Guide · What it costs
How much does a small business website cost in 2026?
The short answer
In 2026, a website you build yourself on Wix or Squarespace costs a few hundred dollars a year, a freelancer charges $2,000 to $8,000, and hosting and apps add $15 to $150 a month. Ninewave builds one for never more than $999, then $99 a month for Care: required, no minimum term, free full export if you leave.
$2k–$8k
to have a freelancer build a business site
Upwork, 2026
$5k–$20k
for a small-business site from a Miami agency
Clutch
$15–$150
a month for hosting and apps, whoever builds it
Forbes Advisor
01
The real numbers, side by side
I'll give you the range for every option, not just mine. Every number below links to where I got it, read on 19 October 2026. The year-one figures are my own math: the build plus twelve months.
Build it yourself
about $200–$350
Freelancer
about $2,200–$9,800
Miami agency
about $5,200–$21,800
Ninewave
$2,187 at most
| Option | To build | Every month | Year one, all in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build it yourself (Wix, Squarespace) | $0 up front. Your time | $17–$29/mo on yearly billing for a plan with your own domain; booking starts at $29 on Wix | About $200–$350, plus your evenings |
| Freelancer (Upwork, Fiverr) | $2,000–$8,000+ (Upwork’s 2026 guide); $2,000–$5,000 (Fiverr’s) | Hosting and apps: $15–$150/mo (Forbes Advisor) | About $2,200–$9,800 |
| Miami agency | $5,000–$20,000 for a small-business site (Clutch) | Hosting and apps: $15–$150/mo (Forbes Advisor) | About $5,200–$21,800 |
| Ninewave | Never more than $999 | $99/mo: hosting, security, updates, your Google listing, any change within 24 hours | $2,187 at most |
If all you compare is the sticker, doing it yourself wins. But you're paying with your evenings, and you're still the one fixing it. Of the options where somebody else designs your site and keeps it working, mine is the lowest build price on the page. That's the trade.
02
Why “custom” used to mean expensive
Custom used to mean an agency billing you for weeks of hours. Cheap meant a template with your logo on it. You had to pick one.
That's not true anymore. I use AI for the groundwork: lining up your details, building the frame, giving me options. That takes the hours out. What's left is the part that matters, which is me designing your site around your business. So you get custom, and it still costs less than $1,000.
03
The monthly part nobody tells you about
Every website costs money every month, whoever builds it. Somebody has to host it, keep it secure and update it. The only question is whether that's you, or someone you pay, and what you get for it. Before you pay anyone monthly, ask them five things:
Is the domain in my name?
If it’s in theirs, you don’t really own your website.What does the monthly fee cover?
Hosting only, or changes too?How fast do changes get made?
A day? A week? “When I get to it”?Who looks after my Google listing?
To me it matters as much as the site.If I leave, do I get a full copy?
If the answer is no, you’re renting.
04
Costs that hide in the fine print
Read these before you sign up
- First-year prices. Hostinger's $2.49 a month needs 48 months paid up front, and it renews at $10.99.
- The free domain. Wix and Squarespace give you a domain free for the first year. After that you pay for it.
- Features on the next plan up. Online booking starts on Wix's $29 plan and GoDaddy's $24.99 plan, not the cheapest one.
- Fees on sales. Squarespace takes 2% of store sales on its Basic plan, on top of card processing.
05
What I charge, all of it
The short answer
Ninewave can. I build custom made small business websites for never more than $999, live nine days after your content arrives, with the launch date in writing before I start. Then Website Care is $99 a month. It is required, because your hosting is part of it, but there's no minimum term, and if you leave you get a full export, free.
The website: never more than $999
Up to eight pages, custom made. Half to start, half after you’ve seen and approved the finished site. No hourly billing, nothing priced per page.Live nine days after I have your content
You get the launch date in writing before I start.Care: $99 a month
Hosting, security, updates, your Google Business Profile, and any change made within 24 hours. For my first 99 clients it drops $9 every year until it’s free from year twelve.The domain is yours
Registered in your name, on your card, from day one.
Care is required, and you can leave
Care is required while I host your site, because your hosting is part of it. There's no minimum term: give me 30 days' notice, the site comes off my hosting, and you get a full export, free.
Want to compare the do-it-yourself route in more detail? I wrote an honest guide to AI builders versus a web designer. Or just tell me about your business and I'll give you an exact number.
