How much does a professional website cost in 2026?

Pricing is the first question I get when someone writes about a new website. And the honest answer — "it depends" — doesn't help anyone. Here's a realistic breakdown of what a professional website costs in 2026 by type, scope and customisation level.

Template site (no custom design): €0 – €800. Wix, Squarespace, Wordpress with bought theme. Works if you need to be on the internet fast, not communicate identity or convert. The trap: once you drive traffic, templates fall short on conversion and technical SEO. Valid temporarily for professionals just starting.

Tailored landing page (1 section or single piece): €1,500 – €3,500. Custom design, single page, occasional animations, form. Ideal for product launches, events, specific offers. What you pay for: design time + careful development + CRM/email/analytics integration.

Corporate website (5–12 sections): €4,000 – €9,000. Tailored design and development, CMS for content editing, email + form integration, baseline technical SEO. The most common range for SMEs, studios, professionals with recurring clientele. What pushes price up: more motion, more animation, more integrations (Stripe, CRM, intranet).

Complex website (15+ sections, serious motion, integrations): €10,000 – €25,000. Medium e-commerce, platform with private areas, 3D motion, multi-language CMS, deep backend integration. Here we're in territory where a mid-sized agency or senior freelance with a team makes sense.

Common traps in "cheap" quotes. Watch three patterns: (1) super low prices that later add mandatory "extras" (hosting, maintenance, SEO, etc.); (2) templates presented as custom design; (3) no contract — no contract means no defined scope and that always ends badly for one of the two parties.

What actually drives price. Number of pages. Motion and animation level. E-commerce needs. Multi-language needs. Integration with existing systems. Whether you want a CMS to edit or not. Copy quality (do you write it or need a copywriter?). Custom photography and illustration needs.

What shouldn't cost more. Basic hosting is very cheap today (Cloudflare Pages, Vercel hobby — free up to some traffic). Basic technical maintenance shouldn't be a mandatory monthly fee unless you have a platform with private areas or e-commerce. If your agency charges €200/month just "for maintenance" on a static site, get a second opinion.

How to evaluate a quote. Ask for phased breakdown, not a single price. Ask for references in the same tier. Ask how many feedback rounds are included. Ask what happens after launch (do you pay extra for changes?). Ask to see the contract. If the proposal is just an email with a number, that's already a red flag.

If you want a realistic estimate for your specific case, drop me a line — I reply within 24 hours with an order of magnitude before we get into details.