Website development cost in India
What a website really costs in India in 2026, by type and by builder: brochure, business, ecommerce and custom, WordPress versus custom code, recurring costs, and what inflates quotes.
By the Zuptek team · Published 25 October 2026
Website development cost in India depends on four things: how many unique page designs you need, who writes the content, which features and integrations are included, and who does the work. A single landing page is the cheapest build, a business website with a page per service sits in the middle, and ecommerce stores and custom web applications cost the most because they carry the most features. Freelancers usually charge less than agencies for the same brief, and registered providers add GST.
Quotes for the “same” website can differ by five times because the word website hides every decision about design, content, features and who does the work. This guide breaks the cost down by site type, compares WordPress with custom code, lists the recurring costs owners forget, and explains what pushes a quote up. For a first estimate based on your own page count and features, use the cost calculator on our website development service page.
Key takeaways
- Most SMEs need a business website: 8 to 15 pages, custom design, blog, SEO setup. Get it quoted against a written page and feature list.
- WordPress is the right choice for most business sites. Custom code pays off mainly for applications, portals and unusual performance needs.
- Recurring costs cover domain, hosting, email and licences every year, plus maintenance if you want someone looking after the site.
- Content writing, photography, integrations and revision rounds are what inflate quotes. Fix the scope before asking for prices.
- Insist on owning the domain, hosting account and admin login. A cheap site you do not own is expensive.
Website cost in India by type
| Website type | Typical pages | Relative cost | What drives the cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landing page (one offer, one form) | 1 | Lowest | Copywriting, conversion tracking, testing |
| Brochure site | 3 to 5 | Low | Template versus custom design, who writes the copy |
| Business website | 8 to 15 | Moderate | Number of unique layouts, blog, forms, SEO setup |
| Multi-location or large business site | 20 to 50 | Moderate to high | Location pages, advanced forms, user roles, languages |
| Ecommerce store | Catalogue-based | Moderate to high | Catalogue size, payments, shipping, GST invoicing |
| Custom web application or portal | Scoped | Highest | Features, integrations, discovery and testing |
Zuptek quotes every build as a fixed, itemised price against a written scope. For a first figure, use the website cost calculator.
What you get at each level
Landing page. One page built for a single campaign: headline, offer, proof, form, WhatsApp button, thank-you page, conversion tracking. Good landing pages are not cheap because they are written and tested, and they pay back through lower cost per lead on ads.
Brochure site. Home, about, services, contact. Template-based design with your colours and photos. Suits a professional who needs a credible presence and gets most work through referrals.
Business website. Custom design on WordPress, a page for each service, a blog, a contact page with map, forms that route to email and WhatsApp, basic on-page SEO, speed optimisation, analytics and Search Console set up, and an hour of training. This is what most Indian SMEs should buy. It is the base a SEO campaign can build on.
Multi-location or large site. Everything above plus location pages, advanced forms, booking or enquiry workflows, multiple user roles and sometimes a second language.
Ecommerce store. Product catalogue, cart, Razorpay or other gateway, UPI and cash on delivery, GST invoices, shipping integration, order emails and WhatsApp notifications. Covered in detail in our ecommerce website cost guide and built through our ecommerce development service.
Custom web application. Anything with logins, dashboards, databases or integrations with your ERP or CRM. Priced per feature after a discovery phase.
WordPress vs custom-coded website
| WordPress | Custom code (React, Next.js, Laravel, Django) | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical cost, business site | Lower | Higher |
| Build time | Shorter | Longer |
| Who can edit content | You, after an hour of training | Usually only developers, unless a CMS is added |
| Plugins and integrations | Thousands available, often free | Built from scratch or via APIs |
| Performance | Good when built well, poor when overloaded with plugins | Excellent when built well |
| Security | Needs updates and a good host | Needs a developer on retainer |
| Finding another developer later | Easy, everywhere in India | Harder and costlier |
| Best for | Business sites, blogs, brochures, most stores | Portals, SaaS, marketplaces, heavy custom logic |
WordPress is the right answer for most businesses reading this. Choose custom code when the site is the product, when you need features no plugin provides, or when traffic and performance requirements are extreme.
