You’ve been quoted anything from £3k to £50k for a website. Here’s what you’re actually buying at each price point.
Most agencies split websites into three broad tiers: marketing sites, content-managed sites, and web applications. Below are the approximate ranges, what each band includes, and what it leaves out.
1. Marketing site – £4,500–£8,000
A marketing site is a static brochure: 5–10 pages, a contact form, and basic styling that matches your brand. It’s built on a template or a lightweight framework like Next.js or Gatsby.
What’s included
- 5–10 static pages (Home, About, Services, Contact, Blog index)
- Mobile-responsive CSS
- Contact form with email submission
- Basic SEO: meta titles, descriptions, sitemap.xml, robots.txt
- Hosting setup on Vercel, Netlify, or a shared VPS
- One round of content population (you supply the copy and images)
- One round of design revisions (usually 2–3 mockups)
What’s excluded
- Content creation (copywriting, photography, video)
- Ongoing content updates after launch
- Analytics setup beyond Google Analytics 4 tag
- GDPR cookie banner or consent management
- Integration with CRM, email marketing, or payment gateways
- Custom illustrations or animations
- Discovery phase (see below)
Who it’s for Start-ups, local trades, and small service businesses that need a digital presence but don’t plan to update content weekly.
2. Content-managed site – £9,000–£25,000
A content-managed site lets you edit pages, publish blogs, and manage media without touching code. It runs on a headless CMS like Sanity, Contentful, or a traditional system like WordPress or Craft.
What’s included
- 10–20 pages, including dynamic content types (blog, case studies, team bios)
- Custom design system (colours, typography, spacing) built in Figma
- Headless CMS with user roles (Editor, Admin)
- Image optimisation and CDN delivery
- GDPR-compliant cookie consent
- Basic analytics dashboard (Google Looker Studio or Plausible)
- Integration with one external service (e.g., Mailchimp, HubSpot)
- Two rounds of content population (agency supplies placeholder copy)
- Two rounds of design revisions
- One round of QA and bug fixes post-launch
- Hosting on a managed platform (Vercel, AWS Amplify, or a UK-based VPS)
What’s excluded
- Custom functionality (e.g., calculators, booking systems, membership areas)
- Advanced SEO beyond technical setup (ongoing content or link-building)
- Multi-language support
- User-generated content or community features
- Discovery phase (see below)
- Ongoing maintenance or security updates after launch
Why the range is so wide At £9k you get a template-based CMS with minimal design customisation. At £25k you get a fully bespoke design system, custom content types, and integration with two or three external services (e.g., CRM + email + payment).
3. Web application – £12,000–£50,000+
A web application is a dynamic tool: user accounts, dashboards, data processing, or API integrations. Examples include booking platforms, SaaS products, or internal tools.
What’s included
- User authentication (sign-up, login, password reset)
- Database design and API endpoints
- Custom business logic (e.g., pricing calculators, workflows)
- Admin dashboard for managing users and content
- Integration with third-party APIs (Stripe, Google Maps, etc.)
- Automated testing (unit, integration, end-to-end)
- CI/CD pipeline (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI)
- Hosting on AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure (UK region)
- Security audit (OWASP Top 10, UK GDPR compliance)
- Two rounds of user testing (moderated or unmoderated)
What’s excluded
- Mobile app (see below)
- Ongoing server costs (can be £50–£500/month depending on traffic)
- Content creation or marketing
- Legal review (terms, privacy policy, data processing agreements)
- Discovery phase (see below)
Who it’s for Businesses that need more than a brochure: e-commerce beyond Shopify, membership sites, or tools that automate internal processes.
4. Mobile and cross-platform apps – £15,000–£45,000
Mobile apps are built for iOS (Swift) and Android (Kotlin). Cross-platform apps use React Native or Flutter to target both from a single codebase.
| Feature | Mobile (native) | Cross-platform |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | £25,000–£50,000 | £22,000–£45,000 |
| Development time | 4–6 months | 3–5 months |
| Performance | Native speed | Near-native |
| App Store approval | Separate submissions | Single submission |
| Maintenance | Two codebases | One codebase |
What’s included
- App Store and Play Store submission
- Push notifications
- Offline mode (if applicable)
- Analytics (Firebase or Mixpanel)
- Crash reporting (Sentry)
- One round of user testing
What’s excluded
- Backend API (usually a separate web application)
- Ongoing App Store fees (£85/year for Apple, £20 one-off for Google)
- Marketing or ASO (App Store Optimisation)
- Discovery phase
Why two agencies can quote £8k and £25k for the same brief
Design effort A £8k site uses a pre-built template with minor colour changes. A £25k site starts with a blank Figma file, includes mood boards, user flows, and three rounds of revisions.
