How much does a small business website cost in Australia?
A small business website in Australia typically costs a few hundred dollars a year on a DIY builder you set up yourself, $500 to $5,000 from a freelancer, and $3,000 to $10,000 or more from an agency, plus ongoing hosting and upkeep. A subscription website like Quorotto costs $300 to $800 to set up, then $100 to $200 a month with hosting and support included, and website updates done for you on Busy and Flat Out.
DIY website builders.
Cheapest in dollars, most expensive in your time.
With Wix, Squarespace or Shopify you pay a monthly or yearly plan and build the site yourself from a template. There's no upfront design fee. You do the writing, the photos, the layout and the updates.
On the core business plans, that works out to roughly $200 to $700 a year in plan fees. Online booking, an online store or lower card fees usually need a higher plan or a paid add-on, and every sale pays a card processing fee.
| Builder and plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly (per month) | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wix Light | not shown | A$21 | The basics; accepting payments starts on Core |
| Wix Core | not shown | A$42 | Accept payments, basic eCommerce, scheduling and services |
| Wix Business | not shown | A$55 | Wix's recommended plan; standard eCommerce |
| Squarespace Basic | A$24 | A$17 | Card rates from 1.8% + A$0.30, plus a 2% online store transaction fee |
| Squarespace Core | A$39 | A$28 | Card rates from 1.8% + A$0.30, 0% store transaction fee |
| Squarespace Scheduling Starter | A$22 | A$20 | Online booking add-on, one bookable calendar |
| Shopify Basic | A$56 | A$42 | Online card rates from 1.7% + 30c |
| Shopify Busy | A$149 | A$114 | Online card rates from 1.55% + 30c, up to 5 staff accounts |
Plan prices as shown on each vendor's Australian pricing page. Prices checked October 2026. Wix shows prices including GST for yearly subscriptions paid upfront.
Sources: Wix plans, Squarespace pricing, Squarespace Scheduling, Shopify Australia pricing. Prices checked October 2026. Wix's page lists yearly prices; it notes other subscription periods are available.
Freelancers and agencies.
Freelancers: typically $500 to $5,000.
A basic brochure site of three to five pages typically costs $500 to $1,775, and a custom small business site starts around $3,000. Freelance and junior designers commonly charge $80 to $120 an hour. Hosting, domain and changes are usually billed separately (Bark Australia, March 2026).
Agencies: typically $3,000 to $10,000 or more.
Custom small business sites with 10 to 15 pages and basic SEO typically run $3,000 to $10,000+ (Bark), and another Australian guide puts small business sites at $5,000 to $10,000 and online stores at $8,000 to $20,000 (Vebit, 2026). Senior designers and agencies commonly charge $160 to $250 an hour.
Ongoing, expect hosting of about $10 to $30 a month for shared hosting, and maintenance of $100 to $300 a month for basic care, more for full-service support (Bark).
Subscription websites, like Quorotto.
A subscription website swaps a big upfront bill for a small setup fee and a monthly price. The questions to ask are what the monthly fee includes, and what happens if you leave. With Quorotto, hosting and support are included, website updates are done for you on Busy and Flat Out, online booking or ordering and card payments come in every package, there's no lock-in, and if you leave you keep your domain name and your content.
+ $300 setup, one-off
A 4-page website built to be found on Google and AI search, online ordering or booking with a “do we deliver to you?” or “do we come to you?” check, card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Afterpay, Klarna, Zip, or pay on delivery or on the day, packing lists or job sheets, and your BAS sales figures for the quarter.
+ $500 setup, one-off
Everything in Steady, plus up to 8 pages, wholesale or business accounts with invoices, credit limits and statements, dashboard comparisons and your own dates, a combined packing list or job sheet for each run or day, files ready for Xero or MYOB, and a website update done for you every quarter.
+ $800 setup, one-off
Everything in Busy, plus up to 13 pages, a till on your phone for market stall or on-the-spot sales, the full dashboard (how each sale was made and paid, fees, refunds, website visits to sales and growth statistics), a monthly financial report and a monthly website report by email, an income summary for lenders, a customer list, a monthly website update and new features as soon as they're released.
Prices in Australian dollars. First month free: your first monthly fee is charged a month after go-live. No lock-in, month to month. Every quote is fixed and in writing before anything's built.
What drives the cost.
Custom or template
A template is quick and cheap. A custom design built around your business takes more time, whoever does it.
