How Much Does a Website Cost in 2026? Real Freelance Rates
Real 2026 website prices: showcase site, CMS, e-commerce, SaaS, mobile app. Pricing tables, add-ons, hidden costs and tips to keep your budget under control.
"How much does a website cost?" is probably the most asked — and worst answered — question in web development. Between €500 platform deals and €50,000 agency quotes, it's hard to find your bearings.
Yet the answer is no mystery: a website's price depends on what it does, how it's built and who builds it. Here are the real ranges I charge as a freelance developer, and what explains them.
What drives the price of a website
Five factors explain 90% of budget differences:
- The type of site: a 5-page showcase site is nothing like a multi-user SaaS.
- Design: ready-made designs cost €0 extra; a full design system adds ~€3,000 of designer work.
- Features: authentication, payments, dashboards, multilingual — each brick adds development and testing.
- Content: copy, images, translations — often underestimated, usually your responsibility.
- The provider: a freelancer typically charges 30–50% less than an agency for the same technical quality — no sales team, no offices, no management layers.
2026 pricing table by website type
Here are my starting prices, in line with standard French freelance rates:
| Website type | Starting price | Typical timeline | For whom? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Showcase site / portfolio | €1,500 | ~5 days | Craftsmen, independents, SMBs that need an online presence |
| Multi-page site + CMS | €3,500 | ~12 days | Companies that want to edit their own content |
| E-commerce / marketplace | €6,000 | ~20 days | Online sales, catalogues, payments |
| Web app / SaaS | €8,000 | ~25 days | Products with user accounts, dashboards, business logic |
| Mobile app | €10,000 | ~30 days | iOS/Android (often paired with a web app) |
| Redesign / migration | €3,000 | ~10 days | Ageing sites to modernise without starting over |
Showcase site: €1,500–3,500
The entry point. Up to about ten pages, clean design, contact form, basic SEO and solid performance. The higher end covers custom design and richer content/animations.
CMS website: €3,500–6,000
You manage your own pages, articles and work. The extra cost comes from the back-office: content editing must be simple and safe for non-technical users.
E-commerce and marketplace: €6,000–15,000
Catalogue, cart, payment, transactional emails, order management. Each integration (Stripe, shipping, ERP) adds complexity.
Web app / SaaS: from €8,000
This is no longer a "website" but software: user accounts, permissions, subscriptions, dashboards, APIs. Real budgets range from €8,000 for an MVP to €50,000+ for a mature product — the range where architecture quality makes the difference between a product that scales and technical debt.
The add-ons that raise the bill
These bricks stack on top of the base price, whatever the project type:
| Option | Average price | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| User accounts / authentication | €800 | CMS, e-commerce, SaaS |
| Online payment | €1,000 | E-commerce, SaaS |
| Dashboard / back-office | €1,500 | E-commerce, SaaS |
| CMS (editable content) | €1,200 | CMS, redesigns |
| Multilingual | €600 | All |
| AI integration | €2,000 | SaaS, mobile |
| Real-time (chat, notifications) | €1,200 | SaaS, mobile |
| API / third-party integrations | €1,000 | Varies |
| Advanced SEO + analytics | €500 | Showcase, CMS, e-commerce |
On the design side: provided designs cost nothing extra, custom design adds ~€1,500, a full design system ~€3,000. In a hurry? An express timeline typically comes with a 25% markup.
Hidden costs to plan for
The development quote isn't the only budget line:
- Domain name: €10–15/year.
- Hosting: from €50/year for a static site to €30+/month for an app with a database.
- Maintenance: technical and security updates, €300–600/year for a showcase site; 10–20% of the development budget per year for an application.
- Content: copywriting, photos, translations — often €500–2,000 if you don't produce them in-house.
- Third parties: licences, email services, premium analytics tools…
A serious provider lists these costs from the very first quote. My simulator actually includes them in its estimate.
Freelancer or agency: what's the price difference?
For the same brief, the typical gap is 30–50%. An agency's €600/day rate often hides junior profiles with supervision; a senior freelancer at €500/day works directly on your project with no middleman.
Agencies remain relevant for large multi-craft projects (full branding, marketing campaigns, 5+ person teams). For development — websites, SaaS, mobile — a freelancer is almost always better value, with a single contact who knows your project end to end.
How to cut the bill without sacrificing quality
- Provide the content: ready copy and images = development days saved.
- Aim for an MVP first: launch the minimal version that works, then iterate on real user feedback.
- Prioritise ruthlessly: every "nice to have" can wait for V2.
- Choose standard technologies: Nuxt, Django or NestJS rather than exotic stacks with scarce developers.
How much does YOUR website cost?
These ranges give the frame, but your project has its own specifics. The easiest way: estimate it in 2 minutes with my simulator — free, no commitment, and you'll see the budget move in real time as you choose. Or contact me directly to discuss it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average price of a showcase website in 2026?
With a freelance developer, expect €1,500 to €3,500 for a professional showcase site depending on page count, design (custom or provided) and SEO. Agencies typically start at €3,000–5,000 for the same site.
How much does annual website maintenance cost?
Showcase site maintenance ranges from €300 to €600/year (hosting, domain, technical and security updates). For a web app or e-commerce store with traffic and feature updates, budget 10–20% of the development cost per year.
Why do quotes vary so much between providers?
Three factors explain the gaps: structure (freelancer with no overhead vs agency with sales and management layers), customisation level (adapted template vs custom design), and what's included (SEO, content, maintenance, hosting). Compare scopes, not just prices.
Should I accept a €500 website offer?
Be wary of offers under €1,000: they almost always rely on generic, unoptimised templates with no SEO, no guidance, and often hidden monthly subscriptions. A website is a commercial investment — if it brings you no clients, even €500 is wasted.