CMS choice WordPress with Elementor is cheaper than a headless CMS like Sanity or Contentful, which require custom front-end code.
Integration scope A £9k site might send form submissions to email. A £25k site integrates with HubSpot, sends SMS confirmations, and syncs with a payment gateway.
Testing and QA A £4.5k site is tested by the developer. A £25k site includes automated tests, cross-browser checks, and a dedicated QA engineer for two weeks.
Hosting and infrastructure A £4.5k site runs on shared hosting. A £25k site uses a managed Kubernetes cluster with auto-scaling, backups, and a CDN.
Discovery phase Discovery is a paid phase (£3k–£6k) where the agency maps user journeys, technical constraints, and business goals. It prevents scope creep later. Some agencies include it in the quote; others charge separately. If it’s not mentioned, assume it’s not included.
What you’re really paying for
Time, not code A website isn’t a product; it’s a service. The cost covers developer hours, designer hours, project management, and overheads (insurance, tools, office space).
Risk transfer When you pay £25k, you’re paying the agency to absorb the risk of delays, bugs, and scope changes. A freelancer at £8k may not have the buffer to fix unexpected issues.
Future-proofing A £4.5k site is built to last 12–18 months. A £25k site is built to scale: modular code, documented APIs, and a CMS that non-technical staff can use for years.
Compliance UK GDPR, accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA), and cookie consent add cost. A £4.5k site may not include these; a £25k site will.
Hidden costs to budget for
| Cost | Approximate range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Content creation | £500–£5,000 | Copywriting, photography, video |
| SEO programme | £800–£2,500/month | Ongoing content and link-building |
| Maintenance | £1,000–£5,000/year | Security updates, bug fixes |
| Hosting | £10–£500/month | Shared hosting to managed Kubernetes |
| Domain and SSL | £10–£150/year | Domain registration, SSL certificate |
| CRM or email marketing | £20–£300/month | HubSpot, Mailchimp, Klaviyo |
| Legal review | £500–£2,000 | Terms, privacy policy, GDPR compliance |
How to compare quotes
Ask for a breakdown Request a line-item breakdown of design, development, project management, and testing. If an agency can’t provide one, they may not have scoped the work properly.
Check what’s excluded Look for exclusions like content, SEO, or maintenance. These can double the total cost.
Compare like with like A £12k quote for a “website” might be a marketing site with a CMS, while a £25k quote might include a booking system and CRM integration. Make sure the scope matches.
Ask about discovery If discovery isn’t included, budget an extra £3k–£6k. It’s cheaper to pay for discovery upfront than to change direction mid-project.
Check the contract Look for clauses on scope changes, payment schedules, and intellectual property. UK contracts should specify that you own the code and design files upon final payment.
Next step
If you have a brief, send it to three agencies. Ask for:
- A line-item breakdown
- A list of exclusions
- Whether discovery is included or separate
- The payment schedule (e.g., 30% upfront, 40% on delivery, 30% on launch)
Compare the responses side by side. The cheapest quote isn’t always the best value; the most expensive isn’t always the most thorough. Look for clarity, not jargon.
Frequently asked
Costs vary because of design effort, CMS choice, integration scope, testing, hosting, and whether discovery is included. A £8k site uses a template and minimal testing; a £25k site includes bespoke design, custom integrations, and thorough QA.
A £4,500 site is enough for a static brochure with 5–10 pages. It won’t include a CMS, advanced SEO, or integrations. If you need to update content regularly or sell online, budget at least £9,000.
A marketing site is static: pages are coded and can’t be edited without a developer. A content-managed site includes a CMS (like WordPress or Sanity) so you can update pages, publish blogs, and manage media yourself.
Discovery (£3k–£6k) maps user journeys, technical constraints, and business goals. It prevents scope creep and ensures the project stays on budget. Some agencies include it; others charge separately.
Freelancers or offshore agencies may quote less, but you risk poor quality, no support, and hidden costs. A £4,500 site from a UK agency includes design, development, and basic SEO.
Maintenance costs £1,000–£5,000/year for security updates, bug fixes, and hosting. Ongoing SEO or content updates cost extra (£800–£2,500/month).
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