The short answer
In 2026, a professionally built website for an established UK business usually costs £1,000 to £5,000 upfront, plus £20 to £100 a month to host and maintain. Online shops and sites with integrations start higher, typically from £3,000 to £5,000. DIY builders cost nothing upfront; large agency projects run well past £25,000.
The range is wide because “a website” covers everything from a single page on a builder to a custom platform wired into your CRM. The useful question is not “how much does a website cost” but “what does each price band buy, and which one fits my business?”
Price bands at a glance
These ranges reflect published UK prices we reviewed in October 2026. All figures exclude VAT.
| Option | Upfront | Monthly | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY website builderTesting an idea on a tight budget | £0 | £10 to £40 | Testing an idea on a tight budget |
| Template or budget packageA simple brochure site, quickly | £300 to £1,000 | £10 to £50 | A simple brochure site, quickly |
| FreelancerSmall sites with a clear brief | £500 to £3,000 | £20 to £80 | Small sites with a clear brief |
| Small studioCustom sites with a fixed scope | £1,000 to £6,000 | £35 to £200 | Custom sites with a fixed scope |
| Full-service agencyLarge sites and complex integrations | £5,000 to £25,000+ | £100 to £500+ | Large sites and complex integrations |
| Pay monthlySpreading the cost over a year | £0 | £30 to £400 | Spreading the cost over a year |
1. DIY website builders
£0 upfront · £10 to £40 a monthWix, Squarespace and similar builders are the cheapest way to get online. You pick a theme, drop in your content and pay a monthly subscription. The real cost is your time: most owners spend several days getting a site they are happy with, and the result tends to look like the template it came from. Builders work well for testing an idea. They are harder to grow with, and moving away later usually means starting again.
2. Templates and budget packages
£300 to £1,000Budget providers install a ready-made theme, add your logo and text, and launch in days. Some advertise sites from around £350 in 48 hours. That can be fine for a simple brochure site, but check what is included: often one round of changes, no copywriting, minimal SEO and hosting you must keep paying the provider for.
3. Freelancers
£500 to £3,000A good freelancer can deliver excellent value, especially for a small site with a clear brief. Quality varies enormously, so look at live sites they have built, not just screenshots. The main risk is capacity: one person means holidays, illness or a bigger client can stall your project, and support after launch depends on them still being available.
4. Small studios
£1,000 to £6,000Studios sit between freelancers and agencies: a small senior team covering design, development and SEO, usually with fixed packages. In Manchester, published studio and agency prices currently start at around £1,500 for a business site and £3,000 for an online shop. This is the sweet spot for most established small and mid-sized businesses: custom design, a CMS and proper support without agency overheads.
5. Full-service agencies
£5,000 to £25,000+Agencies bring strategy, research, copywriting, branding and larger teams. That is worth paying for on big sites, complex integrations or multi-brand projects. Much of the price covers process and account management, so for a 10 to 20 page business site you are often paying for capability you will not use. Many agencies only quote after several calls, which makes comparing them slow.
6. Pay-monthly websites
£0 upfront · £30 to £400 a monthPay-monthly plans spread the cost of a site, usually with hosting and maintenance bundled in. Published UK plans range from around £30 to £90 a month for small sites, typically on a 12-month minimum. The important question is ownership. Some plans rent you the site forever; others, like our pay monthly websites, transfer it to you after a set term.
The running costs
A website keeps costing money after launch. Budget for:
- 01Domain name: £10 to £20 a year for a .co.uk or .com.
- 02Hosting and SSL: £5 to £50 a month. Cheap shared hosting is often slow, which hurts both rankings and enquiries.
- 03Maintenance or care plan: £35 to £200 a month for updates, backups, monitoring and small changes.
- 04Business email: Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, billed per user.
- 05Plugins and apps: premium plugins and shop apps often carry their own annual or monthly fees.
What pushes the price up
The same studio can quote £1,000 or £10,000 depending on scope. The main drivers are:
- 01Page count. Each extra designed page adds time; ours are £150 each.
- 02E-commerce. Products, checkout, shipping and tax roughly double the work of a brochure site.
- 03Integrations. Connecting a CRM, booking system or stock system is often the most expensive line.
- 04Copywriting. Professional copy typically starts around £450 for a small site.
- 05Branding and photography. A logo and brand guide or a day of photography each add a significant sum.
- 06Custom functionality. Calculators, portals and member areas move a project into bespoke software territory.
Questions to ask before you sign
Most budget overruns come from what a quote leaves out. Before you commit, ask:
- 01Is the price fixed, and what happens if the scope changes?
- 02How many rounds of revisions are included?
- 03Who writes the copy and sources the images?
- 04Who owns the code, design files, domain and hosting account when it is finished?
- 05What will hosting and maintenance cost each month, and is there a minimum term?
- 06What is the launch date, and what happens if it slips?
Where OneGrand sits
We are a Manchester studio with fixed, published prices. A Launch site of up to five pages is £995, live in 10 working days. Growth, with up to 12 pages, a CMS and full SEO setup, is £2,450. Scale projects with e-commerce or integrations start from £4,950. Any package can be paid monthly from £129 with no upfront fee, and the site is yours after 12 months. Paying up front is the cheaper option overall; monthly spreads the cost and includes hosting.
After launch, our care plans run from £35 to £195 a month. You own everything from day one, and if we miss the agreed launch date through our own fault, we refund 10% of the fee. See the full breakdown on our pricing page, or read more about web design in Manchester and e-commerce websites.
Published 12 October 2026 by OneGrand. Prices exclude VAT.