Small business website cost UK 2026: 12 options compared

Ask what a website costs and you usually get one of two answers: "it depends", or a sales pitch. Here are the numbers instead. Twelve ways a UK small business can get online, what each one cost when we checked in September 2026 and what you get for the money.

One thing to know first: we're Setout, one of the twelve. So we've set out the facts as plainly as we can, and said where the others are the better choice.

The short answer

Option	Who builds it	Monthly cost	Online booking	Contract
Facebook page	You	Free	No	None
Wix	You	£9 to £16, paid yearly	On Core and above	Yearly for those prices
Squarespace	You	£17 to £24, plus £14 to £20 for scheduling	Paid add-on	Monthly allowed
GoDaddy	You	£7.99 to £16.99	Depends on the plan	Prepaid terms
Hostinger	You	£2.99 to start, then about £10.99	Depends on the plan	Prepaid terms
Fresha	You	£14.95 for one person, or £9.95 per team member, plus 20% on new marketplace clients	Yes	Monthly
Booksy	You	£40 + VAT, plus about £5 per extra team member	Yes	Monthly
Timely	You	£22 to £39 per team member	Yes	Monthly
Square Appointments	You	Free for one person; £29 or £69 per location	Yes	Monthly
Yell	Built for you	£50 to £100, as reported	Not in the packages we compared	12 months is usual
Pay-monthly web agency	Built for you	£29 to £75	Usually not	12 months is usual
Setout	Built for you, or by you	£39 including VAT	Yes	None

Several of these prices don't include VAT. Setout's does.

Building it yourself: free to about £25 a month

Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy and Hostinger give you a design and an editor, and you do the rest. They're the cheapest way to a website that's yours, and Wix and Squarespace in particular look good when they're done well.

Three things to know before you start. First, the low prices often come with a long prepaid term, and some rise when you renew: GoDaddy and Hostinger's starting prices can go up two or three times at renewal. Second, online booking usually costs extra: Wix includes it from its Core plan, and Squarespace sells scheduling as a separate add-on. Third, your time is the biggest cost. Budget a weekend or two to do it properly, and a few hours a month to keep it right.

The right choice if: you enjoy this kind of thing, your budget is tight and customers mostly ring you rather than book.

Booking apps: from free, but priced per person

Fresha, Booksy, Timely and Square Appointments run your diary rather than your website. Customers book on the app's own pages, and you manage everything from your phone.

The price usually grows with your team. A team of three costs £29.85 a month on Fresha's team plan and £66 to £117 on Timely, before anything else. The marketplaces also take a share of the new clients they send you: 20% on Fresha, 30% through Booksy's Boost feature and 35% plus VAT on Treatwell. Most give you a booking page on their site rather than a website of your own; Fresha sells a website add-on, but doesn't publish its price.

The right choice if: you work alone and want the cheapest diary (Square is free for one person), or a marketplace keeps your chairs full with new faces.

Built for you: £29 to £100 a month, usually with a contract

Yell and pay-monthly web agencies build the site, host it and make changes for you. That's the whole appeal: someone else does it. The catch is the contract. A 12-month minimum term is usual, so you make twelve payments whether the site works for you or not.

Before you sign, ask three questions: how long is the minimum term, what notice do you need to give and who owns the web address if you leave?

The right choice if: you want one company handling your website along with other advertising, and you're happy to commit for a year.

Setout sits in this group too, with two differences. There's no contract, and you see your site on your phone before you pay anything. It's £39 a month including VAT, with online bookings, enquiries and your web address included, whether you build it yourself in about ten minutes or we build it for you.

The costs that don't make the headline

Renewal prices. The first year's price isn't always the second year's.
Add-ons. Bookings, email addresses, extra pages and removing the builder's branding can each cost more.
VAT. £40 + VAT is £48.
Commission. A 20% fee on a £50 appointment is £10, every time a new marketplace client books.
Your web address. A .co.uk address costs a few pounds a year to register. Some providers include it; some charge for it; some keep it in their name.
Your time. An evening a week spent on a website is an evening not spent on paid work.
The contract. Twelve months at £50 is £600, whether you stay happy or not.

How to choose in five minutes

Answer four questions, honestly.

Do you want to build it, or have it built? If you'd enjoy it, a builder like Wix will serve you well. If you'd rather not, choose something built for you.
Do customers book a time, or ring for a quote? Salons, clinics and trainers need online booking. Many trades mainly need a phone number, a quote form and reviews.
How many of you take bookings? Per-person pricing is cheap for one and expensive for six.
Can you commit to a year? If not, rule out anything with a 12-month minimum term.

If you'd rather it was built for you

Setout builds your website and online bookings for £39 a month including VAT, for the whole business, with no contract. Tell us about your business and we'll build your site, then send you a private link so you can see it on your phone before you pay. Ask us to build yours, or see what we do for plumbers, electricians, hair salons and physios.

Sources

Prices as each company listed them, or as reported, when we checked on 28 September 2026. Prices change, so check before you decide, and tell us if anything here is out of date.