Web Design Cost Calculator: A Worksheet With Published Ranges, Worked Totals and Why Online Calculators Disagree

Key takeaways

• The same question gets very different answers. For a small business site, the listings we saw on 24 October 2026 ranged from under $200 for a DIY build to $10,000 to $35,000 and more for agency work.
• Calculators ask about scope, then hide the maths. WebFX's calculator asks for pages, design style, database and CMS level, ecommerce level and copywriting, but it returns one estimate and does not show the range behind it.
• Year one is more than the build. Lifted Logic lists hosting at $20 to $300 a month, domains at $10 to $20 a year and maintenance at $100 to $1,000 or more a month.
• Check the arithmetic in any guide. One guide's budgeting rule of thumb does not match its own example, and we show how.
• This page is a worksheet, not a script. It runs on paper or in a spreadsheet. It is an estimate for planning, not a quote.

The short answer

Pick the route that matches who is building the site, take the build range for that route, add platform and running costs for twelve months, and you have a first-year range. Then ask for quotes and compare each line. A calculator can only be as good as the ranges behind it, and most do not publish theirs.

Who is writing: Amariq is a web design studio. Our own prices are set from scope, so we state no Amariq prices here. The ranges below belong to the sources named.

What the calculators ask, and what they return

On 24 October 2026 Google (United States, English) listed calculators from Website Cost Calculator, Lifted Logic, WebFX, WP SuperHelp, Upwork, Outliant, chadworks and Odoo for "web design cost calculator". We read WebFX's page in full.

WebFX asks for seven inputs, each from a drop-down:

The page says its result is "a starting point" and "won't give you an exact web design price quote". It does not show prices in the text we could read, because they appear after you press the button.

The listings themselves show how far apart the outputs sit. In the descriptions Google displayed, one calculator gave a basic site as $2,000 to $3,000 and a standard one as $3,000 to $5,000, WebFX's listing gave $6,500 to $15,000 for small business web design, and Outliant's gave $25,000 to $30,000 for a basic custom site. We did not run those calculators, so these are listing figures, but they illustrate the spread.

Published ranges by route

We read Lifted Logic's "How Much Does a Website Cost in 2026?" (9 April 2026) in full. It is written by an agency, so its higher ranges serve the seller. Other 2026 guides appeared in Google's listing, and we show their headline figures separately because we saw only the listing text.

Read in full:

Seen in Google's listings only (pages not read):

Put side by side, the ends of those ranges differ by a factor of dozens for "a small business website". The route and the seller explain most of the difference. Always ask what is included before you compare.

Platform plans, read on 24 October 2026

If you build on a hosted builder, the plan is a running cost. Prices from the makers' own pages:

Squarespace's monthly billing for Basic is $19, which is $228 over 12 months. Wix states that its prices are for yearly subscriptions paid in full at purchase and exclude tax, and that the free domain voucher is valid only for a new domain bought from Wix. Our Wix vs Squarespace comparison has the full plan tables.

Running costs that calculators leave out

From the same Lifted Logic guide:

Not every route needs every line: a hosted builder bundles hosting, and a quote may bundle care. Ask which lines the price includes.

Three worked first-year totals

These are our sums from the published ranges above. They are examples, not quotes.

How example C adds up. Low end: $10,000 + $240 + $10 + $1,200 = $11,450. High end: $50,000 + $3,600 + $20 + $12,000 = $65,620. For example A, $0 + $204 = $204 at the low end and $500 + $204 = $704 at the high end. For B, $2,000 + $204 = $2,204 and $10,000 + $204 = $10,204.

Whether a build range already includes the platform fee depends on the seller. If a quote includes it, do not add it again.

Your own worksheet

Copy this into a spreadsheet and replace each cell with a quote.

Lifted Logic's list of what scope drives cost is a good checklist: design complexity, number of pages, custom functionality, content, ecommerce, integrations, SEO and maintenance.

A rule of thumb that does not add up

Lifted Logic suggests investing 5 to 10% of annual revenue in a website and digital presence, and gives the example that a business with $1 million of revenue would be justified spending $25,000 to $75,000. Five percent of $1 million is $50,000 and ten percent is $100,000, so the example sits at 2.5% to 7.5%. The rule of thumb and the example do not match. Treat percentages of revenue as a conversation starter, not a budget.

More on specific platforms

Our dated cost guides cover the platform side in detail: Webflow, WordPress, Shopify, landing pages, redesigns and the UK.

How Amariq prices

We price from scope, never by the hour, and we do not publish a menu of prices. A quote lists what is included so you can fill in the worksheet line by line. Payment is 40% to start, 30% at design approval and 30% before launch, and on the final payment the design, copy and code belong to you, with the domain, hosting and analytics accounts in your name. Start from our web design service or website optimization service.

Frequently asked questions

How accurate is a web design cost calculator?

It is as accurate as the ranges behind it. WebFX's page calls its result a starting point rather than a quote. Use a calculator to prepare questions, then compare real quotes.

Why do calculators give such different answers?

They describe different routes and sellers. In the listings we saw, a basic site was $2,000 to $3,000 in one place and $25,000 to $30,000 in another.

What does a small business website cost?

On Lifted Logic's ranges, from $0 to $500 for DIY, $2,000 to $10,000 with professional help on a template, and $10,000 to $50,000 for custom work. Other guides give narrower or lower figures.

What costs are usually missing from the quote?

Hosting, the domain, maintenance, copy, photography and any booking or shop tools. Lifted Logic lists hosting at $20 to $300 a month and maintenance at $100 to $1,000 or more a month.

Is a builder cheaper than hiring a studio?

On the makers' pages, a builder plan was $12 to $29 a month on the plans we listed. That excludes your time, and it may not give you the structure or design control a studio can.

Should I base my budget on a percentage of revenue?

Be careful. The 5 to 10% rule we read does not match its own worked example. Budget from the scope and the cost of a missed enquiry.

Can Amariq give me a number?

We price from scope, so we need to see what you want built. A short brief is enough to start.