Web Design Cost in the UK in 2026: Published Price Ranges, the VAT Line and First-Year Budgets

Key takeaways

• A small business site from a freelancer is about £800 to £3,000 in the UK guides we read. Duport gives £800 to £3,000 for a simple site and £1,200 to £2,000 for a typical four to five page build; Brilliant Digital gives £500 to £3,000.
• A small agency site is about £2,500 up to £10,000. Duport says £2,500 up to £10,000 for a standard small business site, and Brilliant Digital £2,500 up to £6,000 for a brochure site from a small agency.
• Online shops start higher. GoDaddy's UK guide puts a small to medium ecommerce design at £5,000 to £10,000, and Brilliant Digital a custom Shopify or WooCommerce build at £5,000 up to £15,000.
• Ask about VAT before you compare. The standard UK rate is 20% according to GOV.UK, and only one guide we read, Checkatrade, labels its table "Cost + VAT". On a £3,000 quote, VAT adds £600.
• Some "averages" are not averages. Checkatrade's £7,747.50 average website cost is exactly halfway between its £495 low and £15,000 high, and the page we read was last updated in May 2024.
• The first year costs more than the build. Hosting, a domain, email and upkeep add roughly £100 to £2,400 a year depending on the route.

The short answer

For a new five to ten page site for a UK small business in 2026, the published guides point to:

These are sellers' figures, not survey results. None of the guides explains how its ranges were worked out, so treat them as signposts and compare real quotes against the sheet further down.

Four UK guides side by side

Pages read on 22 October 2026, prices in pounds; "VAT stated" says whether the page tells you if VAT is included.

Each source has a stake. GoDaddy sells a builder and hosting, Duport sells a low-cost done-for-you site, Brilliant Digital is an agency, and Checkatrade lists tradespeople. That is not a reason to ignore them, but it explains why their ranges sit where they do.

Three things the guides do not tell you

1. Whether VAT is in the price. GOV.UK lists the standard VAT rate as 20% on most goods and services. A VAT-registered studio adds it to its invoice; a freelancer under the registration threshold does not. Three of the four guides above give prices without saying which. Checkatrade's table heading reads "Cost + VAT", which suggests VAT on top, and its rows are otherwise plain ranges. Before comparing two quotes, ask each seller to state the total including VAT. If your business is VAT-registered you can usually reclaim it, so the gap matters most to sole traders and small firms below the threshold. Our UK redesign guide covers the advertising rule on showing VAT to consumers.

2. How an "average" was made. Checkatrade's table lists website design at £495 to £15,000 with an "average cost" of £7,747.50. That is the midpoint of the two ends: (£495 + £15,000) ÷ 2 = £7,747.50. Its ecommerce, WordPress and bespoke rows follow the same pattern (£3,000, £3,700 and £6,250). A midpoint of a wide range tells you little about what most people pay.

3. Where a figure came from. GoDaddy's basic and hospitality designer figures are credited to a single studio, Chameleon Studios, and its ecommerce, bespoke and maintenance figures carry no named source. Brilliant Digital says its figures are based on quotes it sees regularly and are "starting points, not fixed prices." Duport cites no survey for its averages.

What location adds

Brilliant Digital gives one worked example: a brochure site quoted at £4,000 by a Yorkshire or Midlands agency, and £5,500 to £6,000 or more from a central London agency for the same job. It also gives UK hourly rates of £30 to £120, with £50 to £80 typical for an experienced designer. Remote studios, in the UK or abroad, price on scope and process rather than postcode; our notes on hiring an offshore agency safely covers what to check.

The platform bill in pounds

Plan prices are the one cost you can check yourself. On 22 October 2026, Shopify's UK pricing page listed Basic at £19 per month when paid annually (£25 paid monthly), Grow at £49 (£65) and Advanced at £259 (£344). GoDaddy's guide gives its own builder at £16.99 a month on an annual plan, with prices "correct at publication." Duport quotes Wix's Core plan at £13 a month and Business at £22; we did not read those on Wix's own page, so treat them as Duport's figures. Webflow bills in US dollars, with tax added at checkout. Our platform guide by country sets Shopify's UK prices beside its Australian and US ones.

What year one adds up to

Each row adds up figures quoted earlier on this page. The totals are worked examples of ours rather than offers from anyone, with a last column showing the effect of 20% VAT when the seller is registered.

The VAT column adds 20% to the build only: £1,200 becomes £1,440 and £2,000 becomes £2,400, then the running costs are added. Plan fees bought directly from a platform carry their own tax treatment, so check your invoice.

A sheet for comparing UK quotes

Send this grid to each studio or freelancer and compare the replies line by line.

On timing, see how many weeks a build takes, where published timelines sit side by side; for a site you already have, see website redesign cost.

How Amariq prices UK projects

Amariq works with UK businesses remotely, designing sites and building them on Webflow, Framer, WordPress or Shopify. We do not publish a price list: each proposal is costed on what the project involves rather than on hours, and sets the deliverables and dates down in writing. The money comes in three steps: a 40% deposit, 30% at design sign-off and 30% before go-live. The final step hands you full ownership of the design, copy and code, and your domain, hosting and analytics are registered to your business from day one. Read how to choose a web design agency for the questions to ask any studio, us included, or see our web design service.

Frequently asked questions

What does a website cost in the UK?

In the guides we read, a small business site from a freelancer is about £800 to £3,000, from a small agency about £2,500 up to £10,000, and an ecommerce site from about £5,000. Building it yourself on a builder costs roughly £150 to £420 a year.

What should a UK small business budget for a website?

For a five to ten page brochure site, Brilliant Digital's FAQ gives £1,500 to £4,000 for five pages and a £2,500 up to £6,000 budget for a typical small business. Add hosting and upkeep, and ask whether VAT is included.

Do UK web designers charge VAT?

A VAT-registered designer adds VAT, at the standard 20% rate GOV.UK lists for most services. A freelancer below the registration threshold, which GOV.UK sets at £90,000 of taxable turnover over 12 months, does not have to register. Ask for the total including VAT.

How much do UK web designers charge per hour?

Brilliant Digital gives £30 to £120 an hour across the UK, with £50 to £80 typical for an experienced designer, and £25 to £75 for freelancers. Fixed project prices are more common for whole sites.

Monthly: what does a UK website cost to run?

On a builder, the plan is the monthly cost: £16.99 on GoDaddy's annual plan per its guide, or £19 per month for Shopify Basic paid annually. A designer-built site adds hosting and care, which Brilliant Digital puts at £50 to £300 or more a month.

Is a £500 website worth it?

Sometimes, for a sole trader with a clear offer and their own words and photos. Brilliant Digital's freelancer range starts at £500. Check what is included, who owns the site, and what happens when you need a change.

What does an ecommerce website cost in the UK?

GoDaddy's guide gives £5,000 to £10,000 for a small to medium shop's design, and Brilliant Digital £1,000 to £3,000 for a Shopify starter on a template, rising to £5,000 up to £15,000 for a custom build. Our Shopify cost guide breaks down the plan and fees.