How much does a website or app actually cost?
The honest answer is: it depends on what you're building — but here's exactly what drives the number, so you can estimate your own project before you ever fill out a form.
Why there's no fixed price list
A marketing site with five pages and a contact form is a different project from a booking platform with a backend, payments and an admin dashboard — even though both are technically "a website." Anyone who gives you a single number without asking what you're building is guessing.
What actually drives cost is scope: how many distinct screens or pages, whether there's a backend and database, how many integrations (payments, maps, calendars, third-party APIs), and whether the project needs ongoing content or just a one-time build.
What raises the price
A few things reliably add real cost, and it's worth knowing them before you scope a project:
- —A custom backend and database instead of a page builder or template
- —User accounts, authentication and role-based permissions
- —Payment processing, shipping logic or booking systems
- —An admin panel to manage content, orders or users without a developer
- —Custom design and animation instead of a pre-built theme
- —Integrations with external systems (CRMs, inventory, third-party APIs)
What keeps it reasonable
The scope you actually need — not the scope you think you should want. A first version that does the core job well and ships on time beats a feature-complete version that slips for months. Most of our platform clients add features after launch, once real usage tells them what's actually worth building.
A written plan also keeps cost honest on both sides: once scope, timeline and price are agreed in writing, that's what happens — no surprise invoices, no scope creep charged after the fact.
How we price a project
We don't quote from a price list. You describe what you need, we ask enough questions to understand the real scope, and you get a written plan with a fixed price and timeline before any work starts. If the number doesn't work for your budget, we say so honestly and help you trim scope to a version that does.
What's a realistic starting point for a custom website?
It depends entirely on scope, but a focused marketing site with custom design typically starts in the low thousands, while a platform with a backend, user accounts and integrations starts well above that. The only way to get a real number is to describe what you're building.
Do you charge hourly or fixed price?
Fixed price. Every project starts with a written plan that locks in scope, timeline and price before work begins — you know the number up front, not after.
Is a cheaper option ever the right call?
Sometimes, yes. If you need a simple one-page site with no ongoing product plans, a page builder will get you there faster and cheaper than a custom build — we'll tell you that honestly if it applies to you.
What happens if the scope changes mid-project?
Changes to scope are agreed in writing before they affect the price — the original plan doesn't silently expand into extra charges.
Let's build together
Tell us what you want to build — we'll come back with a clear plan and a real number.
Get a quote→