How Much Does a Business Website Cost in 2026? Real Pricing Without the Spin
Complete website pricing for SMEs — what you get for £800 vs £4,000, hidden costs, and why 90% of agencies quote net prices.
You ask for a website price and hear: “it depends.” That phrase usually means one of two things — either the developer doesn’t know what they’re doing, or you’re about to receive a net price to which you’ll need to add 23% VAT, hosting, a domain and “the blog module quoted separately.” This article breaks pricing down to its fundamentals.
Why Are Website Prices So Opaque?
The market is fragmented. You have freelancers on job boards, marketing agencies with packages “from 500 PLN,” software houses and IT firms with individual quotes. Everyone quotes different numbers, defines scope differently and — crucially — almost everyone quotes net prices.
If you see 3,000 PLN on an agency’s website, expect an invoice for 3,690 PLN. If the project requires 3 revisions, an extra form and Gmail integration — expect an addendum.
Pricing Table: Freelancer vs. Agency vs. Software House
| Provider type | Price range (incl. VAT) | Lead time | What’s typically included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelancer | 800–3,500 PLN | 2–8 weeks | Template + client content, no SLA |
| Marketing agency | 2,500–8,000 PLN | 3–8 weeks | Design + CMS, no performance guarantee |
| Software house | 1,500–10,000 PLN | 2–6 weeks | Proprietary code, Lighthouse ≥90, repo handover |
The ranges are wide because scope makes the difference. A five-page business card site with CMS and responsive design is a different project from a client portal with CRM integration and payment processing.
What Hides Behind a Low Price?
Offers below 1,200 PLN incl. VAT in 90% of cases mean:
- A marketplace template (ThemeForest, Envato) — colour-matched, but no custom code;
- No performance optimisation — Lighthouse
40–60, LCP above4s, negative impact on SEO; - Intellectual property not transferred — no transfer clause in the contract; the site technically isn’t yours;
- Hosting on the developer’s account — terminating the relationship = losing access to the site;
- No post-launch support — every change is a new quote.
A low entry price can be rational for a startup testing an idea. For an established business with a client base — it’s a reputational risk.
TCO — Total Cost Over 3 Years
When buying a site for 2,000 PLN, few people calculate TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). Let’s check:
| Component | Cheap template (3 years) | Software house (3 years) |
|---|---|---|
| Build | 2,000 PLN | 4,800 PLN |
| Hosting (monthly) | 30–80 PLN × 36 | 0 PLN (Vercel free tier) |
| Fixes and updates | 200–500 PLN/year | 0 PLN (30 days included) |
| Replacement after 18 months | 2,000 PLN (average) | none |
| Total TCO | ~7,500 PLN | ~4,800 PLN |
The cheaper option turns out to be more expensive. Not on the day of purchase — but over three years.
What to Look for in a Quote?
Before signing a contract, ask the developer for:
- Gross price (incl. VAT) — if they quote net, ask for the gross amount;
- Code ownership clause — the git repo should be handed to you on delivery;
- Performance guarantee — Lighthouse score or LCP should be written into the contract;
- Revision scope — how many revisions are included and what happens beyond that?
- Post-launch SLA — is there support for the first few months and what does it cover?
QA10 always quotes prices inclusive of VAT. Business card site from 1,500 PLN, business site with a blog from 3,000 PLN — what you see on our packages page is what you pay. Deadline written into the contract, Lighthouse ≥90 guaranteed, repo handed over on delivery.