No smoke, no mirrors
We first wrote this post in 2015. A lot has changed since then: AI site builders, cross-platform apps, free SSL, and a much higher bar for speed, security and accessibility. What hasn’t changed is the point of the post. Below is a straight, transparent look at what websites and mobile apps really cost in 2026, including the obvious costs, the ones people forget, and the design and development work in between.
Out-of-the-box website builders
Building a basic website has never been easier, and we think that’s a good thing. Platforms like Wix, Squarespace and Shopify, now with AI tools that draft a site in minutes, give almost any business a web presence regardless of budget.
In 2026, those platforms run roughly $17 to $300 per month on annual billing, depending on the plan and whether you sell online. Large stores on enterprise tiers like Shopify Plus pay $2,000+ per month. On top of the plan, expect:
- Paid apps and add-ons, each with its own monthly fee
- Payment processing or transaction fees on every sale
- Price increases you don’t control (Squarespace raised its core plans in mid-2026)
There are no design or development costs here. You’re doing the work yourself and getting exactly what you pay for. The trade-off is that you’re renting: the fees never stop, and moving off the platform later usually means starting over. At some point those fees, plus the limits on what you can build, outweigh the cost of a custom site you own.
Custom websites and web apps
Custom is where anything is possible, and where a well-built site starts working as a business asset rather than a brochure. Redesigns, ecommerce, member portals, booking systems and web apps all live here. Each project moves through the same phases with us, and likely with any reputable studio:
| Phase | What it covers | Typical 2026 range |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery & strategy | Goals, audience, content plan, sitemap, technical requirements | $1,000–$5,000 |
| UX & wireframes | Page structure and user flows before any visual design | $1,500–$5,000 |
| Visual design | Full mockups across desktop and mobile, design system | $2,500–$15,000 |
| Development | Theme, functionality, integrations, content migration | $5,000 and up |
| QA & launch | Cross-device testing, performance, accessibility, SEO setup, training | $1,000–$5,000 |
Put together, here’s where projects tend to land in 2026:
- Small business marketing site: $8,000–$25,000
- Ecommerce (WooCommerce or similar): $15,000–$50,000+
- Custom web applications: $40,000–$100,000+
Those spreads are wide because custom means custom. A simple project lands at the low end; a development-heavy build will exceed these figures. In our experience, open and frequent communication is what makes or breaks a custom build.
Timeline matters too. A typical small business site takes 8 to 12 weeks. Compressed timelines with “must-have” launch dates can push costs up significantly, and larger projects can run a year or more.
One honest note on AI: it speeds up parts of our work, like drafting code and content. It doesn’t replace strategy, design judgment, testing, or someone accountable for the result, so it narrows costs at the margins rather than eliminating them.
Hosting, domains and the costs people forget
Whichever route you take, a few costs are always part of the picture.
- Domain name: roughly $10–$40 per year, depending on the registrar and extension. Some hosts include the first year.
- Hosting: for a WordPress site, quality managed hosting starts around $25–$35 per month and includes backups, caching, staging and security. High-traffic sites and busy stores can run several hundred dollars a month or more. Bargain shared hosting exists, but intro prices usually jump at renewal.
- SSL: good news here. The certificates we used to budget $100–$350 a year for are now free and included with any reputable host.
The costs that catch people off guard:
- Premium plugin and theme licenses that renew every year
- Content: professional copywriting and photography, which matter more than most owners expect
- Accessibility: building to WCAG standards from the start costs far less than retrofitting after a complaint
- Business email and third-party tools like scheduling, CRM or email marketing, each with its own subscription
Mobile apps
Apps are inherently expensive, and that hasn’t changed. Many people still picture an app as something cranked out in a couple of weeks for a few hundred dollars. In reality, nearly every app needs a server-side API and database behind it, and that backend is often the largest share of the work.
The platform question is simpler than it was in 2015. Windows phones are gone; it’s iOS and Android. Cross-platform frameworks like Flutter and React Native now let one codebase serve both, which has narrowed the cost gap between platforms. For some projects, a progressive web app covers the need without the app stores at all, typically for 20–35% less than an equivalent native app.
Realistic 2026 ranges for professionally built apps:
- MVP or simple app: $25,000–$50,000
- Most small-to-mid business apps: $50,000–$150,000
- Complex or regulated apps (healthcare, finance): $150,000+
Six months remains a realistic baseline for a substantial app. Budget for the stores, too: Apple charges $99 per year for its developer program, Google Play charges a one-time $25, and both take 15–30% of in-app sales and subscriptions.
After launch
Launch day is the start, not the finish. WordPress core, plugins and themes update constantly, PHP versions retire, and security threats keep evolving. A site that isn’t maintained slowly becomes slower, less secure and more expensive to fix. The same goes for apps, which need updates every time Apple or Google ships a new OS.
That’s why we offer monthly and quarterly care plans: updates, backups, monitoring and a set block of support time, at a predictable cost. It’s almost always cheaper than paying for emergency fixes.
We hope this gives you a realistic picture of what it takes to do custom work well, on either end of the spectrum. Every project is different, so if you’d like a number for yours, let’s talk.
