The short version
Price follows responsibility more than page count.
DIY platforms sell software and hosting. Fixed projects sell a build. Managed subscriptions sell a build plus continued human responsibility. A useful comparison must keep those delivery models separate.
Do not quote $1,188 as “the market median.” That is the numerical midpoint across all 50 rows, but it mixes software subscriptions, one-time builds, and human-managed services. The within-model medians above answer a defensible question.
Cost distribution
What are the median website costs by buying model?
The table uses the stated setup or build fee plus 12 advertised monthly payments. The minimum-cash field in the dataset separately captures a required contract or multi-year checkout.
| Delivery model | Offers | Median 12-month equivalent | Middle 50% | Published range | Median monthly rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managed subscription | 26 | $1,800 | $1,227.75–$2,087 | $300–$2,388 | $150 |
| Fixed-price project | 4 | $1,950 | $1,800–$2,125 | $1,500–$2,500 | Not applicable |
| DIY platform | 20 | $123 | $67.50–$197.31 | $19–$348 | $10.25 |
01 / Annualized is not checkout
Long promotions need two numbers
Hostinger’s $2.99 rate is a $35.88 12-month equivalent, but the cited offer requires $143.52 for 48 months at checkout. Bluehost similarly advertises $3.99 with a 36-month term.
02 / A starting price is bounded
One entry offer per provider
The sample does not average every tier. It records the least expensive public offer that can support a custom-domain small-business website, then preserves its page and feature limits.
03 / Renewal matters
Introductory rates are temporary
IONOS shows $6 for year one and $14 afterward. Hostinger, Bluehost, HubSpot, Webnode, and Webador also publish renewal or list-price context that appears in the dataset.
What the price buys
Which services are usually included?
Hosting is common because every platform and managed subscription needs an operating environment. Human changes, copywriting, and a specific SEO scope are much less consistent.
“SEO included” is not a standardized product. In the source pages it can mean editable metadata, an on-page foundation, local-search work, recurring content, or a broader Google Business Profile service. The workbook keeps the provider’s scope note instead of collapsing those promises into one yes/no score.
The contract question
How often do providers publish ownership terms?
Only 9 of 50 cited pages offered any clear or partial public statement about ownership or portability. Three were clear enough to cover the relevant client assets without relying on implication.
Clear / 3 offers
Specific assets named
Ben Sayers states that the site, content, data, and domain belong to the client. WolfWarden states customer-owned domain, code, and accounts. Tundra states outright website ownership and continued ownership after care ends.
Partial / 6 offers
Some portability, not the whole exit
Examples include domain and content ownership without a full file-transfer promise, code export without broader rights, or site transfers without a source-code statement.
Not stated / 41 offers
Silence is not an answer
A pricing page may be brief, and the contract may contain better terms. The correct response is to ask before signing—not to infer ownership from access to an editor or domain.
Ask who owns and can transfer the domain registration, business copy and media, analytics and ad accounts, CMS account, source files or code, design assets, licensed fonts or stock media, database export, and redirects. Then ask what happens to the live site and email when the agreement ends.
Provider-level evidence
All 50 public website offers
Every row links to the official page checked on September 1, 2026. “Not stated” means the cited public page did not answer the field; it does not assert that a private contract lacks the term.
Scroll horizontally for ownership, term, and source columns. The Excel download contains the fuller wording, renewal context, and published timeline.
