Custom website cost follows the work, not the page count. Six things move the price: how much design it needs, how many different page types it has, whether people sign in, whether it takes payments, how many other systems it connects to, and whether it needs an admin dashboard for your team. Everything else is small by comparison.
The six things that set the price
- Design. A site with its own UI and UX design costs more than one built on a bought theme, and it fits your business better. I design the screens myself, so design and build are one job.
- Page types, not pages. Fifty product pages from one template cost little. Five different layouts cost more.
- Accounts and roles. Sign-in, passwords, email confirmation and different staff permissions add real work. Mayabee has four roles and a confirmation email for new devices.
- Payments. Cash on delivery is simple. Cards, wallets and subscriptions need gateways, testing and failure handling.
- Integrations. Each connection to a CRM, courier, accounting tool or email service is its own piece of work.
- The admin dashboard. Orders, stock, customers and reports are often half the project.
What does a typical project look like?
| Project | What it includes | My starting price | Typical range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business website | Custom design, 5 to 10 page types, contact forms, speed tuned for phones | $600 | $600 to $1,500 |
| WordPress theme and plugins | Your design as a theme, custom plugins, WooCommerce | $300 (WooCommerce $500) | $300 to $1,000 |
| Online shop with dashboard | Storefront, checkout, orders, delivery, stock, reports | $800 | $800 to $2,500 |
| Web application | Accounts, roles, dashboard, API | $999 | $999 to $4,000 |
All prices are in US dollars, with a written quote after I read your brief. For comparison, 2026 price guides from agencies put a professionally built small-business site at about $3,000 to $10,000 (Ueni, Wapiti), and a web app first version at $10,000 to $50,000 or more (Empat). These are vendor estimates, not independent surveys. I work solo from Dhaka, so my starting prices sit at the low end of those ranges. Extra developer time is $25 an hour; US freelance full stack rates are commonly quoted at about $70 to $135 an hour (Second Talent, Index.dev).
How to get a fair quote
Send the developer these five things and you will get a more accurate price in less time:
- Your competitors or sites you like
- The one thing visitors or staff must be able to do
- Who needs to sign in, and what each person can see
- Payments and tools it must connect to
- A launch date, if there is a real one
A good quote lists what is included, what is not, the number of revision rounds and who owns the code. You should own the code, the design files and every login.
What about running costs?
Budget for hosting, a domain and care after launch. A website care plan from me starts at $149 a month and covers tested updates, daily off-site backups, monitoring and a few hours of changes. The Mayabee shop runs on shared hosting and, on a mobile test on 23 October 2026, scored 100 for Performance on Google PageSpeed Insights. Google’s own targets for a good page are in web.dev’s Web Vitals guide.
By the numbers
| What | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US monthly searches for “custom website development” | about 3,600 | Semrush, US database, 23 Oct 2026 |
| US monthly searches for “website maintenance cost” | about 1,300 | Semrush, US database, 23 Oct 2026 |
| Custom website, starting price | $600 | Custom website development |
| Web application, starting price | $999 | Web application development |
| WordPress build, starting price | $300 | WordPress development |
| Website care plan, starting price | $149 a month | Website care |
Want a price for your project? See custom website development or hire a full stack developer and send the brief.
Common questions
How much does a custom website cost?
There is no single price, because the cost follows the work: pages, design, features, accounts, payments, integrations and an admin dashboard. Custom websites start at $600, online stores at $800, web applications at $999 and WordPress builds at $300, in US dollars, with the price in writing before work starts.
Why is a custom website more expensive than a template?
A template spreads its cost across many buyers. A custom website is designed and built for one business, so you pay for design, development and testing that only you use. You get exactly the features you need and nothing else.
Can I reduce the cost of a custom website?
Yes. Build a first version with the one thing users must do, launch it, then add features in order. Fewer screens and fewer integrations at launch is the biggest saving.
What is not included in a custom website quote?
Hosting, domain names, paid third-party services and ongoing care are usually separate. I list what is and is not included in the written quote.
Written by Sakib Islam, a WordPress developer who builds and looks after sites for businesses and agencies. About my work
