---
title: "How much does a website cost in 2026? | Briks"
url: https://briks.dev/blog/how-much-does-a-website-cost
description: "What a small business website costs in 2026: AI builders, freelancers and agencies compared, with domain, email and payment fees, at prices read on 5 November."
last_updated: 2026-11-05
---

# 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.

[Rohit Sethia](https://briks.dev/about) Founder of Briks

5 November 2026 7 minute read

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For agents: [this article as Markdown](https://briks.dev/blog/how-much-does-a-website-cost.md)

**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

What a small business website costs in 2026, three ways. Freelance figures from Wix's cost guide; agency figures from Clutch's pricing guides.

| 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 |

Building yourself costs least in money and most in your own time; the gap is thousands of dollars.

## 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:

The cheapest plan with your own domain, at US prices. Squarespace and Webflow as read on 21 October 2026; the rest on 5 November 2026.

| 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 |

Most cost $10 to $25 a month on yearly billing; Hostinger is cheaper if you pay four years upfront.

For what each builder's AI does and one limit for each, see [Best AI website builders for small business](https://briks.dev/blog/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

What most small business sites pay for besides the site itself, at US prices on 5 November 2026.

| 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 |

Email often costs more each year than the domain.

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:

Four example first years on yearly billing, with one mailbox at $7 a month. A domain bought on its own is taken at Namecheap's first-year price, rounded.

| Example | Plan | Domain | Email | 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 |

Around $200 to $350 for the year covers most small business sites built with AI.

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

What each kind of small business site needs, and where its price rises.

| 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 |

A site that takes money costs more for the plan and the card fees, not for the pages.

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](https://briks.dev/features/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](https://briks.dev/pricing) and [hosting and domains](https://briks.dev/features/hosting-and-domains).

![Briks project settings: Your own domain, with claybourneceramics.co.uk typed in and a Connect domain button](https://briks.dev/marketing/studio/own-domain-light-976.webp)

Connecting a domain you own in Briks; the certificate for the secure padlock is issued and renewed for you. See [hosting and domains](https://briks.dev/features/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](https://briks.dev/blog/how-to-build-a-business-website-with-ai), or [start Briks free](https://app.briks.dev/signup) with no card.

## Sources

Prices change, so check each page before you decide.

- Hostinger: [website builder](https://www.hostinger.com/website-builder), checked 5 November 2026
- Framer: [pricing](https://www.framer.com/pricing), checked 5 November 2026
- Webflow: [pricing](https://webflow.com/pricing), checked 21 October 2026
- Wix: [how much a business website costs](https://www.wix.com/blog/how-much-does-a-business-website-cost) and [plans](https://www.wix.com/plans), checked 5 November 2026
- Squarespace: [pricing](https://www.squarespace.com/pricing), checked 21 October 2026, and [payment rates](https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/27853679334157-Transaction-fees-and-payment-processing-rates), checked 5 November 2026
- Durable: [pricing](https://durable.com/pricing), checked 5 November 2026
- Clutch: [web design pricing](https://clutch.co/web-designers/pricing) and [web development pricing](https://clutch.co/web-developers/pricing), updated 21 September 2026, checked 5 November 2026
- Domains: [Namecheap's .com price change](https://www.namecheap.com/support/knowledgebase/article.aspx/10840/2201/com-price-change-november-1-2026/), [Porkbun .com](https://porkbun.com/tld/com) and [the registry's price rise](https://domainnamewire.com/2026/04/23/breaking-verisign-raising-wholesale-com-prices/), checked 5 November 2026
- Email: [Google Workspace payment plans](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/billing/compare-flexible-and-annual-fixed-term-payment-plans), checked 5 November 2026
- Briks: [pricing](https://briks.dev/pricing), checked 5 November 2026

Describe your business, add a site you like if you have one, and see what Briks builds. You start with 50 free credits, and no card is needed.

## More from Briks

- [**Best AI dashboard builders in 2026** Ten AI dashboard builders compared on price, what the AI builds, data sources, sharing and one limit each.](https://briks.dev/blog/best-ai-dashboard-builders)
- [**How to build a business website with AI** Nine steps from a blank page to a live business site built with AI, with what to check at each one.](https://briks.dev/blog/how-to-build-a-business-website-with-ai)
- [**Can AI build an app with login and payments?** What AI builders add for sign-in and payments in 2026, what is left to you and what to test first.](https://briks.dev/blog/can-ai-build-an-app-with-login-and-payments)
- [**Latest release: Subscriptions on your site** 21 October 2026. Every release is on the changelog, newest first.](https://briks.dev/changelog#subscriptions)