"How much does a website cost?" is the first thing clients ask me, and the honest answer, "it depends", helps nobody. What helps is knowing what it depends on: with that you can estimate your project, read a quote, and compare two that look the same. I'm a freelance web designer and web developer in Buenos Aires working with clients in the US and Latin America, and this is what I see behind every quote, project after project.
The short version
- The type of site sets the starting point. A landing page is the simplest; a company website, an online store or a custom web app add design, development and testing.
- Scope moves the price, not technology. Number of pages, custom design or template, who writes the copy, and integrations such as payments or bookings.
- Four roles sit behind every website: web designer, web developer, product designer and product owner. An agency bills each one; a freelancer who covers several bills them once.
- The quote isn't the total cost. Domain, hosting, email and maintenance are paid separately, every year.
- Sometimes Wix or Shopify is enough. If your business doesn't need anything of its own, a platform saves you money.
The four types of website
| Type of site | For | What's included | What makes it cost more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landing page | One product, service or campaign | One page, a form, basic SEO | Custom design, sales copy, animation |
| Company website | Businesses, studios, foundations | Several sections, custom design, optional blog, technical SEO | Number of sections, languages, content to produce |
| Online store | Selling products | Catalog, cart, payments, shipping | Number of products, payment methods, logistics |
| Custom web app or digital product | Platforms, web apps, MVPs | Custom features, user accounts, dashboards, integrations | Every new feature, every integration, every type of user |
The further down the table, the more the invisible work weighs: deciding what the site has to do before designing it, and testing it before it goes live.
Who builds your website: web designer, web developer, product designer and product owner
When you pay for a website you are paying for the work of several roles, even when one person does them all. Knowing what each one does helps you read a quote and compare two that look the same.
- Web designer. Designs how the site looks and how people move through it: page structure, typography, color, imagery and the mobile version. Delivers the design in Figma, ready to build.
- Web developer. Turns that design into a working site: code, load speed, forms, integrations and launch. A good web developer also handles technical SEO, so Google can read and show the site.
- Product designer. Works a step before the visual design: who will use the site and what it has to achieve, and the flows that get them there. On a landing page that's an afternoon; on a platform, it's half the project.
- Product owner. Decides what's in and what's out, in which order, and when something is done. On a small project the client and the person building the site share that role; on a large one it's a dedicated person. Without a product owner, scope grows on its own, and so does the budget.
An agency usually bills each role separately, plus the meetings it takes to coordinate them. I work as product designer, web designer and web developer at once, and define the scope together with the client. That's why the design that gets approved is the one that ships, with no cost for handing the project from one team to another.
What makes the price go up or down
- Number of pages and sections. One page isn't ten, but it isn't linear either: the first page costs the most, because that's where the design of the whole site is decided.
- Custom design or template. A template is cheaper; a custom design keeps your brand from looking like your competitors'.
- Who provides the copy and photos. If they arrive ready, the project moves fast. If they have to be written or produced, that's extra work, best quoted from the start.
- Integrations. A contact form is simple. Payments, bookings or a panel to edit content add days of development.
- Languages. Each language is almost another site to maintain: its own copy, URLs and SEO.
- SEO. A site Google can index should come included. Working to rank for specific searches, with content and strategy, is a separate service.
Costs that don't always show up in the quote
- Domain. Renewed every year.
- Hosting. Where the site lives. A company website needs little; a store or a platform, quite a bit more.
- Business email.
name@yourbusiness.comdoesn't come with the website: it's a separate subscription, per user. - Maintenance. Updates, backups and small changes. Ask whether it's included, and for how long.
- Changes after launch. Ask how many rounds of changes the quote includes and what the ones after that cost.
Wix, Shopify or a custom website?
A platform like Wix, Squarespace or Shopify makes sense if:
- you need to be online fast and on a small budget;
- your site is a simple storefront you'll edit yourself;
- a template is enough to stand apart.
A custom website makes sense if:
- your business needs something a template can't do (prices in two currencies, your own booking flow, a different process);
- you want to rank on Google with your own content and real load speed;
- you don't want to depend on a platform that bills you every month and owns your site.
If in doubt, start with the platform. When you outgrow it you'll know exactly what you need from a custom site, and that quote will be far more precise.
Two real examples
Fundación Pataro: a company website built to be found. Fundación Patricio Pataro works on medical training, research and healthcare management, with six programs for different audiences. I designed the site, developed it, tested it and launched it, with a structure meant for each program to show up on Google on its own. See the full case study.
Ristario: from brand to a website in production. Ristario is a free QR menu for restaurants in Venezuela, priced in bolívares and dollars at the BCV rate, with orders through WhatsApp. I did the brand identity, the design system and the website in Next.js, with no handoff in between. See the full case study.
Both are custom-designed sites, with very different scopes: Ristario meant creating the brand from scratch; Pataro, organizing six programs so each one can be found on its own. That's why two websites that look alike can come with different quotes.
How to read a website quote
Before accepting a quote, check that it states:
- which pages and features it includes, one by one;
- how many rounds of changes the price covers;
- whose name the domain, hosting and code are in (they should be in yours);
- the timeline, and what happens if either side runs late;
- what happens after launch: support, maintenance and what they cost.
When two quotes are far apart, it's almost always because they include different things. This list is how you compare them.
Want to know what your website would cost?
Tell me what you need and I'll send you a fixed quote, with everything on the list above in writing. See what I do and how I work on the services page.