Guide / Website pricing

How much does a website cost in the UK?

£500 to £50,000+ depending on what you’re building, who’s building it, and where they’re based. Below is the honest breakdown by type, scope, and agency tier. — Oliver Ball.

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UK pricing tiers in 2026

  • £500-£2,000: Cheap freelancers, template sites, page builder builds. Quality varies wildly.
  • £2,000-£8,000: Mid-market UK agencies and senior freelancers. Custom design, professional dev.
  • £8,000-£25,000: Larger UK agencies. Full design system, custom dev, complex integrations.
  • £25,000-£50,000+: Premium studios, ecom Plus builds, multi-language platforms, custom apps.
  • £50,000+: Enterprise builds, multi-region, complex SaaS, headless commerce platforms.

Most UK SMEs sit in the £4,000-£15,000 range. Most ecom brands £6,000-£25,000. Most professional services £4,000-£12,000.

What you actually get at each price

£500-£2,000 — entry / DIY-adjacent

Theme-based WordPress builds, basic Wix/Squarespace customisation, freelancer template work. Often no real design system, basic responsive only, no proper SEO setup. Suitable if you’re starting out and need a placeholder.

£2,000-£8,000 — mid-market quality

Custom design or quality theme customisation, mobile-first build, basic SEO, decent performance. Shopify theme customisation. WordPress with custom theme work. Most UK SMEs land here. Our small business builds typically sit in this range.

£8,000-£25,000 — full custom build

Full design system in Figma, custom dev, integrations (CRM, ESP, ERP), proper performance optimisation. Most ecom brands and professional services land here.

£25,000-£50,000+ — premium / complex

Custom React/Next.js apps, headless commerce, multi-language, complex business logic. Multi-month builds.

£50,000+ — enterprise

Custom SaaS platforms, multi-region rollouts, dedicated dev teams, ongoing engineering retainers.

What drives the price

  • Number of unique pages: A 5-page site is half the cost of a 15-page site, all else equal.
  • Custom design vs theme: Custom Figma design adds £2,000-£8,000.
  • Ecom complexity: Product variants, custom checkout, subscription, multi-region — each adds cost.
  • Integrations: Klaviyo, HubSpot, Salesforce, custom APIs add £500-£5,000 each.
  • Animation and interaction: Heavy motion design adds £2,000-£10,000.
  • Agency location: London adds 30-100%. Manchester (us) priced at mid-market.

Hidden costs to watch for

  • Hosting upcharge. Some agencies bill hosting at 5-10x cost. Most reasonable hosts are £30-£100/month for SMEs.
  • Maintenance retainers required. Beware mandatory £200+/month maintenance for “ongoing support” you don’t need.
  • Page builder licences. Some agencies build on Elementor Pro / WPBakery and bill licence costs separately.
  • Domain held hostage. Agency registers your domain in their name, won’t transfer. Always register in your own name.
  • “Phase 2” surprises. Initial quote covers half the build. Ask for total scope up front.

Site type pricing benchmarks

  • Brochure site (5-8 pages): £2,000-£8,000
  • Service business with booking (10-15 pages): £5,000-£15,000
  • Shopify ecom build (theme + customisation): £4,000-£15,000
  • Custom Shopify (bespoke theme + sections): £10,000-£30,000
  • WordPress with custom post types and integrations: £8,000-£20,000
  • Next.js / headless ecom: £20,000-£60,000+
  • Custom SaaS / app: £30,000-£200,000+

Design vs development split

A typical full project breaks down roughly:

  • Design (40-50%): Discovery, wireframes, visual design, prototype, design system. Website Design.
  • Development (40-50%): Build, integrations, testing, performance optimisation, launch. Web Development.
  • Project management + admin (10%): Communication, revisions, content review.

If you have a designer already, design-only quotes typically come from £2,000-£10,000+. Dev-only similar. Bundled is usually 10-15% cheaper.

FAQs

Can I get a website for £500?

Yes — DIY (Squarespace, Wix), or cheap freelance theme work. Quality varies wildly. Reasonable as a starter site, not as a long-term asset.

Why are London agencies more expensive?

Office rent, salaries, overheads. The work isn’t always 2x better. We’re Manchester-based and price accordingly. Manchester pricing.

Should I pay for design and dev separately?

Bundling is usually cheaper. Splitting works if you have a preferred designer or dev team you want to use.

How long does a website take?

Simple WordPress: 3-5 weeks. Shopify: 4-8 weeks. Complex builds: 8-20+ weeks. More on timelines.

Shopify or WordPress?

Ecom: Shopify usually. Service businesses: WordPress with custom theme. Tech-forward: React/Next.js. Full comparison.

Do I need ongoing maintenance?

Optional retainer. Updates, backups, security, small content changes. £100-£300/month typical for SMEs.

Can I use my existing branding?

Yes. Or refresh light brand within the project.

Who owns the website?

You, on full payment. Domain in your name, files transferred, full ownership.

“Flawless design. Delivered quicker than I expected.”

— Reece King, verified Trustpilot review

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Send over a brief or what you’ve got now. We’ll come back with a realistic scope and quote.

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