What it has to do
Online booking, an online store, deposits, customer accounts and stock add the most cost on most builds.
Connections
Linking payments, accounting software like Xero or MYOB, and card terminals takes setup and testing.
Words and photos
Copywriting and photography are often quoted separately, and they make the biggest difference to how the site sells.
Being found
Local search setup, page speed and a Google Business Profile all take work, now and over time.
Changes after launch
Some providers include changes; others bill them by the hour. Ask before you sign.
First-year and three-year totals.
Worked examples, so you can compare like with like. The DIY rows are plan fees only. The freelancer and agency rows use example figures from inside the typical ranges above. None include domain, email or card fees.
| Option | Upfront | Monthly | First year | Three years | Booking, payments and invoices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squarespace Core (DIY) | $0 | $28 | $336 | $1,008 | Payments and invoices included; booking is a paid add-on; you build it |
| Shopify Basic (DIY) | $0 | $42 | $504 | $1,512 | Built for selling products; you build it |
| Wix Business (DIY) | $0 | $55 | $660 | $1,980 | Payments and scheduling included; you build it |
| Freelancer (example) | $3,000 | $20 | $3,240 | $3,720 | Depends on the quote; changes usually billed |
| Agency (example) | $8,000 | $150 | $9,800 | $13,400 | Depends on the quote |
| Quorotto Steady | $300 | $100 | $1,400 | $3,800 | Booking or ordering and card payments included; built and looked after for you |
| Quorotto Busy | $500 | $150 | $2,150 | $5,750 | Adds wholesale accounts, comparisons, and Xero and MYOB files |
| Quorotto Flat Out | $800 | $200 | $3,000 | $7,800 | Adds a market stall till, the full dashboard and an income summary for lenders |
Prices checked October 2026. DIY plans billed yearly. Freelancer example: $3,000 build plus $20 a month hosting. Agency example: $8,000 build plus $150 a month maintenance. Quorotto: first month free, so the first year counts eleven monthly fees and three years count thirty-five.
Sources: Squarespace, Shopify Australia, Wix, Bark Australia. Quorotto prices from our pricing page.
Where Quorotto fits, honestly.
If you only need a few pages, have the time and enjoy building it yourself, a DIY builder is the cheapest way to get online. We'll tell you that on a call.
If you want the site built for you, with bookings or orders, payments, invoices and a dashboard working together, and you'd rather pay a monthly fee than a large upfront bill, that's what Quorotto is for. Over three years, Steady costs about the same as a modest freelancer site, with booking or ordering, payments and support included.
Still deciding? See our side-by-side comparison of Quorotto, Wix, Squarespace, Shopify and agencies, or, if you're a tradie, what a tradie website needs.
Cost questions.
How much should a small business spend on a website in Australia?
It depends on what the site has to do. A simple brochure site can cost a few hundred dollars a year on a DIY builder, a freelancer typically charges $500 to $5,000, and an agency-built custom site typically costs $3,000 to $10,000 or more, plus ongoing hosting and upkeep.
Is a cheap DIY website good enough?
Often, yes. If you have the time, only need a few pages and are happy to look after it yourself, a DIY builder is the cheapest way to get online. It costs more once you add booking, payments and the hours you spend building and updating it.
Is a monthly website cheaper than paying upfront?
Over three years, Quorotto Steady costs $3,800 in total. That's more than a DIY builder, about the same as a modest freelancer build with hosting, and much less than a typical agency build. The difference is what's included: booking or ordering, payments, hosting and support, and on Busy and Flat Out, website updates.
What ongoing costs should I budget for?
Budget for a domain name, hosting, business email, card processing fees on every sale, paid apps or plugins, and changes or maintenance. With a DIY builder, also count your own time.
Why do agency quotes vary so much?
Agencies price on hours: custom design, the number of pages, copywriting, photography, online stores, booking systems and integrations with your accounting or payments all add time. Hourly rates for senior designers and agencies are commonly $160 to $250.
Do I own my website with Quorotto?
If you leave, you keep your domain name and your content: your words, your photos and your customer data. The custom software stays with Quorotto.
Get a fixed price.
Fifteen minutes, free. Tell us what the site needs to do and we'll give you a fixed quote in writing, or tell you if a DIY builder would do the job.
- Setup from $300, from $100 a month
- First month free, no lock-in
- Prices in Australian dollars
Prefer we ring you?
We'll ring you within a day at the time you picked.