Pricing
What a website actually costs in Australia
Ask five agencies what a website costs and you'll get five numbers an order of magnitude apart, all of them technically honest. The spread isn't dishonesty — it's that 'a website' describes everything from a one-page template to a booking platform. Here are real ranges, what moves you between them, and the ongoing costs most quotes leave out.
Rather just ask someone? Talk to usIn short
In Australia in 2026, a template website runs $1,000 to $3,000, a custom small-business site $3,000 to $10,000, a larger custom or e-commerce site $10,000 to $30,000, and a web application $30,000 upwards. Budget a further $50 to $200 a month for hosting, updates, security and backups.
Australian website costs, 2026
Build cost only. Ongoing hosting and maintenance is separate and listed at the bottom.
- DIY builder $0 – $600 / year
- Squarespace, Wix or similar, built by you. The cost is your time — realistically 20 to 60 hours for something you'd be happy with.
- Template build $1,000 – $3,000
- A freelancer configuring an existing theme with your content. Fast and cheap; you inherit the theme's limits and its update burden.
- Custom small-business site $3,000 – $10,000
- Designed for your business rather than themed. Custom copy, proper local SEO, fast, and built so enquiries actually arrive. Where most serious local businesses land.
- Large custom or e-commerce $10,000 – $30,000
- Many pages or many products, integrations with your existing systems, content strategy, multiple stakeholders, a real design system.
- Web application $30,000+
- Logins, dashboards, payments, custom business logic. This is software, not a website, and it carries software's ongoing obligations.
- Ongoing care $50 – $200 / month
- Hosting, updates, security patching, backups, monitoring and someone to call. Our own Small Business Plan is $95 a month for businesses of 1 to 5 staff; larger sites and custom apps sit on a retainer from $750 a month.
What actually matters
Content is the hidden cost
Most projects that run late are waiting on words and photographs, not code. If you're writing the copy yourself, budget the hours honestly. If you want it written for you, that's typically $150 to $400 a page and it is usually money well spent.
Pages cost less than features
Twenty similar pages is a small increment. One booking system, one member login or one integration with your accounting software is a much bigger one. Price is driven by distinct functionality, not page count.
Design is roughly a third
On a typical custom build, expect around a third of the cost in design, a half in development and the remainder in content, setup, testing and launch. If a quote has no design line at all, you're buying a template.
The cheap quote often isn't
A $1,500 site that needs replacing in eighteen months costs more than a $6,000 site that runs for six years. Ask what happens when you want a change, and what it costs.
Ongoing costs are not optional
Domain, hosting, SSL, updates, backups and security are real annual expenses whoever builds it. Quotes that omit them are not cheaper, just less complete.
Deposits, milestones and finishing
A 30-50% deposit is normal. Paying 100% up front is not, and it removes your only leverage. Tie the balance to launch, not to an arbitrary date.
Where we'd tell you otherwise
If you're pre-revenue and testing whether anyone wants what you sell, a builder subscription and a weekend is genuinely the right call — spend the money proving demand. Custom becomes worth it when the site is a channel that produces revenue rather than a brochure that proves you exist.
Want a second opinion?
Tell us what you're weighing up. We'll give you a straight answer, including when the answer is that you don't need us.
Common questions
A custom small-business website generally costs $3,000 to $10,000 to build, plus $50 to $200 a month for hosting, updates, security and backups. Template builds sit at $1,000 to $3,000, and DIY builders cost only a subscription plus your own time.
Usually because they're not for the same thing. One includes design, copywriting, SEO setup and testing; another is a theme with your logo dropped in. Ask each quote to list what is and isn't included and the numbers start making sense.
It depends on cash flow and how you view ownership. Monthly plans spread the cost and bundle in maintenance, which suits businesses that would otherwise neglect it. Buying outright is cheaper over a long life if you also arrange the maintenance. Whichever you choose, check you can leave and take the site with you.
Typically $50 to $200 a month for a small business site, covering hosting, updates, security patching, backups, monitoring and minor changes. Our Small Business Plan is $95 a month for businesses of 1 to 5 staff, and retainers for larger or custom work start at $750 a month. Ad-hoc maintenance looks cheaper until something breaks on a Friday.
They can build something quickly and genuinely well, and for simple sites that may be all you need. What they don't yet do reliably is security, ongoing maintenance and the judgement about what should be on the page at all. We fix a steady stream of AI-built sites that got 80% of the way.
Also worth a look
- What It Costs to Build an App in Australia (2026)
- How to Choose a Web Developer in Australia
- Freelancer, Agency or In-House?
- Already built something that's stuck? We fix those
Last reviewed . Prices are indicative Australian ranges, not quotes.