TL;DR
- WordPress site: from $690 (3,000 PLN). Custom Next.js site: from $1,380 (6,000 PLN). Shopify store: from $920 (4,000 PLN).
- "From X" means minimum. Final price after 30-minute consultation, depends on scope.
- In 2026, MVP prices dropped 20-30% thanks to agentic coding. Larger projects ($2,300+) haven't gotten cheaper.
- Three traps: "from $180" offers hide hosting and templates, "free redesign" equals hosting lock-in.
- Price doesn't equal value. A $3,450 site that converts is cheaper than a $690 site that doesn't work.
How much does a website cost in 2026: let's start with numbers
The question "how much does a website cost?" comes mainly from people who don't know where to start. Good news: the numbers are concrete, even if the difference between cheapest and most expensive is 20-fold.
Below are net prices, excluding VAT, by project type. Each item comes from our public pricing.
Website pricing 2026: what do you get for how much?
WordPress site: from $690 (3,000 PLN)
Scope: responsive design, basic SEO, admin panel, training. Timeline: 2-4 weeks. This is the minimum for quality WordPress with real personalization (not a template clicked in a builder).
Who needs it: service businesses, law firms, clinics, B2B companies that need a professional business card site. Not a store, not an app, just an informational site with contact form and blog.
WooCommerce store: from $1,150 (5,000 PLN)
Scope: payment integration, shipping configuration, 8-12 optimized plugins. Timeline: 3-5 weeks.
Shopify store: from $920 (4,000 PLN)
Scope: responsive template, payment and shipping methods, remarketing setup. Timeline: 4-6 weeks. Shopify is cheaper to build than WooCommerce, but more expensive in monthly platform cost ($29-299/month).
Custom Next.js site: from $1,380 (6,000 PLN)
Scope: modular architecture, custom features, full documentation. Timeline: 4-8 weeks.
When Next.js instead of WordPress: when you need very high Core Web Vitals (e.g., Google ad requirements), non-standard logic that WordPress can't handle, or plan integrations with systems via APIs that don't exist in the WP ecosystem.
Web application (SaaS, panel, dashboard): from $2,760 (12,000 PLN)
Scope: prototype + full implementation, modular architecture, 3 months support. Timeline: 8-12 weeks.
Full offer available in Soft Synergy services.
How much does a website cost from a cheap agency: what to watch for?
You see an offer "website from $180" or "site in 24h for $275". What is this?
Trap 1: Template + installation, no customization
You buy a ready-made WordPress theme ($30-60), install it and change logo and text. Result: a site that looks like thousands of others, because it is thousands of others. Zero uniqueness, often poor theme code (premium themes can have 50+ plugins bundled).
Trap 2: Price without hosting
"Site for $180" doesn't include hosting. Agency hosting: $46-92/month = $552-1,104 yearly forever. After 2 years you pay more than for a quality site from a reliable company.
Trap 3: Lock-in
Cheap site built on closed system (or dependent on one agency for every change): when you want to move, it turns out you have to start from scratch. Always ask: "Will I get access to code and can I move hosting to another provider?"
Trap 4: Hidden costs for changes
Agency quotes project price, but every change after delivery is an additional invoice. Ask: "What does the final price cover and what does changing button color after project delivery cost?"
What AI and agentic coding changed in website prices in 2026?
This is a new topic that appeared clearly in 2025-2026. Agentic coding (Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot) shortened simple project build time by 30-50%. What does this mean practically for prices?
MVPs got cheaper. A simple WordPress site that took me a week in 2023 now takes 3-4 days. Time savings translate to lower price: projects "from $690" in 2026 are actually fuller scope than "from $690" in 2023.
Complex projects didn't get cheaper. A $4,600 web application: most of the cost is architecture, integrations, testing and project management. AI hasn't changed this. An agent will write boilerplate faster, but won't replace design decisions and experience with complex systems.
Who uses AI in build: an agency not using agentic coding in 2026 is slower and more expensive than one that does. Ask directly: "Do you use AI-assisted development?". An honest answer lets you assess if the price is realistic.
My approach: I build faster thanks to Claude Code and Cursor, final price for client is lower than it would be without these tools, with the same quality.
How to compare offers: don't look at price, look at scope
You got three quotes for a site: $1,150, $2,070, $3,220. How to compare them?
Ask each agency for detailed scope: what exactly is included in the price.
Questions that filter every offer:
- Is hosting included? For how long?
- Is SSL included?
- How many subpages and forms?
- Is there a mobile version (responsiveness)?
- What technical SEO is in scope?
- How many revision rounds?
- What if I want a change after acceptance?
- Will I get access to code/admin panel?
- How much does maintenance cost after deployment?
Real site cost is: one-time build + hosting/month × 12 + maintenance/month × 12. Calculate total over 2 years, not just entry cost.
How much does a website cost: real calculation over 2 years
| Type | Build | Hosting/month | Maintenance/month | 2-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress basic | $690 (3,000 PLN) | $23 (99 PLN) | $0 | $1,242 (5,376 PLN) |
| WordPress with care | $1,035 (4,500 PLN) | $23 (99 PLN) | $92 (400 PLN) | $3,715 (16,076 PLN) |
| Shopify store | $920 (4,000 PLN) | ~$39 (170 PLN Basic) | $0 | $1,866 (8,080 PLN) |
| Next.js custom | $1,840 (8,000 PLN) | $12 (50 PLN VPS) | $92 (400 PLN) | $4,488 (19,400 PLN) |
| Cheap offer $180 | $184 (800 PLN) | $69 (300 PLN) | $0 | $1,840 (8,000 PLN) |
Prices in table from Soft Synergy pricing (managed hosting from $23/month, site maintenance from $92/month). "Cheap offer" price with estimated agency hosting.
You can see: "cheap site for $180" after 2 years costs more than WordPress from a good agency.
How much does a website cost with integrations?
Each integration is a separate line item in the quote:
- GDPR-compliant forms setup: from $115 (500 PLN)
- Payment integration (Stripe/local gateway): from $805 (3,500 PLN)
- B2B client portal: from $1,840 (8,000 PLN)
- Custom CRM system: from $1,380 (6,000 PLN)
- Core Web Vitals optimization: from $345 (1,500 PLN)
A $690 site with payment integration and client portal is realistically $3,795. No client should be surprised by these numbers at invoice stage.
How much does a website cost: how to start the quote?
Fastest path: write down what your site must do (not how it should look). Feature list is the basis of scope, and scope determines price.
Example:
- Company site with 5 subpages: ~$690 (3,000 PLN)
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- Blog with categories: ~$690 (total 3,000 PLN)
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- GDPR-compliant contact form: ~$805 (3,500 PLN)
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- Multilingual EN/other: ~$1,150 (5,000 PLN)
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- Client panel with login: ~$2,530 (11,000 PLN)
Each additional feature means more work and higher cost. With a feature list: you can ask for a quote for each item separately and determine what goes into MVP.
We quote projects free after a 30-minute consultation. Final price with VAT, hosting and 3-month warranty in description. Details in offer. If you're planning e-commerce: also check e-commerce hub.