“How much does a website cost?” is the most common question I get from UK business owners. The honest answer: anywhere from £0 to £100,000+ depending on what you actually need. That's unhelpful — so this post breaks down real UK pricing for 2026 by website type, what you get at each tier, and the common scope traps that turn a £3,000 quote into a £12,000 invoice.
The TL;DR (UK, 2026)
- DIY (Wix / Squarespace / Carrd): £0 – £400/year. Fine if you're testing an idea or need a basic brochure now.
- Basic freelance brochure site (5 pages): £800 – £2,500. The sweet spot for most UK SMEs.
- Business site with custom features: £2,500 – £6,000. Professional services, hospitality, multi-section sites.
- Standard ecommerce (Shopify): £1,500 – £6,000 to set up + £29-£299/month platform.
- Custom ecommerce / web apps: £5,000 – £25,000+. For unusual workflows or scale.
- Agency-built sites: typically 2-3x the freelance equivalent.
Why Such A Wide Range?
Three factors drive 90% of the cost variation: scope (how many pages, how much custom functionality), quality bar (template-based vs bespoke design, basic vs production-grade engineering), and who builds it (DIY tool vs freelancer vs agency vs international agency). Two websites that look superficially similar can be £1,500 or £15,000 depending on how those three dimensions stack up.
What You Get At Each Tier (UK Reality)
£0 – £400/year (DIY)
Tools: Wix, Squarespace, Carrd, Webflow free tier, Google Sites.
What you get: Template-based site you build yourself. Limited customisation. Vendor lock-in. SEO foundations vary by platform — Squarespace and Webflow are decent; Wix is improving.
When it's right: Solo founder testing an idea. Side project. Brochure site for a hobby business that doesn't need to compete.
When it's wrong: Your competitors have proper sites. You need integrations. You're selling premium services where the website signals quality.
£800 – £2,500 (Freelance brochure site)
What you get: 5-7 page bespoke site, custom design (not a template), mobile-first responsive, basic SEO foundation, CMS for self-update, hosting setup. 2-4 week build timeline.
Sweet spot for: Most UK SMEs — local trades, professional services, consultants, small retailers without ecommerce, hospitality venues without bookings.
What's NOT typically included: Copywriting (you provide), professional photography (you provide or pay extra), advanced SEO (separate ongoing service), e-commerce, custom integrations.
£2,500 – £6,000 (Business site with custom features)
What you get: 8-15 page site, more polished design with custom components, booking integration or contact form workflows, integration with one or two existing systems (CRM, email platform), basic structured data, faster build process.
Right for: Professional firms, multi-service businesses, hospitality with bookings, consultancies needing case studies and detailed service pages.
£1,500 – £6,000 (Standard ecommerce on Shopify)
What you get: Shopify store with customised theme (not pure template), product setup help, payment processing integration, basic shipping configuration, training to run it yourself. Plus ongoing Shopify subscription £29-£299/month and transaction fees.
Right for: Standard product retail under 1,000 SKUs, no unusual fulfilment workflow, no bespoke checkout requirements. Most UK indie retailers fit here.
£5,000 – £25,000+ (Custom ecommerce or web apps)
What you get: Fully custom build for unusual workflows — multi-vendor marketplaces, subscription products, custom checkout flows, complex inventory, B2B portals, booking systems with bespoke rules, dashboards, calculators, client portals.
Right for: Businesses where off-the-shelf tools force expensive workarounds, or where your competitive edge depends on workflow Shopify/WooCommerce can't replicate.
The Common Scope Traps
- “Just add a booking system” — booking systems range from £200/month SaaS plugins to £8,000 custom builds depending on availability rules, payment integration, multi-staff scheduling, automated reminders.
- “Can you make it look like [premium brand]?” — premium-brand sites typically cost £15,000+ with custom photography, custom illustration, motion design, copywriting. Achievable, but not at the £2,500 quote.
- “A few small changes”— “small” is doing a lot of heavy lifting. New page sections, new content types, new integrations are routinely £500-£2,000 each.
- Forgetting content production — copywriting, photography, video are often the largest hidden costs. Professional copywriting alone is £500-£3,000+ depending on scope.
- Underestimating ongoing costs — hosting £0-£100/month, maintenance £50-£300/month for active sites, SEO £400-£1,500/month for competitive markets. Plan for the recurring spend.
Freelancer vs Agency: When Each Is Right
Freelance Developer (£800 – £15,000)
You work directly with the person building the site. Faster decisions, cheaper, more personal. The catch: limited bandwidth if you need parallel workstreams, and the freelancer's technical depth is your project's ceiling.
UK Agency (£5,000 – £100,000+)
You get a team — strategist, designer, developer, project manager — at the cost of layers of communication. Right when you need brand strategy, multiple deliverables in parallel, or just prefer the assurance of a registered business with insurance and contracts.
International Agency (£500 – £5,000)
Cheaper upfront but check carefully: code ownership, communication overhead, timezone delays, UK GDPR understanding, what happens when something breaks in 18 months. Cheap upfront often becomes expensive in year two.
Realistic Pricing By Common UK Business Type
- Local trade (plumber, electrician, gardener): £800 – £2,000 brochure site is enough. Spend the difference on Google Ads and local SEO.
- Independent retailer: £1,500 – £5,000 Shopify build, plus £29-£79/month platform.
- Restaurant or hospitality: £1,500 – £4,000 site with booking integration. Bookings via OpenTable, ResDiary, or similar SaaS.
- Professional services firm (solicitor, accountant): £2,500 – £6,000 for trust-focused multi-page site with detailed service descriptions.
- SaaS startup marketing site: £3,000 – £8,000 freelance, £12,000 – £40,000 agency.
- B2B with complex services: £5,000 – £15,000 for content-heavy sales-focused site with case studies, calculators, lead-gen workflows.
- Multi-vendor marketplace: £20,000 – £80,000+ custom build.
How To Get An Accurate Quote
Vague briefs get vague quotes. Specific briefs get specific quotes. Before you ask for a quote, write down: (1) what your business does, (2) what the website needs to do (sell, generate leads, inform, book appointments), (3) approximate page count, (4) any integrations you need (CRM, payment, booking, email), (5) examples of sites you like, (6) realistic budget range, (7) timeline.
A developer who can't give you a fixed-price quote after a 30-minute conversation either needs more detail (provide it) or doesn't know what they're doing (find a different one).
Bottom Line
Most UK SMEs spend £1,500 – £5,000 on a website that actually does what they need. The £400/year DIY option is real but stops being good enough quickly. The £15,000+ agency option is over-spec for most SMEs. The middle ground — a freelance developer building a properly bespoke site — is where the value lives for the majority.
Whatever tier you pick, the biggest cost mistakes are scope creep, forgotten content production, and underestimating ongoing maintenance. Plan for all three up-front and the budget holds.
Want A Real Quote For Your Project?
Tell me what you need and I'll send back a fixed-price quote with a clear timeline — usually within 24 hours. No hourly billing, no scope creep, no surprises.