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Website cost calculator: doing it yourself or paying someone

The short answer

A small business website costs its monthly plan, a domain, and either your time or someone’s fee. On this page’s example numbers, three years of a $29 builder plus 30 hours to build and 2 hours a month of upkeep, at $50 an hour, comes to $6,204, against $4,360 for a $2,500 build at $50 a month. Enter your own.

The monthly price is the easy part. This adds in what your own hours are worth, so you can compare the options fairly. All the numbers are examples to replace.

Your numbers

These are examples, not quotes. Replace them with real prices.

If you’d otherwise be working, use what you’d earn.

Doing it yourself costs

$6,204

$1,104 in cash, plus 102 hours of your time.

Paying someone costs
$4,360
Paying someone comes out ahead by
$1,844

How it works

What goes into the cost

  • Plan or hosting: a builder’s monthly price, or hosting.
  • Domain: your web address, usually paid yearly.
  • Build: your hours, or someone’s fee.
  • Upkeep: hours changes and updates take, or a monthly fee.
  • Your time: what an hour’s worth to you, which may be your billing rate if you’d otherwise be working.
Published builder prices, per month on annual billing, read November 5, 2026
BuilderEntry planNext plan
WixLight, $17Core, about $29
SquarespaceBasic, $19Core, $29

See the fuller comparison of Wix and Squarespace. Whichever you choose, connect it to your Google profile, since that’s usually where local customers find you first.

Common questions

How much does a small business website cost?
It depends on who builds it. A builder’s plans start under $20 a month, with your own time on top. Paying someone costs more up front and saves your hours. The calculator compares both on your numbers.
Is it cheaper to build my own website?
In cash, usually. Once you count your hours it may not be, especially if those hours could be paid work.
How much does website upkeep cost?
Plan for your plan or hosting, your domain, and time for changes and updates. Ask any builder or designer what’s included, and what happens if you stop paying.
Do I own my website?
Ask before you pay. Make sure your domain is in your name, and find out what you keep if you leave. Sites on a builder usually don’t move elsewhere easily.

More free tools

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Rather not build it yourself?

CoveDesk builds and looks after your website along with your Google profile and reviews. See what’s included on our services page.

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