Cost of Website – Professionals vs Freelancers

The average hourly rate for a website designer ranges from $70 – $200. A business website could cost between $5,000 and $10,000, with the average cost to set up, design, build, and create content for a simple website being $5,000. This figure also includes client maintenance and training. Naturally, when deciding between a standard fix template website with a full customised website, a custom website will be more expensive.

How Much Do Web Designers Charge?

Web designers typically charge by the hour or by the project.

Hourly Pay

A reasonably skilled freelance web designer can expect to earn around $75 per hour. According to CSS-Tricks, this figure can vary.

According to Website Builder Expert, the cost for a cheap web design is $30 to $80 per hour, and the cost to develop it is $100 to $180 per hour.

Freelancers typically earn more than in-house web designers because they do not receive health insurance or other benefits that employees do. Freelancers also have significantly less job security. They move from one contract to the next. A higher rate compensates them for clients’ lack of long-term commitment.

Several factors influence whether a freelancer charges more or less than $75 per hour:

  • Length of the project. Long-term projects may warrant a lower hourly rate.
  • Pet projects. A freelancer may offer a lower rate to a nonprofit, a friend, or a family member.
  • The number of pages. More design pages equal more work. Extras such as a blog or an e-commerce component may also be more expensive.
  • The project’s difficulty. Will you require the assistance of a programmer, developer, or graphic designer? Charge a higher fee. Is this a repeat of a previous project? You can charge less if you can copy and paste much of your previous work.
  • Old or new client. Some web designers will charge a new client lesser to secure the project, but this may set a bad precedent.
  • Level of dedication. Consider lowering your price if you can only put in a few hours of work here and there rather than committing to the project full time.

Flat Fee

Clients prefer to pay web designers a flat rate because they know exactly how much they will pay upfront. According to CSS-Tricks, web design freelancers despise flat rates because you can never be sure how long a project will take, especially if the client requests continuous changes.

Before providing prices, it’s a good idea to thoroughly ask the client to ensure you understand their budget and project requirements.

Here’s a simple price list for web design:

  • $500 for content creation
  • $500 for upkeep
  • Setup costs $160
  • Client training costs $600
  • $5,000 for design and construction
  • $6,760 in total

According to Website Builder Expert, the average cost of a simple website created by a freelance website designer is $6,760. This fee only applies to the first year.

However, each cost is unique. Depending on the website domain cost and other factors, setup can cost as little as $50 or as much as $200. A custom website design will cost at least $5,000 and can cost up to $10,000.

Content creation cost ranges from $500 to $5,000, depending on how much content the client requires. In addition, the annual cost of website maintenance ranges between $500 and $1,000.

How Much Should a Web Designer Charge?

web design cost comparison by freelance and professional web designer

A freelance web designer should charge an hourly rate based on his living expenses and any business expenses. It is best not to charge what you earned as an employee.

A web design firm pays for overhead expenses such as equipment, training and conferences, health insurance, utilities, and software licences. To keep their business afloat, a freelance web designer must set a minimum hourly rate to cover all of these expenses.

Going below your hourly minimum establishes a bad precedent. Clients will begin to expect this rate, and you will start to value yourself at this rate, which is even worse. You may get less work, but you will be well compensated for the work you get and will have the time to do it well.

Beewits provides a free website design cost calculator to assist you in determining your hourly rate. Also, checkout the usual price for a website design and development project done in Singapore in 2023.

What Are Web Designers’ Hourly Rates?

Hourly rate of freelance and professional website designer

According to Salary.com, web designers earn between $31 and $42 per hour, with the average being $36 per hour.

The caveat is that this figure includes all web designers, including those who work for agencies in-house. Because they have more overhead expenses, freelancers charge higher hourly rates.

Freelance web designers charge based on their level of expertise. According to Website Builder Expert, freelancers typically charge between $30 and $80 per hour to design a website.

How Much Do Web Designers Charge for a Website?

According to 99designs, freelance web designers charge between $500 and $5,000 per website. The flat rate is determined by the job’s complexity and the designer’s level of experience. The more pages required, the higher the cost of the website.

However, if the web pages look similar, some web designers will create templates that the client can fill out themselves. This method saves money.

For example, if a client wants an e-commerce web development site, the web designer can create a template for the product pages, which the client can then populate with their content.

Web development services range in price from $75 to $300 per hour. Some web designers also do development work, while others outsource it to a developer and raise their hourly rate as a result.

Sites that require constant revisions and updates will also incur higher maintenance costs after the first year. According to Website Builder Expert, this can cost between $500 and $1000 per year.

Becoming a website designer is a bit costly. There are many different costs to be covered, and you have to be well prepared to have capital on hand. However, it will be all worth it when you see your dream website coming to life. If you are an amateur website designer, you can always opt for a cheap website design first. After making enough profit, you can always redesign your website to your liking.