What a website costs in South Africa in 2026
Our website design prices in South Africa, published in full and incl. VAT: R15,000 (ZAR) for a custom-designed site of up to eight pages, from R25,000 with an online store, bookings, a membership site or a learning platform, and from R65,000 for custom systems.
Three packages, with prices
Our web design packages: two custom-designed websites, one at a fixed price and one from a fixed starting price, and custom systems quoted after a free first discovery. All prices in South African rand (ZAR), incl. VAT.
Business
R15,000 (ZAR) incl. VAT
Up to 8 pages with a custom design on Blocksy. No off-the-shelf template.
Professional
from R25,000 incl. VAT
Everything in Business, up to 20 pages, plus one of: a store, bookings, membership or LMS.
Custom & Systems
from R65,000 incl. VAT
Custom plugins, integrations and business systems, quoted after a free first discovery.
| What you get | Business | Professional | Custom & Systems |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pages | Up to 8 | Up to 20 | Set in discovery |
| Custom design on Blocksy — no off-the-shelf template | Included | Included | Set in discovery |
| Forms | Included | Included | Set in discovery |
| Rank Math + LiteSpeed + Wordfence configured | Included | Included | Set in discovery |
| GA4 + Search Console | Included | Included | Set in discovery |
| Google Business Profile set up | Included | Included | Set in discovery |
| One of: WooCommerce store / booking system / membership / LMS | Not included | Included | Set in discovery |
| Up to 50 products loaded, PayFast + one shipping method | Not included | Included | Set in discovery |
| Migration from existing site | Not included | Included | Set in discovery |
| Staging | Not included | Included | Set in discovery |
| Revision rounds | 2 | 3 | Set in discovery |
| Support after launch | 30 days | 60 days | Set in discovery |
| Handover video | Included | Included | Set in discovery |
| Custom plugin development | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Copywriting | Not included | Not included | Set in discovery |
| Ongoing SEO | Not included | Not included | Set in discovery |
Payment terms: a 50% deposit, and the balance on go-live. Invoices are due on receipt. Clients paying from outside South Africa carry the FX conversion and cross-border bank charges.
Out-of-scope work is quoted per task before we start.
Custom & Systems work starts with a free discovery and quote.
We work out what the system has to do, what it must connect to and roughly what it will cost, and you get a quote. If you go ahead, the build starts with a detailed scoping phase, included in the price.
What pushes the price up
Four things move a website from one price to the next.
- What the site has to do. Professional adds one of an online store, a booking system, a membership site or a learning platform. A store comes with up to 50 products loaded, PayFast and one shipping method.
- How big it is, and what you have now. Business covers up to 8 pages; Professional covers up to 20 and moves your existing site across.
- Custom development. Custom plugins, links to accounting or ERP software, and the systems a business runs on, such as the gift-card platform we built for GiftBucks, are Custom & Systems work, from R65,000 incl. VAT.
- Who writes the words. You supply the content, with our structured brief and one free editing pass, or we write it at R975 a page, incl. VAT.
Starter Site
For a business that needs a small, professional site quickly and can work with a ready-made template: three pages, typically live in five days, and looked after on our basic care plan for its first year.
R4,300 incl. VAT
Starter Site requires 12 months of hosting + basic care (R975/mo), incl. VAT.
R4,300 + R11,700 = R16,000 in year one, incl. VAT.
Starter Site capped at two per month.
Included
- 3 pages (Home / About / Contact)
- one pre-built template
- enquiry form
- SSL
- mobile
- titles + metas on the 3 pages
- Google Business Profile link
- 5-day turnaround
- paid upfront
Not included
- Custom design
- copywriting
- any custom dev or integration
- more than 1 revision round
- ecommerce
- blog
Copywriting add-on
R975 /page incl. VAT
Applies to Business and Professional.
Copywriting is not included in Business or Professional. Client supplies content; a structured content brief plus one editing pass is free.
What hosting and maintenance cost after launch
Hosting on its own is R450 a month for up to 15 GB per site, website and email, with daily off-site backups and a restore when you need one. More space, or more server power for a busy store, is quoted separately. A care plan includes the hosting and keeps the site updated, backed up and monitored: R975 a month, or R2,450 a month with two hours of changes and priority response. All prices in South African rand (ZAR), incl. VAT.
