Cost of Creating a Website: How Much Should You Budget in 2025?
The democratization of access to the Internet and NICT (New Information and Communication Technology) has revolutionized consumer habits. In fact, the majority of them turn to the Web for information, to buy a product or to obtain a service.
In these conditions, the use of a high-performance digital platform has become a necessity for any company wishing to increase its online visibility and take advantage of the digital marketplace. However, it is important to know how much it costs to create a website, so as to be able to fine-tune your project and avoid any surprises.
That is why, in this blog, PlanetHoster tells you everything you need to know about the budget for creating your online space.
Cost of Creating a Website Depending on Type
There are many different types of website, including showcase, e-commerce, portal, personal, corporate and one-page. This diversity of options means that every professional or individual can find something that suits their project, as each type of platform offers functionalities that meet specific expectations.
Of all the parameters on which the cost of website creation depends, typology is one of the most important. Indeed, the greater the number of functionalities, the higher the budget for designing the site.
Cost of Creating a Showcase Site
This type of platform is designed to showcase a company’s products and services. Simple in design, it is ideal for companies and individuals who want to optimize their online presence by promoting their offerings. It generally contains less than a dozen pages, with a contact form and a frame for requesting quotes.
The showcase site is the format chosen by many SMEs (very small businesses / small and medium-sized enterprises) to present their activities in detail and without breaking the bank. It is more affordable than the other options, averaging between 500 and 2,000 euros (around CAN$750 and CAN$3,000). It largely depends on the features you select.
The Cost of an E-commerce Site
The purpose of this format is to serve as a platform for direct sales of products or services. It is designed to enable Internet users to purchase items offered by a company online. E-commerce sites offer a number of features, such as stock management, secure payment systems and order tracking.
With an average budget of €1,000 to €3,000 (approx. CAN$1,500 to CAN$4,500), you can create a high-performance digital space to market your goods or services. The price is a minimum of €5,000 (around CAN$7,400) if you want a complete store that includes options such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM), e-mail automation and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). These additions are useful for establishing a seamless customer journey and standing out from the competition.
Cost of Designing a One-Page Site
The one-page site is a minimalist format for small businesses that simply want to make their presence felt online. The essential content is presented on a single web page, so that customers do not get lost in multiple options. Headings such as “About”, “Contact” or “About us” are absent.
It is also the best choice if you offer a single product or service. By reducing the number of pages, you maximize the chances of effectively converting visitors into customers.
For this model, you will need a budget of €300 to €1,500 (equivalent to around CAN$450 to CAN$2,200). The price will vary according to your choice of design and interactive elements.
The Average Price for Creating a Portal Site
A “portal site” is a web-based information platform, a kind of showcase site, complete with functionalities and content. These include a members’ area with login, customer support, sub-menus and forums. Some include a search engine, consultation access and a multilingual version.
The budget you need depends on your specifications. The budget ranges from 1,500 to 10,000 euros (around CAN$2,200 to CAN$15,000), and even more. With a clear idea of your needs, you can fine-tune your project to obtain a relevant creation at the best price.
Apart from the well-known formats, there are other options available to meet a variety of concerns. For example, if your goal is to create a corporate or personal blog, prices range from a few dozen euros to 3,000 (CAN$4,400), and even more. A portal site lets you write about specific topics to build up a solid audience. Expect to pay between €2,000 and €10,000 (CAN$3,000 to CAN$14,800) for a basic online marketplace. This figure can rise to several hundred thousand euros/Canadian dollars depending on the complexity of the project. This type of platform requires many pages and a sophisticated infrastructure, as it is used by several sellers.
Cost of Designing a Web Platform, Depending on the Service Provider
You have several options when it comes to choosing who will take charge of creating your website. You can do it yourself, call on a freelance designer or ask for the services of an expert organization.
The choice you make depends on the complexity of your project and your availability. It has a direct impact on the budget required to create and develop your platform.
How Much Does a Website Designed by a Specialized Agency Cost?
This type of agency relies on a team of professionals from various fields, able to offer their customers a complete, high-quality service. When you call on a company and experts to create your website, you benefit from tailor-made support. Developers, designers, graphic artists and digital marketing specialists are at your disposal to imagine the space according to your project needs. In addition to design, the company will offer other services such as SEO, user experience optimization and maintenance.
With a web agency, creating your site costs from €2,000 to €10,000 for a showcase platform, compared with €5,000 to €50,000 for an online store.
Although this type of service provider guarantees the development of an entirely customized digital space, it is not without limits. These companies often work on several projects, which can slow down the evolution of your program. You therefore need to carefully select the specialists to whom you entrust your work.
What are the Rates for a Website Developed by a Freelance Designer?
Freelance web designers are emerging as a practical alternative to digital marketing agencies. By choosing a freelance web designer, you benefit from the expertise and experience of a professional without blowing your budget. They usually charge competitive rates and provide a high-quality service.
Of course, prices vary according to qualifications and location. His services can cost 500 euros (the equivalent of CAN$750) or less for a simple project if he is based in France.
It is worth noting here that fees are more affordable with an offshore freelance designer. A developer based abroad charges on average 30% to 50% less than a freelance designer based in France. The quality of the work is guaranteed, provided of course that you choose someone with a serious and competent profile. An offshore professional can charge around 250 to 500 euros (approx. CAN$350 to CAN$750) for a few-page showcase site, compared with at least 1,000 euros (CAN$1,500) for an online store.
If you need a freelance designer who is an expert in the use of a given CMS, rates go up.
