Say you ask three agencies for a company website and get three quotes that do not look alike. One is a single line. One includes hosting. One lists hours of "setup". The platform name on each quote tells you very little about what you will actually pay. Scope does, and so does what you carry after launch.
This article shows what drives the price of a company website, what you pay for and what you still have to arrange on WordPress, Shopify and a custom build, and how to compare quotes line by line. It gives no agency price list, because no public source can price your project. It does give a budget checklist, a blank three-year worksheet you can copy, and a quote checklist. Facts about platforms were read on 3 November 2026.
Why public price ranges tell you little
Guides that quote a "typical" website price are easy to find. One example is a cost guide on Shopify's blog, dated 4 September 2026 and written in US dollars. It credits Goodfirms, a survey firm, for a range of $1,000 to $150,000 or more per project for custom design and development. The same page says most agencies in that survey (63%) quoted between $1,000 and $15,000. A vendor wrote the guide, and it is not a quote for your site. What it does show is how wide the spread is. A range that wide suggests the price depends on the brief, not on the platform logo.
So treat any range as a warning to write a clear brief, not as a benchmark. Company website basics lists the pages most company sites need, which is a good start for that brief.
What drives the price
- Pages and page types. Many pages built from a few templates usually take less work than the same number of pages that each need their own layout.
- Design. A ready-made theme with your logo and colours is a different job from a custom design with its own illustration and animation.
- Content. Who writes the text, takes the photos and prepares the video? If the agency does, it appears on the quote. If you do, it appears on your calendar.
- Languages. Each language needs translation, checking and testing. For Arabic or Kurdish, ask how right-to-left layout will be handled.
- Features. A contact form is simple. Booking, client login, a document library, search and links to your CRM or accounting system each add work.
- Old site. Moving content and setting up redirects from old addresses takes time, and it helps protect your search traffic.
- Accessibility. The W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are an international standard for accessible web content. W3C lists WCAG 2.2 as the latest version, with conformance levels A, AA and AAA. Ask the quote to name the version and level it targets.
- Legal and privacy pages. Cookie notices, privacy text and terms need content and set-up.
- Testing and training. Testing on real phones, and showing your team how to edit, should be separate lines.
WordPress, Shopify and custom: what each includes
WordPress
WordPress's own support handbook separates two things. Self-hosted WordPress is free software that you install on a web server. You pay the host, and you handle updates, backups and security. WordPress.com is a managed service run by Automattic that handles setup, upgrades, backups and security. Its basic service is free, and extras such as more file space, video embedding and your own domain cost money.
For self-hosted sites, WordPress.org lists the PHP and database versions it recommends a host support, plus HTTPS, and warns that older end-of-life versions may expose a site to security problems. Its documentation says minor and security updates usually apply automatically, but major releases need you to click Update Now. Plugin and theme auto-updates are opt-in unless an administrator switches them on, and WordPress suggests being able to roll back before you do. Someone must own that routine, so it is a running cost even when the software is free. Ask any WordPress quote which plugins and themes are paid, and whether their licences renew each year.
Shopify
Shopify's pricing page marks unlimited web hosting and a free SSL certificate as included on the four plans in its comparison table (Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus) and says there are no setup fees on any plan. Its hosting page says hosting is included with every plan and updates are automatic. Plan prices are on the pricing page, so read the version for your own country before you budget. Apps are extra. Shopify's billing help says subscription and usage charges from apps are added to your regular Shopify bill, one-time purchases are invoiced separately, and some apps bill you directly outside Shopify. You can see pending charges under Settings, then Billing. If you will not sell online, ask what part of a commerce plan you will use.
Custom build
A custom build includes only what the quote lists. You choose hosting, an editing tool for your team, and who maintains it. The US Small Business Administration, in a guide first published in 2018 and last changed in 2019, says that with a custom site your business is responsible for hosting, upkeep and security, which can mean recurring costs, and that developers typically offer ongoing changes and fixes for an hourly rate or a fixed fee. It also says that on a DIY website builder you cannot take your site with you and would have to rebuild it elsewhere. Whoever builds your site, ask who owns the code, accounts and domain: who owns the code in a software project explains the points. The choice between these routes is covered in WordPress or custom website.
