"How much will a website cost?" is the first question most business owners ask, and the answers they get range from ₹5,000 to several lakhs. Both can be honest. The price depends on what the website needs to do. This guide breaks down every cost so you can compare quotes properly.
The one-time and yearly costs at a glance
The ranges below are typical market prices in India in 2026, based on industry surveys such as Hostinger's India website cost guide. They exclude GST, and actual quotes vary with scope and quality.
| Item | Typical cost | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Domain name (.com or .in) | ₹500 – ₹1,500 | Yearly |
| Shared hosting | ₹2,000 – ₹5,000 | Yearly |
| Cloud or VPS hosting | ₹6,000 – ₹20,000 | Yearly |
| Small business website (freelancer) | ₹10,000 – ₹40,000 | One-time |
| Business website (agency) | ₹50,000 – ₹1,50,000 | One-time |
| Ecommerce website (agency) | ₹1,50,000 – ₹4,00,000+ | One-time |
| Maintenance | ₹1,000 – ₹5,000 | Monthly |
| Payment gateway | Around 2% per transaction | Per sale |
What makes one website cost more than another
1. Number and type of pages
A five-page site (Home, About, Services, Gallery, Contact) is very different from a site with 40 service and location pages, a blog and case studies. Each unique page needs design, content and testing.
2. Template or custom design
A ready-made theme is quicker and cheaper but looks like many other sites. A custom design is planned around your brand and customer journey. For businesses competing on trust, such as clinics, real estate, education and B2B services, a custom design often pays for itself through more enquiries.
3. Features and integrations
Each extra feature adds development time: online booking, payment gateways like Razorpay or PayU, WhatsApp chat, CRM integration, multi-language support (English and Hindi), customer logins, or a product catalogue with filters.
4. Ecommerce requirements
An online store needs product pages, a cart, checkout, payment integration, GST invoices, shipping integration (Shiprocket, Delhivery and others), order emails and inventory management. That is why ecommerce sites sit at the higher end of the range. A hosted platform like Shopify lowers the build cost but adds a monthly subscription and app fees.
5. Content and photography
Many quotes assume you will provide all text and images. Professional copywriting, product photography and SEO-ready content are often billed separately. Ask about this upfront, because a website without good content won't bring enquiries however good it looks.
6. Speed, SEO and security
A website that loads in two seconds on a 4G phone, has clean technical SEO and an SSL certificate costs more effort than one that just "looks done". These are not extras. They decide whether your site ranks on Google and whether visitors stay.
Hidden costs to ask about
- Renewal prices. Domains and hosting are often cheap in year one and more expensive on renewal.
- Premium plugins or theme licences that need yearly renewal.
- Business email (Google Workspace or Zoho Mail), charged per user.
- Change requests after launch. Check how many free revisions are included.
- Ownership. Make sure the domain, hosting and code are registered in your name.
How to compare website quotes
Ask every developer or agency for the same written scope:
- Number of pages and which ones
- Design approach (template or custom) with a sample
- Features and integrations included
- Who writes the content and supplies images
- Mobile speed target and basic SEO setup
- Timeline, number of revisions and post-launch support period
- Yearly running costs after launch
With the same scope in hand, you can compare prices fairly instead of comparing a ₹15,000 brochure site with a ₹1.5 lakh lead-generation website.
Which option is right for you?
- Just starting out, tight budget: a simple, well-built 4–6 page site with clear contact options and a Google Business Profile.
- Service business that needs leads: a custom, fast site with service pages, location pages, tracking and strong calls to action.
- Selling products online: an ecommerce site on Shopify or WooCommerce, planned around your catalogue size and shipping needs.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to build a website in India?
A simple business website typically takes two to four weeks once content is ready. Custom designs and ecommerce sites usually take six to twelve weeks, depending on features and how quickly feedback is shared.
Is WordPress or a custom-coded website better?
WordPress is flexible and easy to update, which suits most small businesses. Custom-coded or static sites can be faster and more secure, and are a good fit when content changes less often or performance is a priority.
Do I need to pay every year for my website?
Yes, there are always some yearly costs: the domain, hosting and usually maintenance. The design and development cost is generally a one-time payment.
Want help putting this into practice?
Mediamozak is a digital marketing agency in Hari Nagar, West Delhi, working with businesses across Delhi NCR and India.
See our web development services