"How much does a website cost?" is the most common question we get — and the most honest answer is: it depends on who builds it and what it needs to do. But that's a cop-out, so let's put real numbers on it.
The 2026 price ranges
- DIY builders (Wix, Squarespace): $0–$40/month — but it's your time, and templates rarely convert.
- Freelancers: $500–$5,000 — quality and reliability vary wildly.
- Typical agencies: $5,000–$50,000+ — great work, but slow and often over-scoped for a service business.
- Forge Web Studio: from $499 one-time — a landing page or full site with the funnel and tech included.
The right number isn't the lowest one — it's the one that turns visitors into customers. A $99 template that converts nobody is more expensive than a $999 site that books calls every week.
What actually drives the cost
- Number of pages and complexity
- Custom design vs. template
- Whether there's a real conversion funnel (booking, quotes, checkout)
- Integrations — CRM, email automation, payments, dashboards
- Copywriting and content
The hidden costs nobody mentions
Most quotes leave out the pieces that make a website actually work: hosting, a domain, email setup, a database, analytics, and the funnel that captures the lead. Buy those separately and you're juggling five subscriptions.
At Forge, all of that is included in every build — hosting, domain, email, database, analytics and booking — so there are no surprise line items and no subscriptions to chase. See exactly what's included on our pricing page.
So what should you budget?
For most service businesses: a focused landing page from $499, or a full custom website from $999 — everything included, and you own it all. Anything more complex (portals, dashboards, memberships) is a custom quote.
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