Small business website cost calculator
Pick the site you need and see what a builder, a freelancer, and an agency typically cost, with sources, next to $0 down.
1 What does your site need?
Need a custom app, customer logins, or a portal? That is a custom project with no typical price. Book a call and we will tell you what fits.
Cash due before your site goes live
Hiring a freelancer for a site like this typically costs $1,500–$5,000, and an agency $2,000–$10,000+. With Artol you pay $0 to get started, then $249/mo hosting.
DIY builder
$25–$39/mo
First month of a builder plan, then the same every month.
- Hosting and updates, 2 years
- $600–$936 in plan fees, plus your hours for updates: unknown
- Total, 2 years
- $600–$936 + unknown
- Who does the work
- You write, design, build, and update every page yourself.
- Live in
- Whenever you find the evenings to finish it.
Freelancer
$1,500–$5,000
Typical fee to design a new business site.
- Hosting and updates, 2 years
- unknown
- Total, 2 years
- $1,500–$5,000 + unknown
- Who does the work
- They design and build it. Ask who writes the pages and who hosts it.
- Live in
- 2 to 6 weeks
Agency
$2,000–$10,000+
Typical project fee. Bigger scopes cost more.
- Hosting and updates, 2 years
- unknown
- Total, 2 years
- $2,000–$10,000+ + unknown
- Who does the work
- A team designs and builds it. Writing and SEO are often extra.
- Live in
- Set by the quote. Ask for the launch date in writing.
Artol, $0 down
$0
Then $249/mo hosting.
- Hosting and updates, 2 years
- $5,976, with backups and two updates a month included
- Total, 2 years
- $5,976
- Who does the work
- We write, design, build, launch, and host it.
- Live in
- In less than a week.
?? means no one publishes a typical figure: hosting and changes after launch for a freelancer or an agency, and your own hours on a builder. Ask for hosting and change fees in writing, then .
Where these numbers come from
- Squarespace pricing: Basic to Core plans, billed monthly. Billed annually they were $19 and $29 a month, paid for the year up front. Checked October 31, 2026.
- Upwork, hiring a web designer: Typical cost of new business website design on Upwork in 2025: 5 to 10 custom pages, CMS setup, and basic on-page SEO. Checked October 31, 2026.
- Upwork, hiring a web designer: A five- to 10-page business website typically takes two to six weeks. Checked October 31, 2026.
- Clutch web design pricing guide: Web design agencies typically charge $2,000 to $100,000, and most projects reviewed on Clutch cost less than $10,000. Checked October 31, 2026.
These are typical ranges, not quotes, and prices change. Plan fees exclude tax. Artol terms: 12 months of hosting at $249/mo, then month to month. Leave earlier and the remaining hosting or a buyout of the build is due.
2 Have real quotes? Compare them exactly
Typical ranges only go so far. Enter the numbers from a builder plan or a written quote, plus the hours you would spend, and see your own totals over 2 years. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Your quotes over 2 years
Enter the numbers from a builder plan or a quote above, and your totals appear here next to ours.
Website prices are hard to compare because every option bills differently. A builder charges a plan fee and leaves the work to you. A freelancer or an agency charges a build fee and often bills hosting and changes separately. A $0 down site folds the build into one monthly hosting fee. Any single number on its own tells you very little.
This calculator starts with typical prices published by Squarespace, Upwork, and Clutch, so you get an answer without a quote in hand: the cash due before launch, the cost over one to three years, who does the work, and how long it takes. Each figure links to its source and the date we checked it. When you have real quotes, enter them for an exact comparison, your own time included.
How the calculator works
Pick the size of the site and how long to compare over. The result shows four ways to get it built, side by side:
- DIY builder: Squarespace's Basic to Core plan fees, billed monthly, for every month you compare, plus the hours you spend building and updating it
- Freelancer: Upwork's typical project cost for a new business site or an online store, and how long those usually take
- Agency: the range in Clutch's web design pricing guide, which says most projects reviewed there cost less than $10,000 and bigger scopes cost more
- Artol: $0 down and $249/mo hosting for home plus up to 4 pages. Bigger sites and stores are quoted as projects
What the typical prices leave out
The freelancer and agency ranges are build fees. Hosting, a domain, and changes after launch are usually extra unless the quote says otherwise, so the real total over two or three years is higher than the range. No one publishes a typical figure for those, so the calculator shows them as ?? instead of guessing. Ask for them in writing. Writing every page and finding photos may also be on you.
