The Honest Answer: It Depends on What You Need
Every web developer has heard this question, and most give vague answers. This page shows what moves the number, so you can read any quote and know what you are paying for. The full breakdown is in the website cost breakdown for small businesses. Website costs vary because the work varies. A 5-page business site and a custom SaaS platform are as different as a shed and a house. Here is what drives the cost of each type in 2026.
Business Websites
A professional business website with 5-10 pages, responsive design, contact forms, and basic SEO configuration. For Sacramento businesses, the guide to Sacramento website pricing covers local factors. WordPress sites on custom themes are the smaller scope. Custom-built sites with Astro or similar static site generators take more because they include original design work, custom graphics, and more intensive SEO configuration.
Ongoing costs: hosting, an annual domain registration, and maintenance if you want someone keeping the site updated and secure. A static Astro site costs far less to host and maintain than a WordPress site with a dozen plugins.
E-commerce Stores
An online store with product catalog, payment processing, shipping calculation, and order management. WooCommerce on WordPress fits a straightforward product catalog. Custom e-commerce builds with subscription billing, complex product configurations, or marketplace features are a larger build. Catalog size, product variations, and the number of shipping and tax rules drive the scope.
Ongoing costs include hosting, per-transaction payment processing fees charged by Stripe or your processor, SSL (usually free), and maintenance. E-commerce sites need more maintenance than informational sites because payment integrations, inventory sync, and shipping APIs require ongoing attention.
Custom Web Applications
A custom web application with user accounts, database, API layer, and business logic. Simple CRUD applications with a single user role are the smallest scope. Applications with multiple user roles, third-party integrations, and complex workflows take more. The cost scales with the number of data models, user interactions, and integration points.
Web applications here are built with TypeScript end-to-end and deployed on Cloudflare Workers for applications that need global performance and automatic scaling. Edge-deployed infrastructure costs significantly less than traditional server hosting at most usage levels.
SaaS Platforms
A SaaS platform adds multi-tenant architecture, subscription billing, and self-service account management on top of web application complexity. MVPs include the core product workflow, Stripe billing integration, and basic admin tools, scoped to the smallest feature set that proves the idea. Full-featured platforms with analytics, team management, enterprise features, and API access are a much larger build.
Ongoing costs include hosting, Stripe transaction and subscription fees, and maintenance and feature development. Most SaaS products also need a marketing budget, which is separate from development cost.
What Drives Cost Up (and Down)
Custom design vs. templates. A custom design with original graphics costs more than adapting a template. Both can look professional. Templates save money when the standard layouts fit your content.
Number of integrations. Each third-party integration (payment processing, CRM, email marketing, shipping, inventory) adds development time. Stripe takes 2-3 days. WordPress API sync takes 3-5 days. Each integration has its own authentication, error handling, and edge cases.
User roles and permissions. A site where everyone has the same access is simpler than one with admin, editor, viewer, and customer roles. Each role needs its own interface, navigation, and data access rules.
Content volume. Migrating 50 pages costs more than creating 10 from scratch. Data migration, URL redirects, and content reformatting take real engineering time.
How to Get an Accurate Estimate
Start with what your business does, who your users are, and what you need the website or application to accomplish. If you are still evaluating options, the guide on choosing a web design company covers what to look for. A free email exchange settles which platform fits and which features are essential versus nice-to-have, followed by an itemized written estimate. No hourly billing surprises. No scope creep without a conversation. Milestone-based payments tied to deliverables you can review before paying.