Short answer: in 2026 a simple website for a small business in India costs from about ₹1,200 to ₹8,000 a year on a website builder, ₹10,000 to ₹40,000 one time from a freelancer, and ₹50,000 to ₹1,50,000 or more from an agency. Add ₹800 to ₹1,500 a year for the domain and, for anything not on a builder, ₹3,000 to ₹8,000 a year for hosting. These numbers are what owners in Ahmedabad, Surat, Pune or Coimbatore are quoted for a 5 to 10 page site for a shop, clinic, salon or service business. The first quote is rarely the real price, though. This guide shows what each route costs over three years, the costs that are usually left out, and how to choose without paying for things you will never use.
01Website cost in India at a glance
Most published price guides give a single wide range. That does not help you plan, because the build is only one part of the cost. Here is the same question split by route, with the first year and the next years shown apart.
- Website builder (do it yourself): no build fee. ₹1,200 to ₹8,000 a year for the plan, depending on the builder, plus the domain.
- Freelancer: ₹10,000 to ₹40,000 one time for a 5 to 10 page site. Then ₹3,000 to ₹8,000 a year for hosting and domain, plus a fee for each change.
- Small agency: ₹50,000 to ₹1,50,000 one time. Many add a yearly maintenance contract, often ₹25,000 or more a year.
- WordPress on your own: ₹3,000 to ₹8,000 a year for hosting and domain, ₹0 to ₹10,000 for a theme and plugins, and many hours of your own time.
- Online shop with payments: a different budget. Agency-built shops are often quoted at ₹1,50,000 and above.
02What are you actually paying for?
Every website, however it is built, is made of the same five parts. When you compare quotes, check that each one is covered and who pays for it.
- The domain name (yourbusiness.in or .com): paid every year to a registrar. This is your address. It must be registered in your name.
- Hosting: the server that keeps the site online. Included in a website builder plan. Paid separately for WordPress or a custom site.
- The build: design, pages, text and photos placed on the site. Free on a builder if you do it yourself, paid to a freelancer or agency.
- HTTPS (the padlock): free on most builders and hosts today. Do not pay extra for a basic certificate.
- Upkeep: changes to prices, timings, photos and offers, plus updates and backups. This is the cost most owners forget.
03How much does a domain cost in India?
A .in domain usually renews at ₹500 to ₹1,000 a year. A .com usually renews at ₹800 to ₹1,600 a year. GST at 18% is added at checkout.
The trap is the first-year offer. Registrars often sell a .com for ₹1 or ₹199 in year one, then renew it at the full price. That is normal, but plan for the renewal, not the offer.
- Pick .in if your customers are in India and the .com is taken. It is shorter to say and cheaper to keep.
- Register it for two or three years if you can. You avoid a lapse if a reminder email is missed.
- Register it in your own name and email, never the designer's. Our website ownership checklist shows how to check.
04What does a website builder cost?
A website builder bundles hosting, HTTPS and an editor into one monthly or yearly plan. You pick a template, change the words and photos and publish. There is no build fee, because you do the build.
Builder prices vary a lot. International builders price their plans in tiers, and the cheapest tier may not let you connect your own domain. Check the rupee price, the renewal price and what the plan includes. We compared the main options in OREYM vs Wix vs WordPress.
OREYM, which we make, is priced for local businesses: ₹150, ₹200 or ₹250 a month, or ₹1,200, ₹1,400 or ₹1,500 a year. Every plan includes your own domain connection, free HTTPS, the visual editor, a digital business card and an inquiry form inbox. The domain itself is bought from a registrar. See the pricing page for each plan.
- Good for: shops, clinics, salons, restaurants, gyms, trades and service businesses that want to change their own prices and photos.
- Not ideal for: a large online shop with payments, or a site with custom features such as logins or bookings tied to your software.
05What does a freelancer charge for a website?
A freelance web designer in India usually charges ₹10,000 to ₹40,000 for a 5 to 10 page business site. Very experienced designers charge more. Quotes under ₹8,000 often mean a ready template with your name on it, which can be fine if you know that is what you are buying.
The build fee is the visible part. Ask about the rest before you agree:
- Hosting and domain: are they in the quote, and for how long? Who renews them in year two?
- Changes after launch: many freelancers charge ₹500 to ₹2,000 for each update, or a monthly retainer.
- Logins: will you get the admin login, the hosting login and the domain login?
- What happens if they get busy: freelancers move on. If only they can edit the site, it freezes the day they stop answering.
A freelancer is a good choice for a custom look on a fair budget. Agree on the handover in writing first.
06What does an agency charge?
A small web agency usually quotes ₹50,000 to ₹1,50,000 for a business website, and more for an online shop or custom features. You pay for a team: a designer, a developer, sometimes a writer and a photographer, and a project manager.
- Worth it when: you need custom design, original photos and copy, integrations with your software, or a large site in several languages.
- Watch for: a maintenance contract that costs more each year than a builder plan costs over five years, and a site that only the agency can edit.
- Ask for: the year-two price in writing, a list of what maintenance covers, and the domain registered in your name.
07Is WordPress free? What it really costs
The WordPress software is free. Running a site with it is not. You pay for hosting and a domain, often ₹3,000 to ₹8,000 a year together, plus any paid theme or plugins, which can run from ₹0 to ₹10,000 or more.
The larger cost is time. WordPress needs updates to the core, the theme and every plugin, plus backups and security checks. If you do it yourself, budget an hour or two a month. If a developer does it, that is a maintenance fee.
