The honest answer: it depends, but not randomly
Search for website prices and you will find everything: free builders, offers for 500 francs and quotes above 50,000 francs. That feels confusing, but there is a simple reason. A website is not a product with a list price, it is a service. The price reflects how much work actually goes into it.
Since we find it tedious ourselves that hardly any agency publishes its prices, we do it differently here: with an honest overview of the market and our own numbers.
The three typical routes and their prices
- DIY website builder (Wix, Squarespace, Jimdo): around 20 to 40 francs per month, plus your own time. And that time is usually underestimated. A weekend is rarely enough, several weeks on the side is more realistic.
- Freelancer: usually 500 to 2,000 francs depending on experience and scope. A good fit for small projects if you provide copy and photos yourself and can live with a template.
- Agency: this is where the range is widest. Many agencies charge 10,000 to 25,000 francs and more for an SME website. It can be done differently though, our own numbers follow right below.
Our prices, in concrete terms
We work with fixed package prices instead of open-ended hourly estimates. As of today it looks like this:
- Landing page: CHF 950. One landing page plus a contact page, for example for a campaign or a focused presence.
- Website without CMS: CHF 3,500. Unlimited pages and unlimited design iterations within the project, custom-built instead of a builder template.
- Website with Payload CMS: CHF 4,500. Adds a CMS so you can edit copy, images, pages and blog yourself. Our most popular package.
- Online shop: from CHF 6,500. With product management, cart, checkout and payment provider integration.
All prices exclude VAT. Hosting is 25 to 50 francs per month depending on the package and can be cancelled anytime. Technical SEO and GEO foundations are always included, because a website without visibility misses its purpose. Details are on our web design page.
What actually drives the price
Why do other agencies charge three to five times as much for similar projects? And why is a freelancer cheaper? These factors usually decide it:
- Content: who writes the copy, who provides photos? Content is often the biggest hidden effort, with every provider.
- Design: an adapted template is cheaper than a custom design. We build custom, but keep the process lean, among other things with AI-supported tooling.
- Features: online booking, multiple languages, a shop or integrations with existing systems cost extra everywhere.
- Agency structure: large teams, project management and extra layers cost money. You pay for that overhead without the website getting any better.
Do not forget the running costs
Launch day is not the end. A .ch domain regularly costs around 10 to 20 francs per year. Watch the renewal price, not the first-year promotional rate. On top of that comes hosting. Systems with licence fees cost extra for the CMS. We deliberately build on Payload CMS, whose open source core carries no licence fees. You still pay for hosting, database, storage and maintenance, and optional enterprise services cost extra too. The difference is not free versus expensive, it is predictable versus dependent on one vendor's price list.
Which route is worth it when
If your website mainly needs to exist, say for a club or a hobby project, a website builder will serve you well. You do not need an agency for that.
It is different when the website is supposed to bring in enquiries and customers. Then it is not a cost, it is a sales tool, and the question shifts: not what does the website cost, but what does it earn. You can see what that looks like in our case studies.
Common questions about website costs
What does a professional SME website cost?
With us, 3,500 francs without CMS or 4,500 francs with CMS, each with unlimited pages. At many other agencies, comparable projects start at 10,000 francs. Never compare the price alone, always compare what is included.
What does a website cost per month?
Domain and hosting together are around 30 to 70 francs per month. With us, hosting is 25 to 50 francs depending on the package, cancellable anytime and without hidden subscription costs.
Why do prices vary so much?
Because the same word covers very different services and structures. A 500 franc offer is usually a template with your copy dropped in. A 20,000 franc project often also pays for project management and agency overhead. What matters is what reaches you: structure, design, tech and visibility.