Recurring costs most quotes leave out
| Item | How it is charged | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Domain (.com or .in) | Yearly renewal | Register it in your own account |
| Hosting | Monthly or yearly | Shared hosting at the low end, managed cloud at the high end |
| SSL certificate | Free or paid | Free certificates are fine for most sites |
| Premium theme and plugin licences | Yearly | Page builder, forms, SEO, security, backups |
| Business email (Google Workspace or similar) | Per user, monthly or yearly | Current rupee prices are on the Google Workspace pricing page; do not run a business on Gmail addresses |
| Maintenance or care plan | Monthly | Updates, backups, monitoring and small changes |
Without maintenance, a WordPress site falls behind on core, theme and plugin updates, which is how most breakages and hacks start. Budget for it or accept the risk knowingly.
What inflates a website quote
- Custom design for every page. Each unique layout is design plus development time. Agree on four or five templates and reuse them.
- Content writing. Professional copy is usually charged per page. Supplying your own content cuts the price and usually slows the project.
- Photography and video. A professional shoot adds a day rate plus editing. Stock photos are cheaper and look it.
- Integrations. CRM, payment gateway, booking system, ERP, WhatsApp API. Each one adds development and testing time.
- Multiple languages. Hindi plus English roughly doubles content effort.
- Animations and effects. Expensive to build, often slow the site, rarely add leads.
- Revision rounds. Two rounds are standard. Open-ended revisions are either priced in or lead to disputes.
- Rush timelines. Anything under two weeks for a full site carries a premium.
- Migrations. Moving an old site with hundreds of URLs, while preserving its SEO, is a project in itself.
How to keep the cost down without a worse site
- Write a one-page brief: goals, pages, must-have features, three sites you like.
- Supply logo files, photos and content before design starts.
- Choose WordPress and a proven theme over a bespoke build unless you have a reason.
- Launch with the pages you need and add the rest later.
- Pay for a care plan rather than emergency fixes.
What to demand in any quote
The domain in your name. The hosting account in your name. Full admin access on launch. A written list of pages and features. A timeline with milestones. Two revision rounds. A statement of who owns the design and code after final payment. Any quote missing these is incomplete regardless of price.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a 5-page website cost in India?
A five-page brochure site is one of the cheapest builds. The price depends mainly on whether the design is a template or custom, who writes the copy, and whether speed work, SEO setup and training are included. Freelancers usually charge less than agencies. Domain, hosting and GST are extra. Our website cost calculator gives a first estimate.
How much does a WordPress website cost in India?
It depends on the type of site: a basic template site costs least, a custom-designed business site more, and a WooCommerce store more again. Theme and plugin licences are usually renewed every year.
How much do freelancers charge for website design in India?
Rates vary widely with experience. Very cheap offers usually mean a template with your logo swapped in, no SEO setup and no support after launch. Check portfolios of live sites and confirm what happens after launch before you compare prices.
Why are website quotes so different for the same brief?
Because the brief rarely fixes the things that cost money: number of unique layouts, who writes the content, which integrations are included, how many revisions, and who maintains the site. Ask every vendor to quote against the same written scope.
Is a Rs 5,000 website worth it?
Only as a placeholder. At that price you get a template, no custom design, no content, no SEO setup and usually hosting you do not control. Businesses that start there usually end up paying for a rebuild.
Does the website cost include hosting and domain?
It varies by provider; some include the first year, others bill it at cost. After that, you pay the registrar and host directly every year. Make sure both accounts are in your name.
Get a fixed quote for your website
Zuptek builds websites for businesses across India and abroad from its head office in Faridabad, with a fixed, itemised quote and no surprise invoices. Send us your brief or your current site and we will come back with a fixed price and timeline. Try the calculator on our website development page, request a free website audit, or contact us to talk it through.