09The 3-year cost: each route side by side
One-time prices hide the real difference between routes. Here is a rough three-year total for a typical 5 to 10 page site for a local business, before GST, with an average of one or two changes a month.
- OREYM (yearly plan): ₹3,600 to ₹4,500 for the plan, plus about ₹1,500 to ₹4,500 for the domain. Total: about ₹5,000 to ₹9,000. You make the changes yourself.
- Other website builders: plan prices vary widely. Work out three years at the renewal price, add the domain and any paid apps.
- WordPress, done yourself: ₹9,000 to ₹24,000 for hosting and domain, up to ₹10,000 for theme and plugins. Total: about ₹9,000 to ₹34,000, plus your time.
- Freelancer: ₹10,000 to ₹40,000 build, ₹9,000 to ₹24,000 hosting and domain, ₹10,000 to ₹30,000 for changes. Total: about ₹30,000 to ₹95,000.
- Agency with maintenance: ₹50,000 to ₹1,50,000 build, plus ₹50,000 or more for two years of maintenance. Total: about ₹1,00,000 to ₹2,50,000 or more.
None of these is wrong. A clinic chain or a brand with custom needs gets real value from an agency. A salon or a hardware store that changes its offers every week usually gets more from a site it can edit itself.
10How much website does your business actually need?
Most local businesses need fewer pages than they are sold. Start with what a customer needs to decide to call you.
- Shop or showroom: home, products or categories, offers, location with map and timings, contact. 4 to 6 pages.
- Clinic or doctor: home, doctors and qualifications, treatments, timings, location, appointment request. See our clinic website guide.
- Restaurant or café: menu with prices, photos, location, timings, order on WhatsApp. See direct orders without commission.
- Salon, gym or studio: services and prices, team, photos, reviews, booking enquiry.
- Trades (AC repair, plumber, electrician): services, areas you cover, a call button and a short enquiry form.
Every one of these needs the same local basics: your name, address and phone number written the same way as on your Google Business Profile, a map, opening hours, and call and WhatsApp buttons. Those matter more for getting found on Google than the number of pages.
11Seven ways to spend less without getting a worse site
- Start small. Launch five good pages. Add more when customers ask for them.
- Write your own text. You know your customers' questions better than anyone. Short and clear beats long and clever.
- Use your own phone photos of the shop, the team and real work. They build more trust than stock photos and cost nothing.
- Pay yearly where the yearly price is lower, and register the domain for several years.
- Edit it yourself. If you change prices or offers often, a site you can edit saves a fee every month.
- Skip what you do not need: a blog you will not update, a chat bot, animations, ten service pages for three services.
- Compare year-two prices, not launch prices. Ask every supplier for them in writing.
12Ten questions to ask before you pay anyone
Send these to every designer, agency or builder you are considering. Good suppliers answer them quickly.
- What is the total for year one, including domain, hosting and GST?
- What will I pay in year two and year three?
- Is the domain registered in my name and email?
- Will I get every login: domain, hosting and the site admin?
- Can I change text, prices and photos myself? Show me how.
- What does each change cost if you make it?
- What exactly does maintenance include, and what is extra?
- Does the site work well on a phone? Show me on your phone.
- Are the photos and fonts licensed for my business?
- If I leave, what do I receive, and how long does it take?
13So which route should you choose?
- Budget under ₹10,000 for three years, and you can spend an afternoon: a website builder made for local business.
- You want a custom look and have ₹15,000 to ₹40,000: a good freelancer, with the domain in your name and the logins handed over.
- You need custom features, many pages or a brand launch: an agency, with year-two costs in writing.
- You have a developer on hand: WordPress.
- You only need a link to share today: a digital business card, then a full site later.
If you are unsure, try before you pay. OREYM has a 7-day free trial: pick a template, put in your own name, photos and prices, and see how it looks on your phone. Then decide whether the quote in your inbox is worth the difference.
Common questions
How much does a website cost for a small business in India?
In 2026, about ₹1,200 to ₹8,000 a year on a website builder, ₹10,000 to ₹40,000 one time from a freelancer, or ₹50,000 to ₹1,50,000 or more from an agency. Add about ₹800 to ₹1,500 a year for the domain, and hosting if you are not on a builder.
What is the cheapest way to get a business website in India?
A website builder plan with your own domain, built by you from a template. Over three years this usually costs less than ₹10,000 in total, and you can change it yourself at no extra cost.
How much does website maintenance cost per year in India?
From nothing extra on a builder you edit yourself, to ₹500 to ₹2,000 per change from a freelancer, to ₹25,000 a year or more for an agency maintenance contract. Ask what is included before you sign.
Is GST charged on website development in India?
Yes. A GST-registered supplier usually charges 18% GST on website design, development and hosting. Domains also carry GST at checkout. Ask whether a quote includes GST.
How much does a domain name cost in India?
A .in domain usually renews at ₹500 to ₹1,000 a year and a .com at ₹800 to ₹1,600, plus GST. First-year offers can be as low as ₹1, so check the renewal price before you buy.
Is a ₹5,000 website worth it?
It can be, if it is a template site that works well on a phone, the domain is in your name and you get the logins. Ask what renewal and changes cost, because a cheap build with expensive changes costs more over time.
Written by Sahil Patel
Product & growth, OREYM
Sahil works with shop owners, clinics and service businesses across India on getting found online and turning visitors into enquiries.
