Guides · 8 min read ·
How Much Does a Website Cost in India? Real Numbers for Every Budget
What a website really costs in India: domain, hosting, DIY vs freelancer vs agency prices in rupees, yearly running costs and the renewal traps to budget for.
A website in India typically costs ₹3,000 to ₹8,000 in the first year if you build it yourself, ₹10,000 to ₹40,000 with a freelancer and ₹50,000 to several lakh with an agency, going by typical market ranges. On top of that, every website has yearly running costs for its domain and hosting, usually a few thousand rupees for a small business site. Below is where the money goes, with honest ranges for each budget and the renewal costs that catch people out.
Website cost in India at a glance
These are typical first-year market ranges, including a domain and shared hosting but excluding GST. Real quotes vary with the city, the designer's experience and how much you ask for.
| Type of website | DIY | Freelancer | Agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blog or portfolio | ₹2,500 – ₹6,000 | ₹8,000 – ₹20,000 | ₹30,000 – ₹80,000 |
| Business site (5–10 pages) | ₹3,000 – ₹8,000 | ₹10,000 – ₹40,000 | ₹50,000 – ₹1,50,000 |
| Small online store | ₹5,000 – ₹15,000 | ₹25,000 – ₹75,000 | ₹1,00,000 – ₹3,00,000 |
| Large store or custom web app | Not practical | ₹75,000 and up | ₹3,00,000 and up |
The biggest variable is not the technology; it is whose time you are paying for. Domain and hosting are a small, predictable part of the bill. Design, development and content are where budgets grow.
The five costs that make up a website
1. Domain name
Your domain is a yearly cost. Across the market, popular extensions like .in and .com usually cost somewhere between ₹600 and ₹1,500 a year, and premium or very short names cost far more. Check the renewal price as well as the first-year price, because some extensions renew higher. Here are HostEthical's current prices:
| Extension | First year | Renewal (per year) | Transfer in |
|---|---|---|---|
| .in | ₹1,003 | ₹1,003 | ₹1,003 |
| .com | ₹1,622 | ₹1,651 | ₹1,522 |
| .co.in | ₹816 | ₹816 | ₹816 |
Free WHOIS privacy (where the registry allows it) and a free DNS editor are included, so you don't need to buy them as extras. See all extensions on our domain pricing page, or read the best domain extensions for India.
2. Web hosting
Hosting is where your site lives. For most small business sites, shared hosting is enough. As a typical market range, it costs about ₹150 to ₹500 a month at regular prices, though many hosts advertise a much lower first-term price that rises at renewal. HostEthical hosting starts at ₹99 a month, or about ₹82.50 a month when billed yearly , and the price stays the same every year. If you need a server of your own for a busy store or custom app, a VPS starts at ₹860 a month, or about ₹774.17 a month when billed yearly .
3. Design and development
This is the largest and most variable cost. It covers choosing or creating a design, building the pages, setting up forms and features, and making it all work well on mobile. Whether you do it yourself, hire a freelancer or use an agency decides most of your budget, so we compare the three in detail below.
4. Content: logo, photos and words
A website is only as good as what is on it. Typical market ranges: a simple logo from a freelance designer costs ₹1,000 to ₹10,000; professional copywriting runs ₹500 to ₹2,500 per page; product photography is often charged per product or per day. Many small businesses write their own text and take photos on a good phone in daylight, which works well if you keep it honest and specific.
5. Extras and features
- Premium theme: optional; commonly ₹3,000 to ₹7,000, sometimes as a yearly licence.
- Premium plugins: booking calendars, advanced forms or SEO tools, often on yearly licences.
- Payment gateway: needed to accept UPI and card payments on your site. Most charge a fee per transaction rather than a big setup fee; check their current rates.
- Business email: usually charged per mailbox per month. See our guide to email on your own domain.
DIY vs freelancer vs agency: what you get for the money
| DIY | Freelancer | Agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront design cost | ₹0 – ₹10,000 | ₹10,000 – ₹75,000 | ₹50,000 to several lakh |
| Your time | High | Medium | Low to medium |
| Design | Template-based | Template or custom | Custom, with strategy |
| Typical timeline | 1 – 3 weeks | 2 – 6 weeks | 1 – 3 months |
| After launch | You handle it | Agree an AMC in writing | Usually on contract |
| Main risk | Learning curve | Freelancer becomes unreachable | Higher cost, slower changes |
Building it yourself
With WordPress and a good free or premium theme, a non-technical owner can build a clean five-page site over a couple of weekends. Your costs are the domain, the hosting and perhaps a theme. It suits freelancers, consultants, tutors, home businesses and anyone who wants to make their own changes later. Our guide on how to host a website walks you through setup.
Hiring a freelancer
The most common choice for Indian small businesses. A good freelancer delivers a professional WordPress site at a fair price. To protect yourself: look at sites they have actually built, get a written quote listing pages, features and revisions, pay in milestones, and make sure the domain, hosting and WordPress admin login are in your name from day one.
