What a small professional website costs: published price guides for five countries

Updated 3 October 2026 · 7 min read

Nobody keeps an official price list for websites, so the figures people quote come from guides published by companies that build them. This guide collects what those guides report for a small business or professional website in five countries, side by side, in each country’s own currency. It is a round-up of published claims, not a survey of real quotes, and every figure comes from a seller. Use it to sense-check a quote, not to set a budget.

The short answer

In every country we checked, published guides put freelancer prices below agency prices for a small business site, often by a factor of two or more at the top of the range.
The ranges are wide and the sources are sellers. Treat them as a sense-check, not a standard.
Currencies are not converted and tax treatment differs, so comparing across countries is unreliable. Compare quotes within your own market.
Ask for three written quotes for the same brief, and ask what is included: copy, photographs, hosting, edits and support after launch.
A one-page professional site is smaller than the five-to-ten-page sites in these guides, so expect it to cost less.

How to read this guide

We searched for pricing guides in English, German and French on 3 October 2026 and recorded the ranges they reported for a small business or “brochure” website.
All the guides we found were published by web design agencies, freelancers’ marketplaces, website builders or comparison sites. They have a reason to publish prices that attract buyers.
We did not find a published independent survey of actual quotes in these countries. This is therefore a round-up of claims, not a price index.
The guides cover sites of different sizes, from one page to fifteen. We give the range reported for a small business or professional site where they split it out.
We have not converted currencies. Exchange rates and purchasing power make direct comparison between countries unreliable.
Some guides do not say whether tax is included. Check this on every quote.

What the guides report

Published ranges for a small business site, by country (reported, not verified)
Country	Freelancer	Small or regional agency	Notes
United States	$1,500 to $5,000 for a basic business site of 5 to 10 pages; some guides give $3,000 to $10,000 for 10 to 20 pages	$3,000 to $8,000 for a basic site; one guide says agencies start around $6,500; large agencies $8,000 to $20,000	Hourly rates quoted: $20 to $220 for freelancers on marketplaces
United Kingdom	£1,500 to £3,000 for a five-page brochure site; hourly £25 to £120	£3,000 to £5,000 for a brochure site in one guide; £3,000 to £12,000 in another; London agencies £8,000 to £25,000	Several guides say most small businesses pay £3,000 to £6,000. Extras such as copy, photos and SEO are said to add 30 to 50%
Germany	€800 to €3,000 for a simple 5 to 10 page business site; €500 to €1,500 for a one-pager	€2,000 to €8,000 for a simple business site; €1,000 to €3,000 for a one-pager	Hourly rates quoted: €60 to €120 for freelancers, €80 to €150 for agencies
France	€800 to €3,000 for a 5 to 10 page site	€2,000 to €8,000 for a no-code agency; €5,000 to €15,000 for an agency that writes classic code	One company reports a median of €3,500 for a “site vitrine”, with a range of €2,000 to €8,000, from its data on 1,312 projects
India	₹10,000 to ₹50,000 for a brochure site; another guide says ₹20,000 to ₹1,00,000 in cities such as Pune and Hyderabad	₹25,000 to ₹5,00,000 for small agencies of 5 to 15 people	Small business sites of 5 to 15 pages: ₹10,000 to ₹80,000 in one guide; ₹80,000 to ₹1,50,000 for a professional site of 10 to 20 pages

These are ranges reported by the guides, rounded as they reported them. We have not checked them against real invoices.

What the numbers have in common

Freelancers are cheaper than agencies in every country, usually by a factor of about two at the middle of the range.
Ranges overlap. The cheapest agencies cost less than the dearest freelancers. Price tells you little about quality.
Prices rise with the number of pages, custom design, copywriting, photography and special features such as bookings or online payment.
Several guides stress costs after launch: hosting, updates, security and legal pages. Ask what is included for how long.
Big-city agencies charge more than regional ones.

Why you cannot rely on these numbers

Every source is a seller. A guide that says websites are cheap attracts buyers of cheap websites; one that says they are expensive prepares buyers for a high quote.
The projects are not the same. “A small business site” can mean one page or fifteen, with or without writing and photographs.
Dates differ. Some of the guides describe 2025 prices; web design prices change.
Tax is handled differently. Business quotes in some countries exclude VAT or GST.
Summaries lose detail. We recorded what the guides said; you should read the original before you rely on a figure.
They describe full agency or freelance projects. A one-page site made with a builder costs far less, and a self-built site costs your time.

How to get real numbers for your own market

Write a one-page brief: who the site is for, what it must do, how many pages, whether you supply the words and photographs, and the date you need it.
Send it to three providers: a freelancer, a small studio or agency, and, if you like, a builder with a done-for-you service.
Ask each for a written quote that states what is included, what is not, whether tax is included, how many rounds of changes are allowed and when payment is due.
Ask what you will pay each year after launch, for hosting, domain, updates and support.
Ask who owns the site and the content, and whether you can take it with you if you leave.
Compare the total cost over three years, including your own time. See how much a professional website costs.
Ask for examples of similar sites and a person you can contact who has used them.

For help in choosing between the routes, see DIY, freelancer or agency.

A table for your own quotes

Record each quote in the same form (copy it into a spreadsheet)

Provider | Type | Price | Tax included? | Pages | Copy and photos included? | Revisions | Hosting and support per year | Who owns it? | Delivery date

Where a one-page site fits

The guides above price multi-page sites. A professional who needs one clear page with a name, a photograph, services, a contact route and a few answers may not need a project at all. The honest comparison is between a custom project and a ready-made one-page site you can put together in an afternoon. See one page or several and website builders compared.

What BeVisible costs

Our price is set in your local currency and shown on the pricing page, with any tax shown next to it. You can build and preview free, and publish free for 7 days with no card needed. After that one yearly plan keeps a website online. One plan covers one website, and it includes hosting, a secure connection, unlimited edits, an inquiry inbox, visitor stats and a QR code for your card. Your page lives at bevisible.site/yourname; using your own domain name is not available yet. Start from a photo or type your details.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a small business website cost?

Published guides report wide ranges. For a basic business site they put freelancers at about $1,500 to $5,000 in the US, £1,500 to £3,000 in the UK, €800 to €3,000 in Germany and France, and ₹10,000 to ₹50,000 or more in India, with agencies higher. All the figures come from sellers, so use them only as a sense-check.

Is a freelancer cheaper than an agency?

In every country we checked, the published guides put freelancers below agencies, often by about half at the middle of the range. The ranges overlap, though, so price alone tells you little about quality.

Can I compare prices between countries?

Not reliably. Currencies, wages, tax treatment and what is included all differ, and we have not converted any figures. Compare quotes within your own market.

Are these figures independent?

No. They come from agencies, freelancers’ marketplaces, builders and comparison sites that sell or advertise web services. We found no independent survey of actual quotes in these countries.

What should a quote include?

What you get and do not get, whether tax is included, how many rounds of changes are allowed, the yearly cost of hosting and support, who owns the site and when it will be delivered.

Do I need an agency for one page?

Usually not. A single professional page can be put together with a builder in an afternoon. An agency or freelancer is worth it when you need custom design, writing, many pages or special features.