) |
Pros: Ready immediately, no skills needed, everything included, change anytime.
Cons: Less individual than custom solutions (but sufficient for most businesses).
Hidden Costs Many Forget
- •Domain — €8–15/year for a .com domain
- •Hosting — €5–30/month for your own server
- •SSL Certificate — €0–100/year
- •Updates & Security — Regular maintenance for WordPress, often €50–200/month
- •Plugin licenses — Premium plugins cost €20–200/year each
- •Content creation — Texts, photos, videos (€500–2,000 one-time)
3-Year Total Cost Comparison
| Cost Factor | Agency | Freelancer | Velo Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creation | €5,000 | €2,000 | €0 |
| Hosting (3 years) | €1,080 | €720 | €0 (incl.) |
| Domain (3 years) | €36 | €36 | €27 |
| SSL (3 years) | €0 | €150 | €0 (incl.) |
| Maintenance (3 years) | €3,600 | €1,800 | €0 (incl.) |
| Builder (3 years) | — | — | €324 |
| **Total** | **€9,716** | **€4,706** | **€351** |
With Velo, you save over €9,000 compared to an agency over 3 years.
Why Velo Is the Most Affordable Option
Everything is included — no hidden costs:
- •Hosting — unlimited, fast, reliable
- •SSL Certificate — automatic for every website
- •Mobile optimization — every template is responsive
- •SEO tools — meta tags, sitemap, structured data
- •Online shop — with Stripe payments, no extra fees
- •Contact forms — unlimited, GDPR-compliant
- •Updates — automatic, always the latest version
Start for free and upgrade when you're ready.
Who Should Choose What?
- •Agency: Large companies with complex requirements and budget
- •Freelancer: Medium projects requiring individual design
- •Builder (Velo): Freelancers, small businesses, associations, restaurants, practices — anyone who wants to be online quickly and affordably
Conclusion
A professional website doesn't have to cost thousands. With Velo, you can build a website in hours that looks just as professional as an agency site — at a fraction of the cost.