| Provider / offer | Model | Public price | 12-month equivalent | Minimum cash | Pages | Included | Ownership | Term | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TeqriLaunch | Managed | $25/month; no setup fee | $300 | $25 | Up to 6 pages | hosting, human care, SEO/tooling | PartialDomain and approved business content remain client-owned; website-file transfer terms are agreed before work begins. | Month-to-month; cancel anytime | Official price page |
| SiteMonthStandard | Managed | $79/month + $399 setup | $1,347 | $478 | Up to 7 pages | hosting, human care, copy, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited page does not state ownership or transfer terms. | No contract | Official price page |
| LeadChimeSmall Business Website | Managed | $99/month; no setup fee | $1,188 | $99 | Not stated | hosting, human care, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited page does not state ownership or transfer terms. | No contracts; cancel anytime | Official price page |
| Mural City Web DesignStandard | Managed | $150/month; $0 down | $1,800 | $150 | 5 pages | hosting, human care, copy, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited page does not state ownership or website-file transfer terms. | Cancel anytime | Official price page |
| Flat6 SolutionsStandard Website | Managed | $150/month; $0 down | $1,800 | $1,800 | Up to 5 pages | hosting, human care, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited page does not state ownership or transfer terms. | 12-month partnership | Official price page |
| Pixelated Dreams Web DesignMonthly Website | Managed | $150/month; $0 down | $1,800 | $1,800 | 5 pages | hosting, human care, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited page does not state ownership or transfer terms for the subscription. | 12-month minimum | Official price page |
| PurePixel CreativeMonthly Website Care | Managed | $150/month | $1,800 | $900 | 5 pages | hosting, human care, copy, SEO/tooling | Not statedFull ownership is stated for the separate one-time offer, not for this monthly offer. | 6-month minimum; then month-to-month | Official price page |
| Porchlight WebMonthly Custom Website | Managed | $150/month; $0 down | $1,800 | $150 | Not stated | hosting, human care, SEO/tooling | Not statedFull ownership is stated for the separate lump-sum offer, not for this monthly offer. | Minimum term not stated on cited pricing page | Official price page |
| Lovett Web DesignMonthly Web Design Package | Managed | $500 once + $129/month | $2,048 | $629 | Not stated | hosting, human care | Not statedThe cited package does not state ownership or transfer terms. | No contract required | Official price page |
| SleekPixelWebHobby | Managed | $1,200 upfront + $29/month | $1,548 | $2,244 | 5 pages | hosting, human care, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited plan does not state ownership or transfer terms. | Three-year commitment | Official price page |
| Ben Sayers LLCSignal | Fixed project | Starting at $1,500 | $1,500 | $1,500 | 1 to 10 pages | SEO/tooling | ClearThe source states that the site, content, data, and domain remain the client's. | Cancel anytime; pay only for completed work | Official price page |
| CalTech WebAll-Inclusive Monthly Plan | Managed | $99/month; no setup fee | $1,188 | $99 | Not stated | hosting, human care | Not statedThe cited page does not state ownership or transfer terms. | No contracts; cancel anytime | Official price page |
| Pikes Peak Web DesignsMonthly Subscription | Managed | $175/month; $0 design deposit | $2,100 | $2,100 | Up to 10 content pages | hosting, human care, SEO/tooling | PartialPublic resources discuss ownership, but the cited pricing section does not provide a complete file/domain transfer statement. | 12-month minimum; then cancel with 30 days' notice | Official price page |
| Clear Springs Web DesignMonthly Care | Managed | $175/month; $0 down | $2,100 | $2,100 | Not stated | hosting, human care | Not statedThe subscription section does not state ownership or transfer terms. | 12-month minimum | Official price page |
| Port Web DesignStarboard | Managed | $150/month + $25/year domain | $1,825 | $925 | 5 pages | hosting, human care, copy, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited plan does not state ownership or transfer terms. | 6-month minimum; then month-to-month and cancel anytime | Official price page |
| RidgePoint Web DesignsMonthly | Managed | $175/month; $0 upfront | $2,100 | $175 | 5 pages before per-page fees | hosting, human care, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited page does not state ownership or transfer terms. | Minimum term not stated on cited page | Official price page |
| Launch It LocallyMonthly | Managed | $199/month; $0 down | $2,388 | $2,388 | 5 pages before per-page fees | hosting, human care, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited page does not state ownership or transfer terms. | 12-month agreement | Official price page |
| My SMB WebsiteWebsite + Management + Hosting | Managed | $99/month | $1,188 | $99 | Up to 5 pages | hosting, human care | Not statedThe cited page does not state ownership or transfer terms. | Minimum term not stated on cited page | Official price page |
| LoclwebStarter - annual billing | Managed | $44/month billed yearly + $399 signup | $927 | $927 | Up to 5 pages | hosting, human care | Not statedThe cited page does not state ownership or transfer terms. | Annual billing selected | Official price page |
| Goliath WebsWebsite Membership | Managed | $99/month; no setup fee | $1,188 | $99 | Not stated | hosting, human care, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited page does not state ownership or transfer terms. | No contracts; cancel anytime | Official price page |
