Website design cost in Australia: 2026 prices

Website design cost makes sense once the quote says who will do the work. Are you supplying finished text and photos? Will you add projects yourself? Does the price include keeping the site running after launch?

We build websites for Australian businesses and publish our website pricing. This guide puts those packages beside Australian providers' market ranges and the ongoing fees behind them. Prices were checked on 9 October 2026. All figures are in Australian dollars with GST treatment stated where available.

What does website design cost in Australia in 2026?

Published Australian guides put a template build in the hundreds to low thousands and a custom business website in the thousands to tens of thousands. Those ranges describe different scopes, so use the table to choose a category before requesting a quote.²³⁴

These are named providers' planning ranges, not an independently measured Australian average. They are build prices unless the row says monthly or yearly.

Sources for the table: Dynamo Wheel, The Ardor and Vanitech.²³⁴ The premium row uses Vanitech's closest category; there is no standard industry definition of a "premium CMS website".

Treat an unusually low or high quote as a reason to inspect the scope. A short website with finished content may need little production work. A project library with filters, editable records and a large migration needs a more detailed brief. Page count alone will not tell you which job you are buying.

How much do Kavera's website packages cost?

Kavera's website range starts with Launch at $199 setup plus $49/month + GST and extends to custom websites, editorial sites and online stores. The tables below show our published allowances and the payment choices attached to each package.¹

What is the small business website cost in Australia?

At Kavera, a small business can start with Launch at $199 setup plus $49/month + GST for up to five pages. Our custom Business Website costs $4,000 to $9,000 + GST for up to 15 pages, with hosting and domain registration separate.¹

All Kavera prices above are plus GST. Domain registration is separate. The setup fees belong to their matching subscriptions: $199 with Launch at $49/month and $499 with Launch Plus at $99/month. Choosing the upfront option replaces that setup-and-subscription combination.¹

Launch provides a personalised site with business information and an enquiry form. Launch Plus gives several services more room with individual service pages, a service-area page and a gallery. It also includes titles, descriptions, Search Console setup and one revision round. Business adds custom design, lead capture, analytics, SEO foundations and two revision rounds.¹

Premium CMS includes a content management system for material your team edits, with content modelling, training and handover. Signature Editorial suits a more considered portfolio or brand presentation. Choose around the editing work and presentation you need.¹

Kavera note: Our Premium CMS and Signature Editorial packages have an unlimited page allowance. That does not mean unlimited writing, images, features or revisions. We agree the content and production work in the project scope.¹

Online stores and more complex systems

These ecommerce prices are plus GST. Platform subscriptions, paid themes, apps and product imagery are separate where relevant. A smaller catalogue can still require Custom Ecommerce because of bespoke requirements. Advanced Ecommerce's unlimited allowance refers to product count; content preparation, migration and integrations remain scoped.¹

A website with accounts, permissions or operational workflows needs application scoping. Kavera's Complex Digital Platform starts at $25,000 + GST. A simple enquiry-to-CRM connection starts at $750 + GST; two-way or business-critical workflows need a broader scope.¹

What will the website cost over one year and three years?

A useful website budget adds the build or setup payment to recurring charges over the period you expect to use it. Kavera Launch totals $787 + GST in its first year on subscription or $599 + GST upfront before domain registration.¹

Use this calculation for each quote:

Total cost = build or setup + recurring payments + domain + separately priced work.

Count an included cost once. If hosting is in the subscription, do not add another hosting plan. If the build includes the first year of hosting, start renewals in year two.

Published package totals

The following calculations use current Kavera prices with no assumed price increases. They cover the named package and its stated hosting charges. Domain registration, extra work, paid tools and any separately agreed care are excluded.¹

The Business example is a planning floor using the bottom of its published range. It is not a fixed quote for every 15-page website. The three-year figures are budgets at today's rates, not a price lock or a statement about minimum contract terms.

Kavera note: Launch Plus subscription has the lower first-year package cost: $1,687 versus $2,500 before GST. Over three years, its upfront option has the lower package cost: $2,898 versus $4,063 before GST. The monthly option includes maintenance, so agree the support you need before treating the prices as equivalent.¹

What ongoing website costs should you allow for?

Ongoing website costs can include a domain, hosting or a platform subscription, maintenance and paid tools. Separate those lines before adding them: a hosted platform or care plan may already include hosting.

