How much will your website really cost?

Compare a DIY builder, a freelancer, an agency and a website subscription side by side, over the number of years you will actually keep the site. Change any assumption to match the quotes you have received.

Free toolNo sign-upFigures shown excluding GST

Your situation

How long will you keep this website?

1 year2 years3 years5 years

How many pages do you need?

Up to 3Up to 5Up to 10More than 10

Not sure? A typical small business site is Home, Services, About and Contact (4 pages).

If you built it yourself

Hours it would take

Value of your time ($/hour)

Set both to 0 to count DIY by cash cost only.

Edit the assumptions

These ranges come from our website cost guide. Replace them with real quotes you have received.

DIY website builder

Upfront, low ($)

Upfront, high ($)

Monthly, low ($)

Monthly, high ($)

Freelancer

Upfront, low ($)

Upfront, high ($)

Monthly, low ($)

Monthly, high ($)

Agency

Upfront, low ($)

Upfront, high ($)

Monthly, low ($)

Monthly, high ($)

Your estimate over 3 years

WebDevise Plus is $129 a month, quoted excluding GST. All other figures are indicative and shown excluding GST.

DIY website builderWix, Squarespace and similar, plus your own time$2,040 to $3,300total over 3 years

Upfront: $0Monthly: $15 to $50Your time: $1,500

FreelancerOne-off build, you pay hosting$1,000 to $6,080total over 3 years

Upfront: $1,000 to $5,000Monthly: $0 to $30

AgencyFull-service digital agency$5,000 to $32,200total over 3 years

Upfront: $5,000 to $25,000Monthly: $0 to $200

WebDevise PlusDesign, build, hosting and support included$4,644total over 3 years

Upfront: $0Monthly: $129

Running cost over time (mid-range estimates)

What the numbers say

Upfront, WebDevise Plus costs $0 today. A freelancer typically charges $1,000 to $5,000 and an agency $5,000 to $25,000 before the site goes live.
Over 3 years, WebDevise Plus adds up to $4,644 excluding GST. That compares with $1,000 to $6,080 for a freelancer build, $5,000 to $32,200 for an agency, and $2,040 to $3,300 for a DIY builder once your own time is counted.
On mid-range figures a freelancer site becomes cheaper in cash than WebDevise Plus from about month 27. Freelancer prices often leave out updates, security patches, backups and support, which are all covered by the monthly fee here.
On mid-range figures an agency build costs more than WebDevise Plus at every point in time. A quote at the very bottom of the agency range could differ.
A DIY builder is the cheapest option month to month ($15 to $50), but building the site yourself takes time: 30 hours at $50 an hour is $1,500 of your own time.

This is an estimate, not a quote. It covers brochure and lead-generation websites; online stores cost more with every provider. Real quotes vary with scope, content and what is included.

How the calculator works

Every option is calculated the same way: upfront cost, plus the monthly fees for the length of time you choose. For a DIY builder we also add the value of your own time, because the hours spent building and maintaining a site are a real cost even when no invoice is involved.

The default ranges come from the comparison table in our guide to website costs in Australia. Where the guide gives an open-ended figure, such as agency builds from $5,000 to $25,000+, the calculator uses the stated range rather than guessing a higher number. You can overwrite every number under “Edit the assumptions”.

Option	Upfront	Monthly
DIY website builder	$0, plus your time	$15 to $50
Freelancer	$1,000 to $5,000	$0 to $30 (hosting)
Agency	$5,000 to $25,000	$0 to $200
WebDevise Core, Plus or Max	$0	$99, $129 or $199 (excluding GST)

The WebDevise plan is picked from your page count: Core covers up to 3 pages, Plus up to 5 and Max up to 10. Larger sites are quoted individually, so Max is shown as a starting point.

What it does not include

Online stores, custom integrations, domain name renewals, paid advertising, and any copywriting or photography you pay for separately. Treat the result as a planning estimate, not a quote.

