Website Cost Calculator: what a website costs to build and run
Estimate the hours to build a website, price them at your rate or quote, and see the cost over three years.
- Free to use
- Runs in your browser
- No sign-up
The hours we use
Our estimates for a small site built on a content management system or website builder, with the words and photos ready on time. They are not a market survey: a builder's own figures will differ with their skill, tools and the details of your site.
What to check in a website quote
- The domain and hosting accounts are in your business's name, with your email, so you can renew or move them yourself.
- The pages, page designs and features are listed, with how many rounds of changes are included.
- Who writes the words and supplies the photos, and who owns the design and code files at the end.
- Whether GST is included, and which yearly costs (domain, hosting, licences) you will pay after launch.
- What testing, backups and support after launch are included, and for how long.
- Basic SEO set-up: page titles, descriptions, a sitemap and Search Console, so Google can find the new site.
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About the Website Cost Calculator
For business owners planning a website and freelancers preparing a quote. Pick the kind of site, how it will be designed, the pages, page designs and products, the features and who supplies the words and photos. You get an estimate of the hours for each part of the work from our own figures, which the page lists, then the build cost at the hourly rate you type, GST at the rate you choose, the running costs you add (domain, hosting, email, licences and maintenance) and the totals for the first year and three years. If you have a quote, it shows the hourly rate the quote works out to. It runs in your browser and never fills in a price for you.
How it works
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Step 1
Choose the kind of website and how it will be designed, then set the pages, page designs and products, the features you need and who supplies the words and photos.
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Step 2
Type the hourly rate from a quote or a rate card, any quote you already have, the GST rate on the quote and your running costs, such as the domain, hosting, email and maintenance hours.
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Step 3
Read the hours for each part of the work, the one-off and yearly costs and the three-year total, compare the quote, then copy the estimate or download the CSV file.
How the estimate is worked out
Each part of the work has hours from our own figures for a small site built on a content management system or website builder: planning, design (with a ready-made theme or a custom design), building each page, adding products, each feature, a second language, writing and photos if the builder supplies them, and a basic SEO set-up. Testing adds 2 hours plus 10% of that work, launch and a handover add 5 hours, and project management adds 10% of everything. The figures are listed under the calculator; they are our estimates, not a market survey.
Running costs after launch
A website keeps costing money after it goes live: the domain renews every year, hosting or a website builder plan is paid monthly or yearly, business email is often charged per account, paid themes, plugins and shop apps may need yearly licences, and someone has to make updates, take backups and fix problems. The calculator adds the figures you type into a yearly running cost and shows the total over three years, which is often a fairer way to compare two quotes than the build price alone.
What this tool cannot do
It does not know what builders in your city charge, so it never fills in a rate or a price: every amount comes from what you type. Our hours suit a typical small site with the words and photos ready on time; custom features, links to other software, large shops and delays add time. It is not a quote. GST is added only to the builder's charges, at the rate you choose from the builder's quote; the calculator does not decide the rate, and it is not tax advice.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a website cost in India?
It depends on the pages, the features, the design and who builds it, so we do not quote a market price. The calculator turns your site into hours from our own figures and prices them at a rate from your quotes. For example, an 8-page business website on a ready-made theme with a contact form, WhatsApp button, map, appointment booking, a second language and a basic SEO set-up comes to about 75.5 hours by our estimate; at a sample rate of ₹600 an hour that is ₹45,300 before GST. Get two or three quotes for the same list of pages and features, and compare them here.
What are the yearly costs of running a website?
Usually the domain renewal, hosting or a website builder plan, business email accounts, licences for paid themes, plugins or shop apps, and maintenance: updates, backups and small changes. Add the ones that apply in the running costs section to see your yearly total and the total over three years. An SSL certificate can be free: Let's Encrypt issues them at no cost, and many hosts set one up for you.
Should I pay for a website by the hour or a fixed price?
Either can work. A fixed price is easier to budget, as long as the quote lists the pages, page designs, features and rounds of changes it covers; hourly billing suits work whose size is unclear. Type a fixed quote in the calculator to see the hourly rate it works out to over our estimate: one far below may leave out work, and one far above may include work our estimate does not.
Do I pay GST on website design?
If the builder is registered for GST, the invoice adds GST at the rate for the service, and the quote should state it. A builder who is not registered cannot charge GST (section 32 of the CGST Act). A GST-registered business may be able to claim input tax credit on it; ask your CA. In the calculator, pick the rate shown on the quote.
Who should own the domain and hosting?
You. Ask for the domain and hosting accounts to be opened in your business's name and email, or moved to you at launch, with the login details handed over. Then you can renew them, change builders or move the site without asking anyone. Put this in the quote, with who owns the design and code files at the end.
Related reading
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