The prices below are provider examples checked on 9 October 2026. They show the billing conditions that can make a monthly headline misleading.

Kavera Website Care already includes managed hosting. If you choose that plan, do not add $199/year again. The care fee is $480 + GST across 12 months or $1,440 + GST across 36 months at current rates. Writing new pages and substantial features need their own scope.¹

For email, booking software and plugins, list the actual product, plan and number of users your business will need. Avoid adding a generic "software allowance" without knowing what it buys. Ask who pays each renewal and whether the account can stay with you if you change suppliers.

How much extra does an ecommerce website cost to run?

An ecommerce budget needs the store build, the platform and the costs attached to selling. Keep payment fees separate from the fixed subscription because they depend on your transactions.

Shopify Basic's annual billing option totals A$504 for one year or A$1,512 for three years at the published rate. Its monthly billing option totals A$672 and A$2,016 respectively. These platform subtotals exclude any applicable tax, apps, paid themes, domain and payment fees.⁵

The Australian pricing page lists Basic online standard card rates at 1.7% + A$0.30 and a 2% third-party transaction fee when applicable. Rates differ for other payment types. Check the payment route you will use; do not automatically add every listed fee to every sale.⁵

Before commissioning a store, prepare a sample product with its photos, description, variants and shipping requirements. Have the supplier explain exactly what product entry includes. Ask who tests orders and refunds, how inventory reaches the store and which paid apps the proposed features require.

Kavera note: Our Shopify Launch allowance covers up to 20 products. Shopify's platform product capacity is a different thing from the product preparation included in our build. A store can fit the platform while requiring more work than its website package allows.¹⁵

What makes one website quote higher than another?

The work behind the pages changes the price: content production, custom design, editing requirements and connected systems all need a defined scope. We recommend asking for a deliverable against each requirement so you can see what a higher price buys.

Design and page production

List the page types as well as the page count. A service page, project page and enquiry form have different requirements. Ask which layouts are designed individually and which pages share a template. Include mobile layouts in the agreed review process.

Copy, images and product information

Say whether you will supply finished material or need someone to write, edit and organise it. Identify who uploads the final content and how many revision rounds are included. If images are licensed, confirm the licence covers the intended use. For stores, show the supplier your real catalogue before accepting a product-entry price.

Content editing and approvals

Describe what your team will change after launch. A business that occasionally updates a phone number has different editing needs from a builder publishing new projects. Ask for a demonstration of the proposed editor and include training in the quote. If several people approve content, explain that workflow before choosing a CMS.

Integrations and testing

Name each system and the action it must perform. Sending a form submission into a CRM is a smaller request than synchronising accounts, orders and stock both ways. Ask who checks failed submissions, maintains the connection and pays the other system's subscription.

Launch timing, accessibility and support

Agree when content and feedback are due, which devices and browsers will be checked and how problems will be reported. Include keyboard access, readable text and usable forms in the acceptance criteria. Ask what support covers after launch and which changes need a fresh quote. Do not infer unlimited availability from the word "support".

Can you reduce the cost without cutting useful work?

You can reduce the initial scope by supplying finished content, reusing appropriate page layouts and launching with the features your customers need first. Keep the enquiry or checkout journey complete even if you postpone other work.

Start with a page list and a content owner for each page. Separate launch requirements from ideas you can evaluate later. A booking link may meet the immediate need; a custom scheduling system deserves a business case and a separate quote.

If you have an existing website, ask what can be retained before paying to replace it. Include an inventory of useful pages, redirects for changed addresses and checks of the contact forms after launch. Our website redesign services address an existing site's needs; a redesign is a different brief from starting with no site.

For a DIY build, budget your own time without assigning it an invented industry rate. List the tasks you would otherwise ask a provider to complete and decide which you can sustain. A lower cash payment is useful only if you can finish and maintain the required website.

What should you ask for before accepting a website quote?

Ask for one written scope covering the launch deliverables, ongoing charges and handover. Use the same brief with each supplier so the prices answer the same question.

Ask for the first-year payment total and the recurring cost after any promotion ends. Get a separate price for anything the quote leaves optional. Confirm access to the domain and business accounts rather than assuming that paying for a build grants every licence or export right.

Our website packages give you the published starting point. Bring your page list, existing website and required features to the scope discussion so we can identify the package and the additional work, if any, before production begins.