A professional website in Canada costs most small businesses between about $500 and $10,000 in 2026 — a DIY builder runs roughly $15 to $50 per month, a freelancer $500 to $3,000, and an agency $1,500 to $10,000 or more. The right number depends on who builds it and what you need. The table below shows real, published prices, not 'contact us for a quote'.
Here is the honest problem with figuring out how much a website costs: almost nobody will tell you. Search 'website cost in Canada' and most agency pages send you to a contact form instead of a price. This guide does the opposite. Below are typical 2026 market ranges to sanity-check any quote you receive, plus our own fixed prices in full — so you can see what the money buys before you ever book a call. Treat the market ranges as starting points and verify current figures, since scope and provider always move the number.
How much does a website cost: DIY vs freelancer vs agency
There are really three ways to get a small-business website built in 2026, and they sit at very different price points.
DIY site builders — tools like Wix, Squarespace and similar platforms — are the cheapest entry point, at roughly $15 to $50 per month as a subscription. That fee usually bundles the software, hosting and templates. You supply the time, the words and the images.
Freelancers build a custom small-business site for roughly $500 to $3,000, depending on their experience and how many pages you need. You get a human who designs around your business, but availability and aftercare vary from one freelancer to the next.
Agencies typically charge $1,500 to $10,000 or more for a small-business site. One Markham web design firm, for example, lists web design starting around $5,000. You are paying for a team, a process and (usually) ongoing support — though, as noted, many agencies keep their exact prices behind a quote.
Our own approach sits in the agency tier but with published, fixed prices: a Starter Site at $799, a Business Website at $1,499, and a Premium / Online Store at $2,999 — one-time, no 'it depends.'
Website cost comparison table (2026)
Here are the three routes side by side, with our own tiers included as the transparent local-agency example. Market ranges are typical 2026 figures and should be verified against current quotes.
| Option | Typical cost | Best for | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY site builder | ~$15 - $50 / month | Owners with time and a very simple site | Templates, hosting and software bundled; you do the building |
| Freelancer | ~$500 - $3,000 (one-time) | A custom small site on a tight budget | A person designing around your business; aftercare varies |
| Agency (typical) | ~$1,500 - $10,000+ (one-time) | Businesses wanting a team and ongoing support | Full process and support; prices often hidden behind a quote |
| Markham Office — Starter Site | $799 (one-time) | A fast, credible first website | A clean multi-section site to get you online and found |
| Markham Office — Business Website | $1,499 (one-time) | Established local businesses | A larger, conversion-focused site with more pages |
| Markham Office — Premium / Online Store | $2,999 (one-time) | Selling products online | A complete small-business store with checkout |
What's included at each price
Price only means something once you know what it covers.
At the DIY end, your monthly fee buys software and hosting — the design, copywriting and upkeep are on you. It is genuinely cheap in dollars and genuinely expensive in hours.
With a freelancer, the fee usually covers design and build of an agreed number of pages. Ask up front what happens after launch: are edits included, who hosts the site, and what does a future change cost?
With an agency, you are buying a process — discovery, design, build, testing and often support — which is why the range is wide. Our fixed tiers spell this out: the $799 Starter Site is a clean, credible multi-section site to get a new business online and findable; the $1,499 Business Website adds pages and a sharper focus on turning visitors into enquiries; and the $2,999 Premium / Online Store is a complete small-business shop with product pages and checkout. Need a little more? Extra pages are $149 each, a logo and brand kit is $299, and professional photos start at $249 — each priced on its own, so the bill never becomes a mystery.
One-time vs ongoing: hosting, domain and maintenance
The single most common surprise in website pricing is the difference between building the site and keeping it running.
The build is usually a one-time cost. You pay once to have the site designed and launched, and that price — our $799, $1,499 or $2,999 — is done.
The ongoing costs are the recurring pieces that keep the site live and healthy:
- Domain name — your web address, typically about $15 to $25 per year.
- Hosting — the server your site lives on. DIY builders fold this into their monthly subscription; with a freelancer or agency you usually arrange it separately.
- Maintenance — software updates, security, backups and small content changes over time.
To keep that side predictable, our website care plan bundles hosting and updates at $49 per month. Budgeting for maintenance from the start is what keeps a good site from quietly going out of date a year after launch.
Ecommerce and online stores
If you are selling products, expect to pay more than a brochure site costs — an online store needs product pages, a shopping cart, a secure checkout and payment processing, all of which add work.
In the wider market, freelancer and agency ecommerce projects commonly run from a few thousand dollars into five figures, and highly custom stores go higher still. Our Premium / Online Store package is fixed at $2,999, which covers a complete small-business store rather than an open-ended custom build — a clear number for owners who want to sell online without a blank-cheque quote.
What actually drives the cost
Two websites can look similar and cost very differently. The main factors:
- Number of pages. A one-page site is far cheaper than a fifteen-page one — which is exactly why we price extra pages transparently at $149 each.
- Custom design vs template. A bespoke look costs more than a polished template.
- Ecommerce and functionality. Carts, bookings, logins and integrations all add cost.
- Content. Someone has to write the words and supply the images; if that's not you, professional photos (from $249) and copywriting add to the total.
- Who builds it. A student freelancer and an established agency price the same brief very differently — and experience usually shows up in the result.
How to choose
You do not need the most expensive option. You need the right one for where your business is today.
- Choose a DIY builder if you have time, a very simple site in mind, and want the lowest possible monthly cost while you test an idea.
- Choose a freelancer if you want a custom small site on a modest budget and are comfortable managing the relationship and aftercare yourself.
- Choose an agency with fixed pricing if you want a professional result, a clear number, and someone to keep the site maintained — without the 'contact us for a quote' guessing game.
Whichever route you pick, insist on knowing two numbers before you commit: what the build costs once, and what it costs to keep running each year. If a provider won't tell you both, that is information too.
See real prices, not a quote form
If you are tired of 'it depends' and want to know what a website actually costs, that is exactly why we publish ours. Markham Office builds small-business websites at transparent, one-time prices — $799, $1,499 or $2,999, with add-ons and a $49/month care plan all listed openly. You can see our website design pricing in full before you ever book a call. If you are still deciding whether you need a site at all, start with do you need a website in 2026, and if you are just launching, the new business marketing checklist for Ontario shows where a website fits in the bigger picture.