The experience of the service provider also plays a role in the prices charged. A junior developer looking to prove his worth does not have the same remuneration requirements as a senior specialist with a proven track record, since the latter uses the know-how accumulated from recent projects to develop rapidly. In addition to affordable rates, hiring a freelance designer can help you achieve your objectives on time, since he or she is totally at your disposal to deliver a tailor-made result. However, it is essential to make sure that he or she is available before concluding an agreement.
How Much Can You Expect to Pay for a Design Carried Out by an In-House Team or by Yourself?
The best option for companies wishing to increase their online presence, and with a technical group at their disposal, is to entrust the design of their web platform to them. This gives them complete control over the project.
However, this choice requires a significant investment in terms of time, human resources and economic resources. You will need to cover staff training, subscription fees, hosting costs, salaries and so on. Depending on the complexity of the job and the number of days it requires, the price of building a website with an in-house team ranges from 1,000 to 5,000 euros (CAN$1,500 to CAN$7,500).
If you are an individual, you can design your own platform. Solutions such as WordPress, Wix, Webflow and Squarespace enable you to create your website inexpensively, without necessarily having any basic skills. Subscription rates range from 50 to 500 euros (CAN$75 to CAN$750) per year. Other elements such as plug-ins, templates or browser extensions can add to the cost.
However, creating pages yourself with the help of online tools presents major challenges in terms of availability. Despite your investment, the end result may not live up to your expectations. Moreover, you will be on your own when it comes to dealing with possible flaws, SEO or SEA referencing, updates and so on.
Website Design Prices: What Additional Costs Should You Expect?
Once your site has been created, the costs associated with running it should not be overlooked. Including them in your projections allows you to define much more precisely the overall amount needed to complete your project.
Here is a summary of the elements that increase the final budget:
- graphic charter;
- domain name;
- hosting;
- content writing;
- optimization;
- advertising; and
- website maintenance.
As with the creation of the platform, the price of associated services varies from one provider to another. As with all things, taking the time to compare is a useful way of choosing the best solution.
Domain Name and Hosting
The domain name is the unique address that identifies your website. Along with hosting and the web page itself, it is the third essential element in the creation of an online platform. Several providers offer annual subscriptions at rates ranging from 10 to 50 euros (CAN$15 to CAN$75). Prices vary according to extension (.com, .fr, .net, etc.).
Web hosting is defined as the storage space on a server that hosts your site. Annual rates start at around 50 euros (CAN$75). This can rise to several hundred euros depending on the type of site and traffic (showcase, e-commerce, blog, etc.).
Writing Content for the Website and SEO Referencing
Creating a website will not help your business if you do not invest in making it visible on the Internet. You need to spend on SEO for better positioning on Google. Among other things, this means writing quality content, adding photos, videos and links, and improving site performance.
You can entrust optimization to a specialized agency. To write the articles, the service provider can charge between 5 and 100 euros per page (CAN$7 and CAN$150), depending on the complexity of the subjects and the length of the texts.
To gain visibility quickly, you will need to include online advertising or Search Engine Optimization (SEA) in your strategy. Google Ads and Facebook Ads are tools you can use.
Graphic Design and Maintenance
To attract visitors to your website and convert them into customers, you need a distinctive visual identity. The graphic charter and logo are essential elements for an attractive aesthetic coherence.
Here, you should expect to pay 50 euros (CAN$75) or more to create the icon, and between 500 and 3,000 euros (CAN$750 to CAN$4,500) to develop, among other things, the colors, page design and typography. The price depends on the service provider chosen (specialized agency or independent designer).
Maintenance ensures the security and optimal operation of your website. It allows you to adjust its features to suit your marketing objectives. This service, which updates the software or tools used to build your site, costs between 200 and 500 euros a year (CAN$300 to CAN$750).
Doing Business with PlanetHoster: A Way to Cut Costs
PlanetHoster offers its customers a modern, robust web hosting platform called N0C. Should you decide to create your own website, N0C automatically installs several common CMS – namely Joomla!, PrestaShop and Drupal – and assists you with their configuration. This saves you a lot of time and effort, which can lead to resource-intensive errors. We invite you to consult the CMS/Applications section of our knowledge base: you will see just how powerful the N0C CMS automatic installer can be in assisting you with your project.
We recommend that our customers who host their e-commerce site (PrestaShop, WooCommerce, etc.) with us take advantage of our HybridCloud plan. This is our most powerful solution. It enables complete customization of all functionalities. Moreover, you are guaranteed 24/7/365 service from a competent and dedicated team.
Website Design Prices: What to Bear in Mind?
It is very difficult to give an exact cost for designing an online platform, given the many parameters involved. In particular, the type of site and service provider chosen for your project influence the budget to be expected, which varies from a few hundred to several tens of thousands of euros.
The following table summarizes the price according to type.
| Type of website | Average price of creation in euros (and CAN$) |
| Showcase | 500 to 2,000 (750 to 3,000) |
| E-commerce (few pages) | 1,000 to over 5,000 (1,500 to 7,500) |
| Portal | 1,500 to 10,000 (2,200 to 15,000) |
| One-page site | 300 to 1,500 (450 to 2,200) |
| Blog | 100 to 3,000 (150 to 4,500) |
| Basic marketplace | 2,000 to 10,000 (3,000 to 15,000) |
Once again, these figures are given as a rough guide and may change depending on the parameters already mentioned. To get a precise idea of the cost of creating your website, we recommend that you request a quote from several professionals. Compare them to select the proposal that offers the best value for money.