| Cannone MarketingOwner's Plan | Managed | $199 setup + $49/month | $787 | $248 | 15 to 25+ pages described | hosting, human care, copy, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited page does not state ownership or transfer terms. | No long-term contracts | Official price page |
| WolfWardenGuarded | Managed | $500 setup + $99/month | $1,688 | $599 | 5 pages | hosting, human care | ClearThe public offer states customer-owned domain, code, and accounts. | Minimum term not stated on cited page | Official price page |
| The Local SEOsWebsite + Hosting + Foundations SEO | Managed | $146/month total; no design fee | $1,752 | $876 | 5 pages | hosting, human care, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited page does not state ownership or transfer terms. | 6-month commitment | Official price page |
| Cuyahoga DigitalMonthly | Managed | $175/month; $0 down | $2,100 | $175 | 5 pages before per-page fees | hosting, human care, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited page does not state ownership or transfer terms. | Minimum term not stated on cited page | Official price page |
| Tango Web DesignsMonthly | Managed | $175/month; $0 down | $2,100 | $2,100 | 5 pages before per-page fees | hosting, human care, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited plan does not state ownership or transfer terms. | 12-month minimum | Official price page |
| Area Code TechnologiesManaged Website | Managed | Starts at $199/month; $0 down | $2,388 | $199 | Not stated | hosting, human care, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited page does not state ownership or transfer terms. | Minimum term not stated on cited page | Official price page |
| InsemanticLanding Page | Fixed project | Starting at $1,900 | $1,900 | $1,900 | 1 page | SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited pricing article does not state ownership or transfer terms for the entry offer. | Fixed quote | Official price page |
| Tundra CreativeStarter Website Design | Fixed project | Flat $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | Up to 5 pages | SEO/tooling | ClearThe page states that the client owns the website outright and keeps it if care is canceled. | One-time project; optional care can be canceled anytime | Official price page |
| Darling Web ServicesMonthly | Managed | $150/month; $0 down | $1,800 | $900 | Not stated | hosting, human care, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited page does not state ownership or transfer terms. | 6-month minimum | Official price page |
| Studio 3 ElmSquarespace Website Design Package | Fixed project | Starts at $2,500 | $2,500 | $2,500 | Up to 5 pages | SEO/tooling | PartialTraining and client editing are described, but source-file and account ownership are not fully stated. | Fixed project | Official price page |
| WixLight | DIY platform | $17.77/month billed yearly on captured page | $213.24 | $213.24 | Not stated | hosting, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited pricing page does not summarize content export or portability. | Annual subscription | Official price page |
| SquarespaceBasic | DIY platform | $16/month billed annually | $192 | $192 | Not stated | hosting, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited pricing page does not summarize content export or portability. | Annual or monthly subscriptions available | Official price page |
| ShopifyBasic | DIY platform | $29/month billed yearly | $348 | $348 | Not stated | hosting, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited pricing page does not summarize theme, code, or content portability. | Annual billing selected | Official price page |
| WebflowBasic Site Plan | DIY platform | $15/month billed yearly | $180 | $180 | 300 static pages; no CMS | hosting, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited site-plan page does not summarize code export or portability. | Annual billing selected | Official price page |
| WordPress.comPersonal | DIY platform | $4/month billed yearly | $48 | $48 | Not stated | hosting, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited pricing page does not summarize export or portability. | Annual billing selected | Official price page |
| GoDaddyWebsite Builder Basic | DIY platform | $9.99/month with annual plan | $119.88 | $119.88 | Not stated | hosting, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited pricing page does not summarize site export or portability. | Annual billing selected; monthly option available | Official price page |
| HostingerPremium | DIY platform | $2.99/month with 48-month purchase | $35.88 | $143.52 | Up to 3 websites | hosting, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited pricing page does not summarize site export or portability. | 48-month promotional purchase | Official price page |
| IONOSWebsite Builder Starter | DIY platform | $6/month for year one | $72 | $72 | Not stated | hosting, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited pricing page does not summarize site export or portability. | One-year term | Official price page |
| DudaBasic | DIY platform | $19/month billed annually | $228 | $228 | 1 published site | hosting, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited pricing page does not summarize site export or portability. | Annual billing selected | Official price page |
| FramerBasic | DIY platform | $10/month billed yearly | $120 | $120 | 30 pages | hosting, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited pricing page does not summarize site export or portability. | Annual billing selected | Official price page |
| DorikPersonal - one-year plan | DIY platform | $20.75/month; $249 billed annually | $249 | $249 | 25 pages | hosting, SEO/tooling | PartialThe pricing comparison explicitly lists code export, but broader platform and asset rights require the service terms. | Annual billing selected | Official price page |
