How much does a website cost in 2026?

There is no reliable public study of website prices in France: the "market ranges" in circulation rarely state their method. Rather than an unverifiable figure, here is what really drives a quote, followed by my own prices, published and checkable.

Two models coexist. The one-off fee: you pay for the build once, then hosting, domain name and maintenance separately. The subscription: a reduced setup fee, then a monthly fee covering hosting, domain, security and edits. To compare two quotes, bring them back to the cost over the first year, then over three years.

These amounts are mine, not a market average. Each plan has a 6-month commitment, then 30 days' notice. What is included is detailed on the pricing page.

An online shop adds a catalogue, payment, shipping, VAT and customer service. On top of the build come the platform subscription and payment fees, which each vendor publishes on its own pricing page: check them before signing.

Fully custom development (no CMS or platform) is priced on time spent. Its cost depends on functional complexity, integrations (ERP, CRM, subscriptions) and the required level of performance and accessibility. Ask for a quote broken down by feature.

Dedicated art direction, content writing, the number of unique pages, e-commerce or business features, the quality of responsive integration, and post-launch SEO support.

Custom graphics, animations and photography also weigh in: a professional photo shoot is quoted separately by the photographer, and it transforms how the site is perceived.

Two third-party measurements explain why these criteria matter. In a Stanford study of 2,684 participants, 46.1% of comments about a site's credibility were about its visual design (Fogg et al., 2003). And according to Google, 53% of mobile visits are abandoned when a page takes more than 3 seconds to load (Google, 2016). A slow or unconvincing site is an investment that doesn't convert.

Beware of a vague quote with no detailed deliverables, opaque maintenance plans, no ownership of code and content, and commitments beyond 24 months with no exit clause.

A good quote precisely lists what's delivered, what isn't, who writes the content, who supplies the images, and what happens at the end of the project.

Finally, conversion must be in the contract: the quote should state which action the visitor is meant to take on each page (call, request a quote, book). Without that, the site's return on investment can't be measured.

1. B. J. Fogg et al., "How do users evaluate the credibility of Web sites?", DUX 2003: ACM Digital Library.

2. Google, "The need for mobile speed", 2016: blog.google.

3. Sources and method of web-consulting.fr: every figure quoted on the site, its issuer and the link to the original study.