Ask five builders how much a website costs and you will get five answers: from a few hundred zloty for a site builder to tens of thousands for an agency site. Each can be honest, because "a website" covers very different things. This article helps you work out which one is yours: the market ranges, what drives the price, what upkeep costs and how to check with your own numbers whether the spend will pay back. The figures are for the Polish market, net of VAT.
Short answer: in 2026 a business website usually costs around PLN 1,000-4,000 net if a freelancer sets up a ready-made theme, PLN 6,000-15,000 for a company site with a custom design, and from around PLN 15,000 for an extensive site or an online store. A site builder is a subscription from a few hundred zloty a year. Every option adds running costs - domain, hosting and technical care - from a few hundred to a few thousand zloty a year.
Kluczowe wnioski
- Market ranges in 2026: about PLN 1,000-4,000 for a ready-made theme, PLN 6,000-15,000 for a company site with a custom design.
- The price is set by the scope of work, especially content, not by the number of pages.
- Domain, hosting and care cost from a few hundred to a few thousand zloty a year.
- Work out payback on margin and on clients you would not have won without the site.
Market ranges: what you get for the money
The ranges below come from price lists published in 2026 by Polish freelancers, studios and agencies. They are net and indicative - they show the order of magnitude, not a specific quote.
| Option | Approx. cost | Who it suits | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site builder (e.g. Wix, WebWave) | from ~PLN 600 a year | a new business, testing an idea | you pay the subscription for as long as the site runs, and moving it usually means rebuilding |
| Ready-made theme set up by a freelancer | ~PLN 1,000-4,000 | a simple brochure site | quality varies widely; agree who will keep it updated |
| Company site with a custom design | ~PLN 6,000-15,000 | most service businesses | content scope and rounds of revisions must be in the contract |
| Extensive agency site | from ~PLN 15,000 | many services, language versions, integrations | part of the price covers team work and project management |
| Online store | from ~PLN 15,000, custom from tens of thousands | selling online | platform and payment provider fees come on top |
Builders' hourly rates in Poland are usually PLN 150-400. If two quotes for "the same site" differ threefold, they most often differ in the scope of work - and that is what needs comparing, not the amount alone. We break down the ranges for specific industries separately: law firms, real estate agencies, property developers, detailing studios and online stores.
What a website's price depends on
A website's price is in practice hours of work times a rate. The hours come from a few sources, and it is worth knowing them, because you can save on some yourself.
- Content: who writes the copy and gathers the photos - you or the builder.
- Design: a ready-made theme or a layout designed for your brand.
- The number of distinct page layouts, not the number of pages.
- Features: booking, payments, a client panel, CRM integration.
- Language versions - each one means more content to write and maintain.
- SEO scope: technical basics only, or also a content plan for specific phrases.
The number of pages is a weak predictor of price. Twenty service pages built on one layout are less work than five pages that each look different. Content, on the other hand, takes a lot of time: if the builder has to write copy from scratch, gather photos and agree everything with you, that part can take longer than the development itself. Preparing the copy, photos and a list of services before the start is the simplest way to a lower quote and a shorter timeline.
Costs after launch
The invoice is not the whole story. Every site, whatever the technology, has running costs that over a few years can approach the build price - so it is worth knowing them before choosing a quote.
PLN 50-150
a year to renew a .pl domain (the promotional price usually covers only the first year)
PLN 200-500
a year for shared hosting for a brochure or small company site
from ~PLN 100
a month for basic technical care: updates and backups
A WordPress site also carries licences for paid themes and plugins, usually tens to hundreds of zloty a year each. According to price lists from website care companies, a year of upkeep for a company WordPress site is often PLN 1,500-5,000. A site written from scratch has no plugin licences, but it is not maintenance-free either: the framework and libraries get security fixes that somebody has to apply. We compare both routes in WordPress or custom code.
How to work out whether the site pays off
An honest calculation starts with margin, not the price of the service, and with clients you would not have won without the new site. A site rarely brings traffic by itself: people reach it from Google, your Business Profile, ads and referrals, and the site has to convince them to get in touch.
The formula is simple: the site's cost divided by the monthly margin from extra clients gives the months to payback.
| Example | Site cost | Margin from extra clients | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renovation company: 1 extra job a month, margin PLN 3,000 | PLN 12,000 | PLN 3,000 a month | ~4 months |
| Service salon: 5 extra visits a month, margin PLN 100 | PLN 12,000 | PLN 500 a month | ~24 months |
| The same salon with a simple site | PLN 4,000 | PLN 500 a month | ~8 months |
The conclusion matters more than the numbers: a more expensive site makes sense where one client leaves a large margin. With a low margin per visit, it is better to start with a simpler site and a well-kept Google Business Profile, which is free. There will be time to expand once you see where clients really come from.