| StrikinglyLimited | DIY platform | $8/month billed yearly | $96 | $96 | Up to 5 pages on each of 2 Limited sites | hosting, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited pricing page does not summarize export or portability. | Annual billing selected | Official price page |
| HubSpotContent Hub Starter - promotional annual price | DIY platform | $7/month per seat billed annually | $84 | $84 | Website and landing-page limits vary by feature | hosting, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited pricing page does not summarize content export or portability. | Annual billing selected; promotional new-customer price | Official price page |
| SITE123Premium custom-domain plan | DIY platform | As low as $10.80/month on annual plan | $129.60 | $129.60 | Not stated | hosting, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited pricing page does not summarize site export or portability. | Annual plan paid upfront | Official price page |
| DurableLaunch - annual billing | DIY platform | $22/month billed annually | $264 | $264 | Unlimited AI-generated pages | hosting, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited pricing page does not summarize site export or portability. | Annual billing selected; $25 monthly option shown | Official price page |
| WebnodeLimited | DIY platform | $4.50/month billed annually | $54 | $54 | Not stated | hosting, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe pricing page describes domain connection but not site export or portability. | Minimum one-year purchase | Official price page |
| ElementorHost Cloud | DIY platform | $15/month; $180 billed annually | $180 | $180 | 1 WordPress website | hosting, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited pricing page does not summarize migration or portability rights. | Annual billing | Official price page |
| BluehostStarter | DIY platform | $3.99/month for 36 months | $47.88 | $143.64 | Up to 10 websites | hosting, SEO/tooling | Not statedThe cited pricing page does not summarize site export or portability. | 36-month promotional purchase | Official price page |
| CarrdPro Standard | DIY platform | $19/year | $19 | $19 | 10 one-page sites | hosting, SEO/tooling | PartialThe pricing page lists site transfers, but it does not provide a full source-code or asset-rights statement. | Annual purchase; auto-renew or pay as you go | Official price page |
| WebadorPro - standard annual rate | DIY platform | $10.50/month billed annually | $126 | $126 | Unlimited pages under fair-use policy | hosting, SEO/tooling | PartialThe source says the domain and uploaded content remain the customer's; full website export is not stated. | Annual billing; monthly option has one-month notice | Official price page |
Audit the calculations or filter the provider rows.
The workbook includes a formula-driven summary, all 50 records, source URLs, definitions, renewal context, and the disclosed ownership language. Raw JSON is available for analysis or reuse.
Reproducible method
How was the website pricing benchmark built?
The research favors auditability over a claim of market-wide precision. Every included number can be traced to an official public source.
01 / Include
Public numeric USD price
A qualifying offer had to publish a number on the provider’s own site, be sold to U.S. buyers, and be capable of publishing a custom-domain small-business website.
02 / Select
One entry offer per provider
We selected the lowest qualifying public offer, not every tier. Free subdomain-only plans, quote-only providers, and third-party estimates were excluded.
03 / Normalize
Preserve both cost views
First-year equivalent equals setup or build fee plus 12 recurring payments and mandatory annual fees. Minimum cash reflects the stated billing or contract commitment.
04 / Code inclusions
Only count explicit language
Hosting, human maintenance, copywriting, SEO scope, domain terms, pages, and timeline were recorded from the cited page. Missing language stayed missing.
05 / Grade disclosure
Clear, partial, or not stated
The ownership label describes the public disclosure, not the legal quality of a private agreement. “Clear” required a meaningful asset and exit statement.
06 / Calculate
Use inclusive quartiles
Medians and the middle 50% use the sorted within-model first-year equivalents and inclusive quartiles, matching the formulas in the workbook.
Limitations: transparent-price providers may differ from quote-only firms; public pages can change after capture; starting offers vary in complexity; no independent purchase was made; and no private contract was reviewed. This dataset compares disclosed offers, not final negotiated invoices.
Source ledger
Official pages used in the benchmark
All sources were checked on September 1, 2026. The provider table preserves the source tied to each row.
- 1. Teqri — Public Launch plan and service terms.
- 2. SiteMonth — Standard managed website plan.
- 3. LeadChime — Website, hosting, maintenance, lead tools, and changes by text.
- 4. Mural City Web Design — Five-page custom-coded subscription.
- 5. Flat6 Solutions — Custom-coded five-page plan.
- 6. Pixelated Dreams Web Design — Five-page managed website plan.
- 7. PurePixel Creative — Five-page subscription with hosting, copywriting, SEO, and updates.
- 8. Porchlight Web — Monthly custom website with hosting, security, edits, and support.
- 9. Lovett Web Design — Monthly custom WordPress package with hosting and maintenance.
- 10. SleekPixelWeb — Five-page design, hosting, booking, support, and lifetime updates.
- 11. Ben Sayers LLC — Custom ProcessWire project with explicit total-cost and ownership language.
- 12. CalTech Web — Custom design, hosting, SSL, unlimited updates, redesigns, and support.
- 13. Pikes Peak Web Designs — Custom-coded site, hosting, SSL, SEO foundation, updates, blog, and direct support.
- 14. Clear Springs Web Design — Design, development, hosting, and unlimited edits.
