What does a business website cost in Australia?
In SOL's July and August 2026 pre-signature review, the website offers we could compare ran from $549 including GST plus an ongoing platform plan to $50,875 to $67,375 excluding GST for a larger custom or modular build. One custom specialist gave a verbal range reaching $150,000.
The sample compares unlike offers, so it cannot establish an Australian market average. It shows that “website” can describe a theme configured inside a subscription, a custom marketing site, or a wider strategy and digital program.
How we built this comparison
SOL approached a selected group of Australian agencies using a consistent buyer scenario. Fourteen businesses formed the fixed pre-signature sample. No work was purchased, so the research can compare what was offered, quoted and documented before signing. It cannot judge the quality of delivered work.
This page includes selected website examples where the product shape and price were clear enough to teach a buyer something useful. Prices retain the date, GST treatment, recurring cost and source limitation. The full provider comparison belongs in our separate agency-selection guide.
Five prices that are not the same product
| Provider | Website price observed | What the offer represented | Ownership, ongoing cost and source limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Space | $549 to $799 including GST | A fast, theme-led Duda website | Core was $55 a month and Premium $99 a month. The written terms included a $350 transfer-out fee and no included revisions. |
| Confetti Design | $5,830 including GST | A WordPress and Elementor website with a documented content and search offer around it | Hosting was $40 a month excluding GST. Full WordPress access and no lock-in were represented in writing, with support month to month. |
| Ven Agency | $14,400 excluding GST | A custom WordPress website priced at $180 an hour | Hosting was $99 a month and maintenance $275 a month. The deployed site transferred on full payment, while source files, Figma files and repositories depended on the later SOW. |
| Spicy Web | Publicly from $19,995; verbal project range $25,000 to $150,000 | Custom Craft CMS work, with the range changing materially by complexity | No project-specific written quote or detailed ownership terms were received, so the verbal range is an orientation point only. |
| SOD Digital | $50,875 to $67,375 excluding GST | A larger custom or modular website proposal with search, paid and ongoing service options around it | Hosting was stated as $320 a month, with one conflicting $499 line. The proposal also contained unrelated client residue, so the buyer would need a corrected scope before relying on it. |
These were dated asking prices and pre-signature terms. They do not show what another buyer accepted, what the final scope became or how any provider delivered.
The useful comparison is the row, not the number alone.
Why website prices spread so widely
Ownership
A low monthly figure may be the cost of access rather than ownership. The client can pay less at the start while remaining tied to the provider's platform, transfer fee or ongoing subscription.
A project price usually means a larger upfront investment, but ownership still needs to be checked in the agreement. The useful questions are who owns the design and code, whether the repository is provided and what happens if the relationship ends.
Strategy and research
Some providers begin with a page list. Others include commercial diagnosis, competitor research, positioning and a full design process before development. Both can be valid, but they are not comparable scopes.
Design depth
A proven structure with a lean design phase costs less than a one-off visual system developed in Figma. Custom design earns its place when perception and differentiation matter commercially. A clear, credible presence can be enough when the website carries little commercial responsibility.
Functionality
E-commerce, portals, booking systems, calculators, integrations, data migration, animation and complex content workflows all change the work. A five-page marketing site and a customer application should not share a price band merely because both open in a browser.
Content
Copy, photography, case studies, product data and migration can require as much coordination as the build itself. A quote that assumes finished content will look cheaper than one that includes the work needed to create it.
The responsibility after launch
Two identical build prices can still create different long-term costs. Ask who handles updates, monitoring, software licences, broken integrations, new sections and the eventual move away from the provider.
The agreement matters here. “You own the website” can still mean the deployed files transfer while reusable code, design source files or the platform account sit elsewhere.
What Australian buyers actually asked us
We audited 438 SOL meeting and communication files and extracted 2,197 recorded client-question items. About 200 files contained client material. Among the 1,263 buying-stage items, payment and pricing was the largest category at 324 items.
Those are recorded items, not 324 unique buyers. Some older material was partial or second-hand.
The more useful finding was what sat around the price question. Buyers moved quickly into scope, trust, process, content, timing, results, support and ownership. They were rarely trying to learn one average number. They were trying to work out why one website cost several times more and whether they would still control it afterwards.
How SOL prices website work
SOL quotes website work to scope rather than publishing two proposal-card figures as universal website costs.
The AI Enhanced Website uses a leaner assisted design phase followed by custom-code development. The Custom Website begins with a fully custom Figma direction. E-commerce, portals, integrations, 3D work, content volume and other project requirements change the scope.
The proposal records the selected approach, inclusions and price before work begins.
The public Website Cost Calculator will translate the major scope drivers into an indicative band once built. It will use the same pricing logic as this guide.
Ongoing costs
The build price is not the whole cost of operating the site.
Check:
- hosting and monitoring
- maintenance and security work
- software licences
- content updates
- analytics and consent tools
- SEO or advertising services
- transaction or platform fees
- future development outside the initial scope
SOL quotes Hosting and Management case by case. When a SOL-managed website is paired with an accepted SEO or Google Ads Management service, standard Hosting and Management is included once rather than charged again. Other ongoing services remain separately scoped in the proposal.
How much should an established business spend?
Start with the job the website is expected to perform.
| Commercial job | Proportionate route |
|---|---|
| Confirm the business exists and provide contact details | A self-built, theme-led or productised site may be enough |
| Present an established service clearly and convert referral or campaign traffic | Compare content, design, proof and conversion scope, not page count alone |
| Carry a repositioning, high-value offer or serious search programme | Allow for strategy, original content, custom design or development where each changes the commercial result |
| Run transactions, portals, calculators or integrations | Scope the website as a software and operating project, not a five-page brochure |
Buy enough thought, design and development for that responsibility. Then ask what the lower price removed and whether that omission is acceptable.
Before comparing quotes, get written answers to eight questions:
- What does the price include and exclude?
- Is it a project fee or the ongoing right to use the site?
- Who owns the deployed site, source code, design files, content and domain?
- Which platform will hold the site, and can it be transferred?
- Who is doing the strategy, design, development and content?
- Which functionality, migration and revision work is excluded?
- What will the site cost each month or year after launch?
- What event can change the quote?
The rebrand-or-website guide helps settle the scope before you price it. The timeline guide explains how that scope affects delivery.
For the wider business decision, read how to reposition your business.
SOL STUDIOS is Australia's leading design and digital systems studio for established businesses.
Contact Us
