A professionally designed small business website costs between € 5.000 and € 15.000 upfront in 2026 (Clutch, 2025). Larger agencies charge € 20.000 and more. On top of that, hosting, security, plugin updates, and content changes add € 500 to € 2.500 per month. Over three years, the true cost of ownership typically lands between € 25.000 and € 40.000. The real question is not whether these prices are fair, but whether the project model behind them still makes sense.
Those numbers come from industry surveys and reflect what competent professionals charge for competent work. The question worth asking is whether a large upfront payment followed by unpredictable maintenance costs is really the best model for your business.
Why does the project model fail?
Most businesses buy websites the same way they buy office furniture. You define what you need, get quotes, pick someone, wait for delivery, pay the invoice. Done.
The problem is that a website is not furniture. It does not stay useful just because you paid for it. Content goes stale. The business changes. Google updates its algorithm. A competitor launches something better. Six months after launch, the site that cost you € 10.000 is already drifting.
And when it needs serious updates? You are back to square one. Another brief, another round of quotes, another € 5.000 invoice. The cycle repeats every two to three years.
What does website ownership really cost?
The cost of a website is not the build. It is the build, the hosting, the maintenance, the content updates, the security patches, the performance monitoring, the support when something breaks, and the design refreshes when things look dated.
Add it up over three years:
- Project model: € 10.000 upfront + € 500/month maintenance = roughly € 28.000 over three years
- Subscription model: € 295 to € 550/month, everything included = € 10.620 to € 19.800 over three years
The subscription is not always cheaper in absolute terms. But it includes everything. No surprise invoices. No “that will be extra.” No wondering who to call when the contact form stops working on a Sunday.
When does the project model still make sense?
If you need a complex web application, an e-commerce platform with custom integrations, or a site with hundreds of pages and specific technical requirements, you need a project. Custom engineering requires custom pricing.
But most small businesses do not need that. They need five to twenty well-designed pages, a contact form, maybe a blog, fast loading times, and someone who keeps it all running. For that, paying € 10.000 upfront and then worrying about maintenance is the expensive option.
What is the real cost of a cheap website?
The alternative to professional pricing is not free. Wix and Squarespace start at € 15/month, but you are doing all the work yourself. Design, content, SEO, troubleshooting. The hours you spend clicking things together on a Saturday evening have a cost, even if it does not show up on an invoice.
According to GoDaddy, 84% of consumers consider a business with a website more credible than one with only a social media presence (GoDaddy, 2024). But “has a website” and “has a website that works” are two different things.
How does a website subscription compare?
Website subscriptions typically cost between € 200 and € 600/month. That covers design, hosting, maintenance, updates, and support in a single monthly fee. No upfront costs. No separate maintenance contract.
The math is straightforward. Over three years, a subscription costs roughly the same or less than a project website plus maintenance. The difference is that someone is actually responsible for the site every month, not just during the build.
That model is not for everyone. If you need full control over the technical stack or a highly custom application, a project makes more sense. But for a business that needs a professional online presence without the overhead of managing it, a subscription is worth considering.