- 15. Port Web Design — Fully populated five-page website, hosting, unlimited edits, backups, scans, and support.
- 16. RidgePoint Web Designs — Hand-coded design, hosting, unlimited edits, and support.
- 17. Launch It Locally — Custom-coded five-page site, hosting, unlimited updates, and support.
- 18. My SMB Website — Custom design, hosting, management, and updates.
- 19. Loclweb — Turnkey site, hosting, SSL, domain, reports, and minor updates.
- 20. Goliath Webs — Design, hosting, maintenance, SEO foundation, AI optimization, and updates.
- 21. Cannone Marketing — Managed website and local visibility bundle.
- 22. WolfWarden — Five-page build or migration, hosting, security, monitoring, and one update hour monthly.
- 23. The Local SEOs — Five-page custom site bundled with hosting and recurring local SEO.
- 24. Cuyahoga Digital — Full launch, hosting, unlimited content updates, and priority support.
- 25. Tango Web Designs — Design, development, hosting, unlimited edits, support, and lifetime updates.
- 26. Area Code Technologies — Custom build, hosting, security, and unlimited updates.
- 27. Insemantic — Public fixed quotes: landing page $1,900; multi-page site $2,900.
- 28. Tundra Creative — Custom-coded five-page starter site with explicit ownership language.
- 29. Darling Web Services — Custom code, hosting, edits, updates, design, development, and support.
- 30. Studio 3 Elm — Custom Squarespace design, five pages, SEO, integrations, and training.
- 31. Wix — USD reference price shown; final price varies by billing location.
- 32. Squarespace — Basic annual website plan; prices can be localized at checkout.
- 33. Shopify — Basic ecommerce plan before payment-processing and app fees.
- 34. Webflow — Basic custom-domain site plan with hosting and forms.
- 35. WordPress.com — Personal plan with hosting and 6 GB storage.
- 36. GoDaddy — Website, templates, domain, email, analytics, and basic marketing.
- 37. Hostinger — Promotional monthly equivalent; full 48-month checkout recorded separately.
- 38. IONOS — Starter plan with domain, email, storage, and builder.
- 39. Duda — One-site Basic plan.
- 40. Framer — Basic site with CMS collections, bandwidth, and hosting.
- 41. Dorik — One-year Personal plan; cheaper two-year promotion excluded from selected offer.
- 42. Strikingly — Branding remains on Limited plan; Pro removes it.
- 43. HubSpot — Promotional Starter price; regular catalog price recorded as renewal context.
- 44. SITE123 — Lowest publicly stated custom-domain annual plan.
- 45. Durable — Launch plan with hosting, CRM, booking, and AI features.
- 46. Webnode — Entry custom-domain plan retains Webnode branding.
- 47. Elementor — Managed WordPress hosting, backups, updates, security, and base Elementor builder.
- 48. Bluehost — Promotional monthly equivalent; full 36-month checkout recorded separately.
- 49. Carrd — One-page site platform with forms, embeds, analytics, and custom domains.
- 50. Webador — Expired August promotion excluded; standard Pro annual rate used.
Questions and definitions
Website pricing benchmark FAQ
What is the median small business website price in this benchmark?
Among the 26 managed subscriptions, the median advertised rate is $150 per month and the median 12-month equivalent is $1,800. Among the four fixed-price entry projects, the median build price is $1,950. Among the 20 DIY platforms, the median annualized price is $123. These medians describe this public-price sample, not the entire U.S. market.
Why does the benchmark separate first-year equivalent from minimum commitment cash?
A monthly-equivalent promotion can require 36 or 48 months of payment upfront. First-year equivalent makes 12 months of service comparable, while minimum commitment cash shows the stated checkout or contract obligation.
Does a low published price include website ownership?
Not necessarily. Only 9 of 50 cited pages gave any clear or partial ownership or portability statement, and only 3 were classified as clear. Buyers should get domain, content, account, website-file, code, and exit terms in writing.
Are these 50 providers representative of every U.S. website provider?
No. This is a purposeful convenience sample of providers that publish numeric prices in U.S. dollars. Quote-only agencies and private proposals are absent, so the results should be used as a transparent comparison set rather than a market census.
What costs are excluded from the benchmark?
Taxes, payment-processing fees, optional apps, optional care plans, paid themes, stock media, premium domains, and add-ons are excluded unless the selected offer requires them and publishes the amount.
Can I download the provider-level data?
Yes. Teqri publishes the 50-row dataset as an Excel workbook and as raw JSON. Both include the capture date, official source URL, price normalization, included services, ownership disclosure, contract language, and limitations.