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Advice

How much does a website cost in 2026?

DIY, freelancer or managed service. Here is what UK small businesses actually pay and what is included.

17 February 2026

It depends on who builds it and how. A Wix template costs nothing upfront but takes weeks of your time. A freelancer charges a few thousand pounds for the build and then bills you again for every change. An agency charges more and adds a retainer on top.

There is a fourth option: a fully managed monthly service where someone else handles everything, the build, the hosting, the updates and the support, for a flat monthly fee with no upfront cost.

Below is a straight comparison of all four, including the costs people often forget about.

What each option actually costs

Upfront cost
DIY (Wix/Squarespace) None
Freelancer £800 to £3,000
Agency £3,000 to £20,000+
Get Digital Business None
Monthly cost
DIY (Wix/Squarespace) £13 to £20/month
Freelancer £50 to £150/month
Agency £100 to £300/month
Get Digital Business From £49/month
Your time to set up
DIY (Wix/Squarespace) 20+ hours
Freelancer None
Agency None
Get Digital Business None
Design quality
DIY (Wix/Squarespace) Template, unpolished
Freelancer Varies by freelancer
Agency Professional
Get Digital Business Professional
Ongoing updates
DIY (Wix/Squarespace) Your responsibility
Freelancer £50 to £200/hour
Agency Monthly retainer
Get Digital Business Included
Support included
DIY (Wix/Squarespace) None
Freelancer Limited
Agency Yes, at extra cost
Get Digital Business Ongoing email support

THE FULL PICTURE

Costs people often forget about

The headline price rarely tells the whole story. Here is what to factor in when comparing options.

Hosting and SSL

With a freelancer or agency build, hosting is nearly always charged separately. Expect to pay £5 to £30 a month on top of whatever you paid to build the site.

Updates and maintenance

Websites need ongoing attention: plugin updates, content changes, new pages. With a freelancer this is typically billed at £50 to £200 per hour. With us it is included.

Your time

DIY tools like Wix look cheap until you add up the hours. Most small business owners spend 20 to 40 hours building their first site. That is not free.

The redesign in year three

Websites go stale. With an upfront build, you will pay again when it needs refreshing. With a monthly plan, keeping your site current is part of the service.

What you get with Get Digital Business

£49

Starter / month

Up to 5 pages, content updates, support

£89

Growth / month

Up to 10 pages, blog, booking, priority support

£149

Pro / month

Unlimited pages, e-commerce, SEO reporting

All plans include build, hosting, SSL, updates and support. No upfront cost. No minimum term.

QUESTIONS

Common questions about website costs

See what your site would cost

Tell us about your business and we will put together a no-obligation quote. Most people are live within two weeks.