How much does a website cost in 2026?
A small business website in 2026, priced three ways: an AI builder, a freelancer or an agency, with the extras.
Built yourself with an AI website builder, a small business website costs about $100 to $350 in its first year, domain and one email address included. A freelancer usually charges $2,000 to $10,000 or more to build one, and most agency projects come in under $10,000, though agency averages run far higher. Card fees and your own time come on top.
Every figure below was read on 5 November 2026 from the page listed under Sources, at US prices. Briks is one of the builders, and it is ours.
The three ways, side by side
| Way | To build | Each year after | Your time |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI website builder, done yourself | Included in the plan | About $100 to $350 with a domain and one mailbox | An afternoon to a few days |
| Freelancer | $2,000 to $10,000 or more | Hosting, plus their rate for changes | Calls, content and reviews |
| Agency | Most projects under $10,000; averages far higher | Hosting, plus a retainer or their rate | Meetings, content and reviews |
With an AI website builder
A builder's plan includes the hosting, the secure padlock and the AI that writes and changes the pages. The first paid plan that takes your own domain costs:
| Builder | First plan with your own domain | Free domain for a year? |
|---|---|---|
| Hostinger | $1.99 a month on a 48-month term paid upfront, renewing at $10.99 | Yes |
| Framer | $10 a month billed yearly | Yes, on yearly billing |
| Webflow | $15 a month billed yearly | None mentioned |
| Briks | $16 a month, or $160 a year | No; connect a domain you own |
| Wix | Light, $17 a month, by Wix's own cost guide | Yes, on most yearly plans |
| Squarespace | $19 a month billed yearly, or $25 monthly | Yes, on yearly plans |
| Durable | $22 a month billed yearly, or $25 monthly | Yes, up to a $20 value |
For what each builder's AI does and one limit for each, see Best AI website builders for small business.
With a freelancer or an agency
- Freelancer: Wix's own cost guide puts a freelance developer at $2,000 to $10,000 or more upfront, at rates from $50 an hour.
- Design agency, by the same guide: $15,000 to $50,000 or more.
- Agencies on Clutch, from verified client reviews: most web design projects cost under $10,000, while the average is $38,105 and the most common rate $100 to $149 an hour. Web development projects average $66,499, with most also under $10,000.
The averages are pulled up by a few large projects, so “most under $10,000” is the better guide for a small business. Ask what happens after launch: who hosts it, who makes changes and at what rate.
The costs on top
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A .com domain | About $12 to $20 a year | Porkbun $11.81 the first year; Namecheap $15.98, renewing at $19.98, before a small ICANN fee |
| Business email | $7 per mailbox a month billed yearly | Google Workspace Business Starter; $8.40 on its flexible plan |
| Secure padlock (SSL) | Free | Included by website builders |
| Card payments | 2.9% plus 30 cents a sale at Squarespace Payments | On its Basic plan; other processors set their own rates |
| Your own pictures | Free to a few hundred dollars | A phone in good light, or a photographer for a morning |
The price of a .com went up on 1 November 2026, when its registry raised what it charges registrars from $10.26 to $10.97 a year. Expect renewals to rise with it.
Adding up a first year
Take a builder on yearly billing, a .com and one mailbox:
| Example | Plan | Domain | First year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Framer, domain included | $120 | $0 | $84 | $204 |
| Squarespace, domain included | $228 | $0 | $84 | $312 |
| Durable, domain included | $264 | $0 | $84 | $348 |
| Briks, your own domain | $160 | $16 | $84 | $260 |
In the second year, a free domain starts costing its renewal price, and introductory offers end. Check the renewal price before you pay for several years upfront.
By kind of site
| Kind of site | What it needs | Where the cost goes up |
|---|---|---|
| A few pages about your business | Pages, a contact form, a map | Rarely; the cheapest plan with your own domain fits |
| Bookings or appointments | A booking calendar, reminders, often deposits | The plan that includes bookings, plus card fees on deposits |
| A shop | Products, a basket, payments, shipping | The plan without a fee on sales, and card fees |
| Members or a client portal | Sign-in, pages only members see, often plans that renew | A plan with accounts, and card fees on subscriptions |
Builders can also charge a fee on each sale on their cheapest plans. Squarespace, for example, adds a 2% transaction fee on Basic and none on Core and above, on top of card fees. Check this before you choose a plan for a shop.
What changes the price
- Selling online. Shops, bookings and members' areas often need a higher plan. Compare the plan that includes them, not the cheapest one.
- More than one person. Some builders charge per editor, and email is per mailbox.
- AI usage. Many AI builders give a monthly allowance of credits for changes. A site you change every week can need more.
- Help after launch. Someone has to change prices, hours and pictures. With a freelancer or agency that is their rate; with a builder it is your time, or a builder whose AI does it.
What Briks costs
Briks is our product, so weigh this with that in mind. The free plan builds and hosts one site on a briks.live address, with no card. Starter is $16 a month, or $160 a year, and includes hosting, your own domain, 175 credits a month for changes and 3 AI agents that keep working on the site after launch and ask you before they act. Briks does not sell domains or mailboxes: you bring a domain you own and keep your email where it is. Payments go through your own processor, and Briks takes no fee on your sales. See pricing and hosting and domains.
Quick answers
How much does it cost to build a website with AI?
The building is included in the builder's plan, most of them $10 to $25 a month billed yearly. With a domain and one mailbox, a first year comes to about $200 to $350.
Which AI website builders include hosting and a domain?
Every builder above includes hosting. A free domain for the first year comes with Hostinger, Framer on yearly billing, Wix and Squarespace on yearly plans, and Durable. Webflow's pricing mentions no free domain, and Briks connects a domain you own.
Is a cheap website worth it?
For most small businesses, yes, if it has your true facts, one clear action and loads quickly on a phone. Spend the difference on good pictures and on keeping it up to date.
How much does a small business website cost a month?
About $10 to $25 a month for an AI website builder billed yearly, plus about $7 for each business email address. A freelancer or agency adds hosting and their rate for changes.
Do website builders take a fee on sales?
Some do on their cheapest plans. Squarespace adds 2% on Basic and nothing on Core and above. Card processors charge their own fee whichever builder you use. Briks takes no fee on your sales.
Where to start
Price the plan that has what you need, not the cheapest, and check its renewal price. Then follow how to build a business website with AI, or start Briks free with no card.
Sources
Prices change, so check each page before you decide.
- Hostinger: website builder, checked 5 November 2026
- Framer: pricing, checked 5 November 2026
- Webflow: pricing, checked 21 October 2026
- Wix: how much a business website costs and plans, checked 5 November 2026
- Squarespace: pricing, checked 21 October 2026, and payment rates, checked 5 November 2026
- Durable: pricing, checked 5 November 2026
- Clutch: web design pricing and web development pricing, updated 21 September 2026, checked 5 November 2026
- Domains: Namecheap's .com price change, Porkbun .com and the registry's price rise, checked 5 November 2026
- Email: Google Workspace payment plans, checked 5 November 2026
- Briks: pricing, checked 5 November 2026