A simple website for a small business, built by a freelancer. What does year one cost?
₹12,500–₹46,500first year, about
- Domain name
- ₹500–₹1,500 a year
- Shared hosting
- ₹2,000–₹5,000 a year
- Design and build
- ₹10,000–₹40,000
- Each year after, with upkeep
- ₹4,000–₹16,500
A small business website in India usually costs about ₹12,500 to ₹46,500 in the first year when a freelancer builds it: about ₹500–₹1,500 for the domain, ₹2,000–₹5,000 for hosting and ₹10,000–₹40,000 for the build. After that you pay roughly ₹4,000 to ₹16,500 a year to keep it running.
- A website has four costs: the domain, the hosting, the build, and upkeep every year.
- A small site by a freelancer is about ₹10,000–₹40,000 to build; an agency often starts near ₹50,000.
- Hosting offers are cheap for the first term and renew at a higher price: read the renewal line.
- An online shop adds payment fees, about 2% of each sale plus GST on that fee.
- Ask every quote what is included: pages, writing, photos, domain, hosting, edits and who owns the logins.
You ask three people what a website costs and get three answers: ₹3,000, ₹25,000 and ₹1,50,000. All three may be honest. They are quoting for different things, and some of them leave out costs you will meet later.
This guide splits the website cost in India into its real parts, with today’s price ranges from named sources, so you can read any quote and see what is missing. All prices are as of October 2026 and vary by provider; treat them as “about”.
What you pay for: the four parts of a website
Every website, from a one-page clinic site to an online shop, is made of the same four parts.
| Part | What it is | Typical cost in India |
|---|---|---|
| Domain name | Your address, like yourshop.in | About ₹500–₹1,500 a year |
| Hosting | The computer that keeps the site online | About ₹2,000–₹5,000 a year (shared) |
| Design and build | Pages, layout, writing, photos, setup | About ₹10,000–₹40,000 by a freelancer |
| Upkeep | Updates, backups, small edits, renewals | About ₹1,500–₹10,000 a year |
The ranges come from Hostinger’s 2026 cost guide, a web host’s own article, so read them as market ranges, not as fixed rates. The domain and hosting are yours to renew every year. The build is mostly paid once. Upkeep is the part people forget.
₹500–₹1,500 a year for a domain name
₹2,000–₹5,000 a year for shared hosting
₹10,000–₹40,000 for a small site by a freelancer
How much does a website cost for a small business?
A simple site for a shop, clinic, tutor or small firm (five to eight pages: home, about, services, a gallery, contact with a map and WhatsApp) is the most common job. Built by a freelancer, the first year comes to about ₹12,500 to ₹46,500 with the domain and hosting. From the second year you pay only the renewals and upkeep, about ₹4,000 to ₹16,500 a year.
Take Ganesh, who runs a hardware shop in Villupuram (an example, not a real quote). He wants five pages, his products in a simple list, and a button that opens WhatsApp. A local freelancer quotes ₹18,000 for the build. He adds a .in domain at about ₹900 a year and shared hosting at about ₹3,500 a year. Year one: about ₹22,400. Year two: about ₹4,400 plus any edits he asks for.
Agencies charge more because they plan, write, design and test with a team. Hostinger’s guide puts an agency-built small business site at about ₹50,000 to ₹1,50,000. Our own Websites start from ₹7,999 on the services page; that is one data point, and the honest answer is that the right price depends on what is included.
Website development cost for an online shop
An online shop needs product pages, a cart, payments, delivery rules and order emails. That is a bigger job.
- Build: a WooCommerce shop by a freelancer is about ₹25,000 to ₹1,00,000; an agency-built shop is about ₹1,50,000 to ₹4,00,000 or more (Hostinger, 2026).
- Running costs: about ₹10,000 to ₹30,000 a year for better hosting, paid plugins and upkeep.
- Payment fees: a gateway such as Razorpay charges a 2% platform fee on each domestic payment, plus 18% GST on that fee. On a ₹1,000 order that is ₹20 plus ₹3.60 GST.
A cheap build that cannot take payments, send order emails or show stock is not cheaper. You pay for it later, in lost orders.
Website cost per month and per year: the costs after launch
Many people ask for the website cost per month because hosting is sold that way. Watch the renewal price. On Hostinger’s India hosting page (checked 18 Oct 2026), a plan shown at ₹69 a month needs a 48-month term and then renews at ₹289 a month. That is normal across hosts: the first term is a discount, the renewal is the real price.