What drives the price

Six things that change what a website costs

Two quotes for “a website” are rarely for the same thing. These are the differences to look for.

Scope

The number of pages, custom design versus a template, and features like booking forms or galleries all change the price.

Who builds it

DIY costs your time, a freelancer is one person with limited capacity, and an agency carries overheads that show up in the quote.

Ongoing care

Hosting, security updates, backups, edits and support continue for as long as the site is live, whether or not they are in the headline price.

Content

Copywriting and photography are often extra. Good words and real photos usually matter more to results than the design.

Integrations

Payments, booking systems, CRMs and email tools each add set-up time and sometimes their own monthly fees.

Visibility

A site that nobody finds does not pay for itself. Local SEO set-up and Google Business Profile work are worth budgeting for.

Choosing an option

Which approach suits which business

There is no single best answer. Here is an honest summary of where each option fits and what to watch for.

Option	Best for	Watch out for
DIY website builder	Tight budgets, simple sites, owners who have the time and some design confidence.	Your time, limited customisation, and you handle performance, SEO set-up, security and updates yourself.
Freelancer	A one-off custom build from someone you trust and can reach.	Ongoing support, maintenance and hosting are often not included unless agreed, and a single person has limited capacity.
Agency	Complex projects, large teams and big marketing programmes.	The highest cost, account managers and handovers, and often a retainer for every change.
Website subscription	Small businesses that want no upfront cost and design, hosting, maintenance and support in one monthly price.	The monthly fee continues for as long as you keep the site. Read the ownership and transfer terms, as you would with any provider.

Eight questions to ask any web provider about hidden costs

The headline price is rarely the whole story. Whoever you choose, including us, get clear answers to these before you commit:

Who owns the website, the design and the domain name, and what happens if I leave?
Is hosting included, and is it fast, secure and backed up automatically?
Who pays for premium themes, plugins, stock photos and fonts?
Are security updates, software updates and daily backups included in the price?
How are content changes handled, how fast, and what do they cost?
Is copywriting included, or do I need to supply every word?
What SEO set-up is included: page titles, Google Business Profile, analytics, speed?
What does a redesign cost in two or three years?

Go deeper on website costs

Questions

Website cost, answered

How much does a small business website cost in Australia?

It depends on who builds it. DIY website builders typically cost around $15 to $50 a month plus your own time. Freelancers often charge $1,000 to $5,000 upfront plus hosting. Agencies commonly charge $5,000 to $25,000 or more, sometimes with a monthly retainer. Subscription providers such as WebDevise start at $99 a month with the design and build included. Use the calculator to compare them over the number of years you expect to keep the site.

Is a website subscription cheaper than paying upfront?

It depends on how long you keep the site and what is included. A subscription spreads the cost over time and bundles hosting, maintenance and support, which usually makes it cheaper in the first few years. A one-off build can work out cheaper over a longer period if you need very little ongoing help. The calculator shows where the lines cross for your numbers.

Do WebDevise prices include GST?

Our published plan prices (Core at $99, Plus at $129 and Max at $199 per month) are quoted excluding GST, as on our pricing page. The calculator shows every figure excluding GST so the comparison is like for like.

Are the DIY, freelancer and agency figures real quotes?

No. They are indicative ranges taken from our website cost guide. Open "Edit the assumptions" and replace them with the quotes you have actually received to get a result that fits your situation.

What does the WebDevise monthly fee include?

Every plan includes the professional design and build with no upfront fee, hosting, SSL and daily backups, ongoing maintenance and support, a mobile responsive and fast-loading site, month-to-month billing with 30 days notice to cancel, and a 30-day money-back guarantee on your first payment.

What about online stores?

Online stores are quoted separately because the cost depends on the number of products, payment setup and integrations. This calculator is designed for brochure and lead-generation websites. Our guide to e-commerce website costs covers stores in more detail.

Want exact numbers for your business?

Tell us what you need and we will recommend the right plan. Your website is designed and built free with a hosting plan from $99/month.

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