When the cheaper option is enough
The cheaper option is not a worse choice if it fits the stage your business is at. The problem starts when a PLN 2,000 site has to convince clients worth tens of thousands who compare several companies before deciding.
A simple site or a builder is enough when
- Clients come mainly through referrals and the site only has to confirm you exist
- You are still testing a business idea
- The margin on one client is tens or hundreds of zloty
- You offer one simple service and need no booking or payments
It is worth paying more when
- One client leaves a margin of several thousand zloty
- Clients choose a provider by comparing several companies' sites
- You need booking, payments, a client panel or integrations
- You want to win clients from Google for many services or cities
How to compare quotes without overpaying
Quotes are easiest to compare when you check each one against the same list. Before signing, make sure you know the answer to every point.
- Scope in writing: which pages, who writes the content, how many rounds of revisions.
- A fixed price or an hourly rate with a cap - no open-ended bill.
- Domain and hosting registered to your company, with access for you.
- Transfer of copyright with the fields of use listed, and access to the code.
- The cost and scope of care after launch, and the response time for outages.
- Basics included: mobile version, speed, basic SEO, a privacy policy and a notice by the form.
Pay particular attention to copyright. Under Polish law, an agreement transferring economic copyright must be in writing, or it is void, and it covers only the fields of use it lists - an invoice for the site does not do this. Without such an agreement, you may have trouble getting another builder to change the site later.
Also beware of promises nobody can keep. A "guaranteed first place in Google" is a warning sign: rankings depend on competition, content and time, not on the site alone. And one more thing: if a builder gives a price before asking what your company does and where clients should come from, they are probably pricing a template rather than your situation.
What a website costs with us
Since we are writing about prices, here are ours. We build sites from scratch in Next.js with a custom design, so we sit in the upper part of the market ranges:
- Landing page (one page, one goal) - from PLN 5,000 net ($1,400), usually 3-4 weeks.
- Company website (offer, projects, blog) - from PLN 12,000 net ($3,400), usually 6-8 weeks.
- Web application (e.g. a client panel) - from PLN 26,000 net ($7,200), from 10 weeks.
- Online store - from PLN 50,000 net ($13,900), from 10 weeks.
Add-ons are priced separately, for example an extra language version is PLN 1,000 and a booking system PLN 1,500. Care with hosting, an SSL certificate and daily backups starts at PLN 249 a month, because a Next.js site needs a server somebody has to pay for and keep updated. If you prefer to host it yourself, we hand over the code and you pay only for the care. If the maths above shows that at this stage you need a simple brochure site, a freelancer or a site builder will do it cheaper, and we will say so plainly.
Frequently asked questions
Are website prices quoted net or gross?
Builders serving businesses usually quote net prices, with 23% VAT on top. If you are an active VAT payer and the site serves your business, you can usually deduct the tax. A VAT-exempt freelancer invoices without VAT, so their price is final - worth checking before you compare quotes.
Can I expense the site straight away?
Not always. A site worth over PLN 10,000, bought together with the economic copyright, is usually an intangible asset amortised over at least 24 months. A cheaper site can usually be expensed in one go. Confirm the treatment with your accountant before buying.
How long does it take to build a website?
A simple site on a ready-made theme can go live in a few days, a company site with a custom design usually in a few weeks. What most often stretches the timeline is not development but gathering content and photos, so it pays to prepare them before the start.
Is a site builder website less visible in Google?
Not by definition. Google does not judge sites by the platform they were built on. The limits of site builders are rather less control over speed, structure and features. For many local businesses the site's content and Google Business Profile matter more than the technology.
How much does it cost to maintain a website per year?
The minimum is a domain and hosting, usually a few hundred zloty a year. With technical care and paid plugins, the yearly cost of a company site rises to around PLN 1,500-5,000. Ongoing content and SEO work is a separate budget.
Summary
A business website costs anywhere from a few hundred zloty a year on a site builder to tens of thousands for an extensive site, and the sensible amount depends on how much one client leaves you. Work out payback on margin, add the running costs and compare quotes by scope rather than price alone.
If you want to see what a specific scope would cost with us, you can put together an indicative price in the calculator.