Before you pay, find the line that says “renews at”. Budget the renewal price, not the offer.
Other yearly costs to plan for:
- Business email like you@yourshop.in: Google Workspace Business Starter is ₹270 per user a month on a one-year plan. Some hosting plans include basic email; check the plan.
- Paid themes and plugins: about ₹3,000–₹15,000 a year if the site uses premium ones.
- SSL (the padlock): free with most hosting today; you rarely need to buy one.
- Upkeep: a freelancer may charge about ₹1,500–₹10,000 a year for a small site, or ₹1,000–₹5,000 a month on a retainer.
WordPress, a website builder or custom code?
| Way to build | Good for | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Website builder | A small site you edit yourself | About ₹2,000–₹6,000 a year, all in; harder to move later |
| WordPress | Most business sites and shops | Free software; you pay for hosting, theme, plugins and the build |
| Custom code | Web apps, logins, bookings, billing | Costs more; worth it when the site does real work for you |
A WordPress website cost in India is mostly the build and the hosting; the software itself is free. A builder is the cheapest start if you have the time to set it up yourself. If you are unsure which you need, our guide on a website or an Instagram page helps you decide whether you need a site at all yet.
How to read a website quote
Ask every designer the same questions, in writing:
- How many pages, and who writes the words?
- Are the domain and hosting included, for how long, and what do they renew at?
- Is the domain registered in my name, with my email?
- How many rounds of changes are included?
- Does it work well on phones and load fast?
- What does upkeep cost after the first year, and what does it cover?
- Will I get the logins on the day it goes live?
The third question matters most. If the domain is in someone else’s name, the address is not really yours. Our guide on domain names and hosting explains how to check.
Questions
How much does a website cost in India?
A simple small business website built by a freelancer costs about ₹12,500 to ₹46,500 in the first year, including the domain and hosting. Agency-built sites start near ₹50,000, and online shops usually cost ₹25,000 to ₹4,00,000 or more depending on who builds them.
What is the website cost in India per month?
The running cost is mostly hosting and the domain, about ₹200 to ₹550 a month when spread over a year for a small site. Add business email, paid plugins and upkeep if you use them. First-term hosting offers look lower but renew at a higher price.
How much does a simple website cost in India?
A one- to five-page site can be built for about ₹10,000 to ₹40,000 by a freelancer, plus about ₹2,500 to ₹6,500 a year for the domain and hosting. A website builder you set up yourself costs about ₹2,500 to ₹7,500 a year with the domain.
How much does an e-commerce website cost in India?
About ₹25,000 to ₹1,00,000 for a WooCommerce shop by a freelancer, or ₹1,50,000 to ₹4,00,000 or more from an agency. Then budget about ₹10,000 to ₹30,000 a year to run it, plus about 2% of each online payment and GST on that fee.
What is the website maintenance cost per year?
For a small site, about ₹1,500 to ₹10,000 a year with a freelancer, covering updates, backups and small edits. Online shops need more care, about ₹10,000 to ₹25,000 a year. Domain and hosting renewals are on top of this.
Why do website prices vary so much?
Quotes cover different work. A ₹3,000 quote is often a template with your name dropped in; a ₹50,000 quote may include planning, writing, photos, testing and a year of care. Compare what is included, not just the number.
Is a free website enough for a small business?
A free builder site can work to start, but it shows the builder’s name in your address and ads, and you cannot easily take it with you later. A domain of your own costs about ₹500 to ₹1,500 a year and keeps your address yours for good.
Sources
Checked 18 Oct 2026HOSTHow much does a website cost in India in 2026? · Hostinger2026
Price ranges for domains, hosting, freelancer and agency builds, online shops and yearly upkeep. A web host’s own guide, so a secondary source; we use its ranges, not its product advice. 26 Feb 2026
HOSTWeb hosting plans and renewal prices · Hostinger India2026
An example of first-term offers against renewal prices: ₹69 a month for 48 months renews at ₹289 a month. checked 18 Oct 2026
RZPPricing: payment gateway fees · Razorpay2026
A 2% platform fee on each domestic payment, with 18% GST on the fee, no setup fee. checked 18 Oct 2026
GOOGGoogle Workspace pricing · Google2026
Business Starter email at ₹270 per user a month on a one-year plan. checked 18 Oct 2026
Founder of Elathi, Kallakurichi. Writes our guides and builds the free tools that go with them.