Using an agency
Worth it when your website is central to sales, for example a D2C brand, a multi-location clinic or a business with complex integrations. You pay for strategy, custom design, copywriting and project management. Ask what is included after launch, and who owns the design files and code.
Yearly running costs: what you pay every year
The build is a one-time cost. These are the costs that come back every year, shown as typical market ranges for a small business site:
| Cost | Typical yearly range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Domain renewal | ₹600 – ₹1,500 | Per domain; depends on the extension |
| Shared hosting | ₹1,800 – ₹6,000 | At regular renewal prices |
| SSL certificate | ₹0 | Free with good hosts, including HostEthical |
| Theme and plugin licences | ₹0 – ₹10,000 | Only if you use paid ones |
| Business email | Varies | Usually per mailbox |
| Maintenance (AMC) | ₹5,000 – ₹30,000 | If someone handles updates and small edits for you |
A simple business site built with free WordPress tools typically costs ₹3,000 to ₹7,000 a year to keep running, before any paid help. Add a maintenance contract and paid plugins, and it can reach ₹15,000 to ₹40,000.
Hidden costs and renewal traps
Most website budgets go wrong in year two, not year one. Watch for these:
- Hosting renewal jumps. A plan advertised at a very low monthly rate often renews at several times that once the first term ends. Read why hosting renewal prices jump before you buy.
- "Free" domains that renew at full price. A domain bundled free for the first year still costs money every year after.
- GST added at checkout. Many Indian providers show prices before 18% GST and add it on the final page. HostEthical shows prices without GST added.
- Paid add-ons. SSL, backups and privacy protection are sometimes sold as extras. Check what is included before comparing prices.
- Plugin licence renewals. Premium plugins usually stop receiving updates if you don't renew.
- Marked-up hosting from designers. Some designers resell hosting at a premium and keep the logins. It is cheaper, and safer, to buy it in your own name.
- Letting the domain lapse. Recovering an expired domain can cost far more than renewing it. See domain expiry and renewal.
- A redesign every few years. Designs date. Budget for a refresh rather than being surprised by one.
Three example budgets
These are illustrations using typical market ranges, not quotes.
A home tutor or freelance designer
A .in domain, an entry shared hosting plan and a free WordPress theme, built over two weekends. First year: around ₹3,000 to ₹5,000. Following years: about the same, since there is no design fee to repeat.
A dental clinic or CA firm
An 8-page WordPress site with an appointment enquiry form, built by a freelancer. First year: roughly ₹15,000 to ₹35,000 including domain and hosting. Following years: ₹3,000 to ₹7,000, plus an AMC if you want someone else to handle updates.
A D2C clothing brand with 200 products
A WooCommerce store with a payment gateway, product photography and a custom design from a freelancer or small agency. First year: roughly ₹60,000 to ₹2,00,000. Following years: hosting on a bigger plan or a VPS, plugin licences, maintenance and payment gateway fees on every sale.
What a good website quote should include
Two quotes of ₹15,000 and ₹45,000 are often for very different work. Before comparing, ask each designer to put these points in writing:
| Ask about | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Number of pages and their names | "A website" can mean 3 pages or 30 |
| Features (forms, booking, store, payments, blog) | Each one adds build time and sometimes licence costs |
| Rounds of revisions | Unlimited changes are rarely really unlimited |
| Who writes the content | Copywriting is often excluded from cheaper quotes |
| Domain and hosting ownership | Both should be in your name, with your login |
| Paid themes and plugins | Who buys them, and who pays to renew them |
| Mobile testing and basic SEO setup | Titles, descriptions and a sitemap should be standard |
| Handover and training | You should be able to edit text and photos yourself |
| Support after launch | How long bug fixes are free, and the AMC price after that |
A slightly higher quote that includes content, training and a clear handover is usually better value than a cheap one that leaves you dependent on the designer for every small change.
How to keep website costs down without cutting corners
- Start small. Five clear pages beat twenty thin ones. Add features when customers ask for them.
- Buy the domain and hosting yourself, in your own name, and share access with your designer.
- Compare three-year costs, not intro prices. A host with the same price every year is easier to budget for.
- Pay yearly once you are settled; it usually costs less per month than monthly billing.
- Use what is included. Free SSL, backups and one-click WordPress mean fewer paid add-ons.
- Get every quote in writing, listing pages, features, revisions, handover and who pays for licences.
- Learn to make small edits yourself, so you aren't paying for every price change or new photo.
Want help estimating your hosting needs? Use our hosting checklist, or contact us with what you're planning.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to make a website in India?
Build it yourself with WordPress on shared hosting. Your only essential costs are a domain and hosting, typically a few thousand rupees in the first year.
Is GST charged on website development in India?
Website design and development is a service taxed at 18% GST when the provider is GST-registered. Smaller freelancers below the registration threshold may not charge GST, so ask whether a quote includes it.
Should I pay a web designer upfront or in instalments?
Paying in milestones is safer, for example part on signing, part on design approval and the rest at launch. That way you only pay for work you have already seen.
Why do website quotes in India vary so much?
Quotes differ in the number of pages, features, revisions, content writing and after-launch support they include. Compare what is actually delivered, not just the total.