A budget checklist
Copy this into a spreadsheet with one column for each route you are considering. Leave no line blank. Write "included" or "none" where that is the answer.
One-time costs
- Planning and brief
- Design
- Build
- Content writing, photos, video and translation
- Moving old content and setting up redirects
- Search set-up
- Accessibility checks
- Privacy and cookie set-up
- Testing and launch
- Training for your team
Yearly or monthly costs
- Domain renewal
- Hosting or plan fee
- Paid themes, plugins or apps
- Updates, backups and security checks
- Support hours for fixes and small changes
- Content updates after launch
- Email, analytics and other tools
The website maintenance checklist shows what the yearly work involves.
Compare three years, not launch day
The cheapest build is not always the cheapest site, because running costs repeat every year. Use this blank worksheet for each quote. It holds no sample prices, because only your own quotes can fill it.
- One-time total. Add every one-time line from the checklist above.
- Yearly total. Add every yearly line. Multiply any monthly line by 12 first.
- Three-year total. One-time total plus three times the yearly total.
- Gap at launch. One-time total of the dearer quote minus the one-time total of the cheaper quote.
- Yearly gap. Yearly total of the quote that is cheaper at launch minus the yearly total of the other. If this is zero or less, the cheaper quote stays cheaper.
- Years until the gap closes. Gap at launch divided by the yearly gap.
Ask every agency for the yearly figures in writing. A quote that cannot give them leaves the yearly total and the three-year total blank, and that is a reason to ask more questions.
Some cost lines with figures from one vendor guide
The Shopify guide mentioned above lists a few ranges for single lines. They are in US dollars, dated 4 September 2026, and the page credits a third party for only some of them. Treat them as a reminder of what to ask about, not as prices for your project.
- Prebuilt themes: $0 to $400 or more, bought once.
- Domain name: $1 to $20 or more a year.
- Basic SSL certificate: $0 to $50 a year. The page says it is free with Shopify and some other hosts.
- Automated backups: $20 to $100 or more a month, a figure the page credits to Elementor.
How to compare quotes
A comparable quote states these things. If one is missing, ask for it in writing.
- Scope. The pages, templates, languages and features, listed one by one.
- Who supplies what. Text, images, logos, translation and approvals.
- Design rounds. How many rounds of changes are included, and what a new round costs.
- Exclusions. What is not included, such as photography or data entry.
- Running costs. Hosting, licences, updates and support, with renewal dates.
- Ownership. Who owns the design, code, accounts and domain, and what you receive at handover.
- Acceptance. How you will test the site and when you pay.
- Support after launch. What is covered, for how long, and the rate for extra work.
Be wary of a quote that is one number with no scope, one that leaves out hosting and renewals, or one that keeps the domain or accounts in the agency's name. For reading the structure of a software quote in more depth, see how to read a custom software quote.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Check the current rules or ask a qualified adviser before you decide.
ESTASOFT builds company websites as part of its web development work, from offices in Dubai, Erbil and London. If you want a quote you can compare line by line, read about web development at ESTASOFT and send a short brief on the contact page.
Sources
- How much does a website cost? (Shopify blog): one vendor example of the spread in custom design and development costs, the 63% agency quote share, and four single-line ranges, dated 4 September 2026 (checked 3 November 2026)
- WordPress.com and WordPress.org: what is free, who hosts and who maintains (checked 3 November 2026)
- WordPress requirements: hosting requirements and end-of-life warning (checked 3 November 2026)
- Updating WordPress: automatic minor and security updates, manual major updates, back up first (checked 3 November 2026)
- Plugin and themes auto-updates: opt-in updates and the advice to back up first (checked 3 November 2026)
- Shopify pricing: hosting and free SSL certificate marked as included on Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus; no setup fees on any plan (checked 3 November 2026)
- Business website hosting by Shopify: hosting included and automatic updates (checked 3 November 2026)
- App charges (Shopify Help Center): how app charges are billed and where to see them (checked 3 November 2026)
- Hiring a web developer or using a DIY website builder (US Small Business Administration): who handles hosting, upkeep and security, support pricing model, leaving a DIY builder; guide published 2018, last modified 2019 (checked 3 November 2026)
- WCAG 2 overview (W3C): current version and conformance levels, page updated 17 September 2026 (checked 3 November 2026)