Cost calculator

What a website costs over three years.

Fees, plus the hours that are yours. Change any number.

You

Your number. Starts at the low end of a designer's rate.

A do-it-yourself builder

Three years: $3,450

Plans: $0–$50 (JIM)

One test: 10–20 hours (Emergent)

Your number.

A freelancer

Three years: $7,430

Quotes: $500–$5,000 (DEV Community)

Rates: $50–$150 (DEV Community)

Your number.

Hosting: $10–$50 (DEV Community)

A small agency

Three years: $21,600

Quotes: $3,000–$15,000 (DEV Community)

Ongoing: $200–$500 (DEV Community)

reddysite

Three years: $12,615

$1,995 to build, $295 a month. Content changes are in the monthly.

Three-year total

  1. Do-it-yourself builder$3,450

    $900 in fees · $2,550 of your time

  2. Freelancer$7,430

    $2,750 up front · $4,680 in fees

  3. Small agency$21,600

    $9,000 up front · $12,600 in fees

  4. reddysite$12,615

    $1,995 up front · $10,620 in fees

36 months. Domain and add-ons not counted.

Sources

  • JIM: a 2026 guide from a company that sells a builder. Read October 30, 2026.
  • DEV Community: a developer's 2026 guide; the author sells site setups. Read October 30, 2026.
  • Emergent: one author's test of one simple site, from a company that sells AI builders. Read October 30, 2026.
  • reddysite: pricing

Questions

Where do the numbers come from?

Each default is the middle of a published range, with its source beside it, or a number marked as yours. These are published guides, not a survey. Ours are on the pricing page.

Why count my hours?

On a do-it-yourself builder the work is yours, and an hour spent on your website is an hour not spent on your business. Asking a freelancer, an agency or us for a change takes the same message, so those hours aren't counted.

What isn't counted?

Domain registration and add-ons, on every side.

Is anything I type sent anywhere?

No. The arithmetic runs in your browser.

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