How much does a website cost in Canada in 2026?
What a website costs in Canada in 2026, from DIY builders to custom builds. Price ranges, yearly costs, hidden fees and how to get a fixed quote.
The short answer
How much does a website cost in Canada? A professionally built site of up to 5 pages usually costs $1,000 to $2,500. A business site of 6 to 12 pages usually costs $2,500 to $5,000, and an online store usually costs $3,500 to $15,000. A do-it-yourself site on Wix or Squarespace costs about $250 to $550 a year in plan fees. All prices are in Canadian dollars, before HST.
We based these ranges on the prices a dozen Ottawa and Ontario studios published in September 2026, plus the pricing pages of the main website builders.
Website prices at a glance
| Type of website | Typical price | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|
| DIY site on a builder | $250 to $550 a year, plus your time | As long as it takes you |
| Starter site, up to 5 pages | $1,000 to $2,500 | 1 to 3 weeks |
| Business site, 6 to 12 pages | $2,500 to $5,000 | 2 to 6 weeks |
| Online store or booking site | $3,500 to $15,000 | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Custom web app or portal | $5,000 and up | Priced in phases |
Very cheap offers below these ranges exist. They usually leave out something you pay for later, such as hosting, writing or support after launch.
What changes the price
Two quotes for “a 5-page website” can differ by several thousand dollars. These things explain most of the gap.
- Number of pages. Each page needs design, writing and testing. A separate page for each service costs more than one page that lists them all. It also gives Google a page to show for each service.
- Who writes the text. Many low-cost packages expect you to supply every word. Professional writing adds a few hundred dollars per page.
- Custom design or a template. A template is faster and cheaper. A custom design costs more because each layout is drawn around your own content.
- Features. Online booking, payments, quote forms, member logins and links to other software such as a CRM all add cost.
- Store size. A store with 10 products is a different job from a store with 500 products, shipping rules and tax settings for each province.
- Moving an old site. Copying content and setting up redirects so old links and rankings keep working takes time.
- Accessibility. Some organizations in Ontario must meet a legal accessibility standard. Our AODA website compliance guide explains who.
- Deadline. A rush job often costs more.
DIY website builders
A builder is the cheapest way to get online. You pay a monthly fee and build the site yourself. These are the plans on each company’s pricing page in September 2026, in Canadian dollars, before tax.
| Builder and plan | Per month, paid yearly | Can you sell online? |
|---|---|---|
| Wix Light | $21 | No payments |
| Wix Core | $33 | Yes, basic store |
| Squarespace Basic | $21 | Yes, with a 2% transaction fee |
| Squarespace Core | $32 | Yes, no transaction fee |
| Shopify Basic | $37 | Yes |
Card processing is extra on every platform, usually 2.8% to 2.9% plus 30 cents per sale.
The plan fee is only part of the cost.
- Your time. Expect 20 to 60 hours to build a site yourself, plus time for every update.
- Add-ons. Booking, reviews, forms and email marketing are often paid apps.
- Domain renewal. The free domain on Wix plans lasts one year.
- Moving later. You usually cannot move a builder site to another platform. Switching means building it again.
A builder is a good choice for a very small budget and a simple site. It is a weaker choice when you need custom features, want to rank well on Google or would rather someone else handle changes.
What a WordPress website costs
WordPress is free software, but a working WordPress site has several costs.
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Professional build, 5 to 10 pages | $2,500 to $8,000 |
| Hosting | $15 to $25 a month |
| Premium plugins for forms, SEO and backups | $100 to $300 a year |
| Maintenance plan | $70 to $200 a month |
WordPress needs regular updates to the core software, the theme and every plugin. If you do the updates yourself, budget an hour or two each month.
Yearly costs after launch
The build is a one-time cost. These costs repeat.
| Cost | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Domain name (.ca or .com) | $15 to $30 a year |
| Hosting only | $15 to $25 a month |
| Business email | About $9 per person a month for Google Workspace |
| SSL certificate (the padlock) | Usually free with hosting |
| Studio maintenance plan with hosting, updates, backups and edits | $70 to $200 a month |
| Local SEO (optional) | $300 to $1,300 a month |
If you rarely change your site, hosting plus hourly edits may cost less than a maintenance plan. Studio hourly rates in Ontario are about $85 to $100 an hour.
Hidden costs and red flags
Most surprise costs come from things that were never written down. Watch for these.
- The domain is in the designer’s name. You should be the registrant. A .ca domain must also meet CIRA’s Canadian presence requirements.
- A low build price with a required monthly plan. This can be a fair deal. Compare the total over three years. For example, $599 plus $69 a month comes to $3,083 after 36 months.
- Text, photos or SEO left out. Ask what the quote does not include.
- No written limit on changes. Ask how many rounds are included and what an extra round costs.
- Prices before tax. HST in Ontario is 13%. A $3,000 website costs $3,390 with HST.
- No logins for you. You should have admin access to the site, the domain and the hosting account.
How to get an accurate quote
A designer can only give a fixed price when they know what you need. Send the same details to everyone you ask.
- List the pages you want. For example, home, about, one page for each service and contact.
- Say who will write the text and supply the photos.
- List the features you need, such as a quote form, online booking, a blog or a store with a product count.
- Share 2 or 3 websites you like, and say what you like about each.
- Share your budget range. It saves time for both sides.
- Say when you need the site live.
Then ask each designer the same questions.
- Is the price fixed, and what would change it?
- What is not included?
- Who owns the domain, the site files and the content?
- How many rounds of changes are included?
- What will I pay each year after launch?
- Is HST included?
What Webtacular charges
Every price is on our pricing page. You get a fixed quote before work starts. You can pay for your website once, or pay monthly with nothing upfront. Prices are in Canadian dollars, before HST.
| Package | Pay once | Pay monthly | Pages | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $1,000 | $100 a month | Up to 5 | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Business | $2,500 | $200 a month | Up to 10, with a page for each service | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Growth | From $4,000 | From $350 a month | 10 to 20, or a store with up to 25 products | 4 to 6 weeks |
Every package includes a custom design that works on phones, a contact form and SEO setup. You own the domain, the site and the content.
If you pay once, half is due at the start and half at launch. Most pay-once sites get free hosting, with SSL included. WordPress sites and online stores need paid hosting. Changes after launch are billed by the hour.
A monthly plan has a 12-month minimum, then runs month to month. It covers the same website plus a free domain registered in your name, hosting with SSL, daily backups, updates, security monitoring and a set amount of edits. Starter includes 1 hour of edits a month, Business 2 hours and Growth 3 hours. After 12 months you can cancel at any time. When you cancel, we hand over the site. You then need your own hosting to keep it online, and you pay the yearly domain renewal.
Custom web apps start at $5,000, with a fixed price for each phase. Work outside a package or plan is $60 an hour, billed in 15-minute steps.
To talk about your project, see our web design service or get a free quote.
Related service
Web design
A custom design that fits your business, works on every phone and makes it easy for visitors to call or request a quote.
From $1,000 before HST