The builder figure is the plan fee only. It does not count the hours you spend learning the builder, writing, and fixing things later. That time is the real cost of doing it yourself, which is why the second step lets you put a value on it.
Comparing your own quotes
Choose "Use my own quotes" to replace the typical prices with real numbers. For a builder, use the plan you would actually need, and check whether the price assumes paying a year in advance and whether a custom domain, business email, or booking features cost extra.
For a freelancer or an agency, use a written quote. Look for the build fee, what is due before work starts, and whether hosting, maintenance, and changes after launch are included or billed separately. Add the hours you would spend, and what an hour of your time is worth, to see the full cost.
Costs people forget to count
These are easy to leave out, and they change the answer.
- Domain renewal
Often free or discounted in the first year and charged at full price after that.
- Business email on your domain
Usually a separate subscription per person.
- Paid apps, plugins, or premium themes
Forms, booking, reviews, and galleries are common add-ons.
- Changes after launch
New services, new photos, and updated hours add up if each one is billed.
- Writing and photos
Someone has to write every page. If it is you, count the hours.
- Your time when something breaks
Expired certificates, broken forms, and failed updates rarely happen at a convenient moment.
What the $0 down option includes
The Artol figure is one fee: $249/mo hosting with 12-month terms. 12 months of hosting at $249/mo, then month to month. Leave earlier and the remaining hosting or a buyout of the build is due.
That fee covers hosting, SSL, daily backups, two small content updates a month, and a reply within one business day. The build itself, the deep business audit, competitive market research, and Google Business Profile setup are included, and the site is live in less than a week. Online stores, custom apps, and large multi-section sites are not part of $0 down; our packages cover those.
How the options usually differ
Three common ways to get a small business website, side by side.
| Compare | Artol Web Studio | Typical agency | DIY website builder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | $0 down | A build fee, often partly due before work starts | No build fee, but you pay with your own time |
| Monthly cost | $249/mo hosting with 12-month terms | Hosting and maintenance are often billed separately | A plan fee, plus paid add-ons |
| Time to launch | Less than a week | Depends on the agency's schedule and your revisions | Depends on how many evenings you can give it |
| Who does the work | We write, design, build, and launch it | The agency, with you managing the project | You do |
| Design | Fully custom | Custom or template, depending on budget | A template you adapt |
| Business audit and market research | Included | Sometimes, often as a paid discovery phase | Not included |
| Backups and updates | Daily backups and two small content updates a month | Depends on the maintenance plan | Depends on the plan, and updates are on you |
| Google Business Profile | Setup included | Sometimes, as an add-on | Not included |
| Support | Reply within one business day from a 100% US-based team | Depends on the agency | Help center and support tickets |
Ask any provider, including us, for the full terms in writing before you sign.
Questions we get asked
Where do the typical prices come from?
Builder plan fees come from Squarespace's pricing page. Freelancer prices and timelines come from Upwork's guide to hiring a web designer, which lists typical costs for projects completed on Upwork in 2025. Agency prices come from Clutch's web design pricing guide. Each figure in the calculator links to its source and shows the date we checked it. Prices change, so check the source before you decide.
Are these quotes?
No. They are typical ranges published by others, and your project could cost more or less. For an exact comparison, choose "Use my own quotes" and enter the numbers from real plans and written quotes.
Is $0 down always the cheapest option?
Not always. Over a long period, a site you paid for upfront with low hosting costs can cost less in money. What $0 down changes is the cash due before launch, and the work you do not have to do. Enter your own quotes to see where the totals cross.
Should I count my own time?
If you would build or update the site yourself, yes. Hours spent on a website are hours not spent on paying work, so the quote comparison lets you add them at whatever an hour is worth to you.
What does the $249/mo cover?
Hosting, SSL, daily backups, two small content updates a month, and a reply within one business day. The build, deep business audit, competitive market research, and Google Business Profile setup are included.
Do you save what I enter?
No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser, and nothing you type is sent to us.
Talk to a real person in Yardley, PA
Book a 30-minute call. We will tell you what your site needs, what it costs ($0 down, $249/mo hosting), and whether we are a fit. We reply within one business day.
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