Guide
How much does a website cost in Australia in 2026? A small-business guide
Realistic 2026 website prices for Australian small businesses: what changes a quote, ongoing costs, and how to compare freelancers, studios and agencies.
By Viva StudioPublished 3 min read
Short answer: in 2026 a small-business website in Australia costs about A$900 to A$3,000 from a freelancer or small studio, A$3,000 to A$10,000 from a mid-sized agency, and more when it includes bookings, payments or custom software. Ongoing costs run A$20 to A$100 a month for hosting, domain and email. The gap between quotes usually comes from scope, not skill, so compare what's included before you compare numbers.
Price bands you'll see in Australia
| Who builds it | Typical build price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| DIY builder (Wix, Squarespace, Shopify) | A$0 build + A$25–60/month | Testing an idea, very tight budget |
| Freelancer | A$800–3,000 | Simple sites, fast turnaround |
| Small studio | A$900–6,000 | Custom design, ownership, SEO done properly |
| Mid-sized agency | A$5,000–20,000 | Bigger brands, account management |
| Web app / custom software | A$2,500 upward | Bookings, logins, portals, integrations |
Our own tiers, for reference: websites from A$900, web apps and MVPs from A$2,500, custom software from A$4,500, each quoted individually after a free call.
What changes the price
- Page count and content. Five pages with your words: cheap. Fifteen pages needing copywriting and photography: not.
- Functionality. Contact forms are included everywhere. Bookings, payments, member areas and dashboards turn a website into a web app.
- Design. A tuned template is fine for many businesses. Custom design costs more because someone is making decisions specific to your brand.
- Integrations. Xero, MYOB, a CRM, a booking system: each one is its own small project.
- SEO groundwork. Titles, structured data, sitemap, speed and Search Console setup. Some quotes include it, many don't. Ask.
- Who's accountable after launch. Warranty, response time and hourly rate for changes.
Ongoing costs, honestly
- Domain: A$15–40 a year for a .com.au.
- Hosting: A$0–30 a month for a modern static or serverless site; more for heavy platforms.
- Business email: A$8–15 per user per month (Google Workspace or Microsoft 365).
- Maintenance: either pay as you go or a small retainer. Beware plans that bundle "hosting" at A$100+ a month with no way to leave.
How to compare two quotes
- Put both scopes side by side. Missing items are the real price difference.
- Ask who writes the content and by when.
- Ask for the two-year total, including hosting and maintenance.
- Ask who owns the code, design, domain and accounts at the end.
- Click through live sites they've built, on your phone.
For the full list, see 12 questions to ask before you hire a web developer.
When cheap is fine, and when it isn't
A A$900 site is the right choice for a new sole trader who needs to look credible and take enquiries. It's the wrong choice if the site has to take bookings and deposits for a business doing A$500,000 a year; a slow or unreliable booking flow costs more than the build.
Want a fixed number for your site? Book a free 30-minute call or describe your project and we'll send a written quote.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a small business website cost in Australia?
Most Australian small-business websites land between A$900 and A$8,000 in 2026. A template site with a handful of pages sits at the bottom of that range, a custom-designed site with a blog, bookings or a small shop sits in the middle, and larger e-commerce or multi-location sites go above it. What moves the price is the number of pages, custom design versus a template, integrations, who writes the content, and whether you own the code at the end.
How much should I pay for a website per month?
Hosting and maintenance for a small-business site should cost roughly A$20 to A$80 a month, and often less if the site is static. Be cautious of plans above about A$150 a month that bundle the build into a subscription: over three years you pay several times the price of an owned site and usually cannot take it with you when you leave.
Why are website quotes so different?
Because quotes are pricing different things. One quote is a template with your logo dropped in, another is custom design plus copywriting plus a bookings integration, and a third hides the build cost in a monthly fee. Ask each developer the same five questions — pages, design approach, integrations, content, and ownership — and the quotes become comparable.