"How much does a website cost?" is the question every web designer hears most often. The honest answer is: it depends. But that is not much help when you need to set a budget. In this article we list the guide prices, explain where the differences come from and show which costs are easy to overlook.

Guide prices per type of website

The amounts below are guide prices for Belgian freelancers and agencies in 2026. They give you a feel for the market, not fixed rates.

One-page website: 500 to 1,500 euros. A single page with what you offer, your opening hours, photos and contact details.
Business website up to 5 pages: 1,200 to 3,500 euros. Think home, about us, services, projects and contact.
Webshop built by a freelancer: 1,500 to 4,000 euros. With products, a shopping basket and online payments.
Maintenance: 20 to 150 euros a month, depending on what is included.
Freelance hourly rate: 40 to 85 euros an hour for extra work or changes.

An agency with a bigger team is often at the top of those ranges or above them. A freelancer is usually cheaper, but also has less capacity.

Where does the price difference come from?

Two quotes for "a website" can differ by a factor of three. That is not always a rip-off or an act of charity. Usually you are simply getting something different.

Template or custom design

A website based on an existing template is ready sooner and therefore cheaper. A custom design that matches your brand identity takes more time, but your site will not look like those of a hundred other businesses.

Number of pages and languages

Every extra page has to be designed, filled and tested. A site in several languages is almost a second site: every text has to be translated and checked.

Features

A contact form is simple. A booking calendar, a webshop with prices per kilo or an admin panel where you add cars yourself takes a lot more work. The more the site has to "do", the higher the price.

Who provides the content?

Will you supply the texts and photos yourself, or does the web designer have to take care of that too? Copywriting and photography are separate trades and are often charged separately.

Costs that are easy to forget

Development is only part of the story. These items often only turn up later:

Domain name: a .be domain costs a small amount each year, but it must be registered in your name.
Hosting: the server your site runs on. Cheap hosting can make your site slow.
Maintenance and updates: software ages. Without updates, security holes appear.
Texts and photos: good images make a big difference, and they come at a price.
Professional email address: info@yourbusiness.be is not always part of the package.
Changes afterwards: ask up front what a small change costs after delivery.

For every quote, ask explicitly which of these are included and which are not.

How to compare quotes fairly

Put the quotes side by side and keep these questions in mind:

What exactly is included? Number of pages, languages, features, number of revision rounds.
Who becomes the owner? Of the domain name, the code and the content. You do not want to be tied to a single supplier.
What happens after launch? Is maintenance included, and what does it cost per month?
Can you make changes yourself? Do you get an admin area to update opening hours or prices?
Has findability been considered? Good page titles, a fast site and a sound structure are the basics, not an extra.
Can you see examples? Ask for real projects and check whether they are still online and working well.

If a quote is strikingly cheap, look for what is missing. If it is strikingly expensive, ask what you get on top.

What can you do yourself to save money?

Write your own texts, even if they are not perfect yet. A web designer can polish them.
Gather your logo, photos, prices and opening hours in one folder beforehand.
Start small. A strong five-page site can be expanded later.
Think in advance about what you want to achieve: more phone calls, bookings or orders. That determines which features you really need.

To wrap up

A website is an investment that lasts for years. So do not just look at the amount at the bottom of the quote, but also at what is included and what comes after. Want to know everything that goes into a website? Read more about having a website built or see what website maintenance involves. Unsure about a quote you received? Feel free to get in touch and we will look at it together.