We respond within one business day on basic, and within four business hours on full, through a priority contact we give you privately. When a care-plan client’s site is down, we respond within four business hours. More on WordPress hosting and website maintenance.
Managed hosting
R450 /mo incl. VAT
- LiteSpeed
- daily off-site backups, and a restore when you need one
- SSL
- staging
- uptime monitoring
- 5 mailboxes
- up to 15 GB per site, website and email
Not included: Updates, fixes, content changes — that is the care plan. More space, or more server power for a busy store, is quoted separately.
Care plan — basic
R975 /mo incl. VAT
- Hosting included
- core/plugin/theme updates tested on staging first
- daily backups, and a restore when you need one
- Wordfence monitoring
- uptime alerts
- monthly health email
Not included: Content changes, design work, new features
Care plan — full
R2,450 /mo incl. VAT
- Everything in basic + 2 hours of changes monthly
- priority response within 4 business hours, on a priority contact we give you privately
- monthly performance + security report
- quarterly speed review
- broken-link and 404 sweep
Not included: New pages or features beyond the 2 hours, SEO campaigns
How we quote
Business has a fixed price. Professional starts at R25,000 and is quoted up for a larger store or system, and work outside a package is quoted per task before we start. Payment is a 50% deposit, and the balance on go-live. Every price includes VAT, and our tax invoices show the VAT separately.
Custom & Systems work starts with a free discovery and quote. Where we charge for looking first, for an SEO audit or a rescue assessment, the fee is credited on the terms below if you go ahead.
R6,500 incl. VAT
SEO audit
Half is credited against the first month if monthly SEO starts within 30 days.
R2,220 incl. VAT
Website rescue assessment
Credited against the rebuild.
SEO and website rescue
SEO starts with a fixed-price audit. Website rescue starts with a cleanup for a hacked or broken site, or an assessment when it may not be worth saving. All prices in South African rand (ZAR), incl. VAT.
SEO audit
R6,500 incl. VAT
Technical + on-page + local + competitor audit, prioritised fix list.
See a sample audit report (a fictional example)
Half is credited against the first month if monthly SEO starts within 30 days.
SEO retainer
from R7,500 /mo incl. VAT
Content, on-page, small technical fixes (bigger ones quoted per task), local SEO with Google Business Profile care, link acquisition, monthly reporting.
6-month minimum.
Website rescue — cleanup
from R5,200 incl. VAT
24–48hr response, malware removal, hardening, Wordfence config, Google blacklist removal request.
Plus at least 3 months of a care plan, paid on top: R2,925 on basic, incl. VAT.
Website rescue — rebuild
from R15,000 incl. VAT
When the existing build is not worth saving: clean install, rebuilt better, content brought across.
Quoted after a R2,220 assessment, credited (incl. VAT).
How to compare our prices with other quotes
Quotes for “a website” can cover very different jobs: from a few pages on a ready-made template that you fill in yourself, to a custom design built to do a job, set up for Google and looked after for years. Both can be fairly priced, which is why “how much does a website cost in South Africa?” has no single answer.
Compare quotes on what they include. Ask each supplier, us included:
- Is the design custom, or a ready-made template?
- Who writes the words, and what does that cost?
- Is the site set up for Google: page titles and descriptions, Google Analytics, Search Console and your Business Profile?
- How long is support after launch, and what will hosting and maintenance cost each month?
- Is the price incl. VAT?
- Will the studio still be there in five years? We have been here since 2001.
Our guide to what website design costs in South Africa explains what changes the price, and our article on comparing website design packages goes through quotes line by line.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a full website design cost?
For an established business, a full custom-designed website from us is R15,000 incl. VAT for up to eight pages, or from R25,000 with an online store, bookings, a membership site or a learning platform. Custom systems start from R65,000. In any quote, check that “full” covers the design, the build, set-up for Google and support after launch.
What is the average cost of a 5 page website?
From us, R15,000 incl. VAT: five pages fit our Business package, which covers up to eight custom-designed pages. An average says little, because a five-page site can be a template you fill in yourself or a custom design with the words written for you. We set out what a five-page business website should include, so you can compare quotes like for like.
Can ChatGPT build me a website?
It can write the code for a simple page. OpenAI’s help centre says ChatGPT can preview supported code inside the chat, and that supported previews may include HTML pages (as at 27 September 2026). A preview in a chat is not a business website. Someone still has to host it, secure it, set it up for Google, and fix it when something breaks.
Is web design still worth it in 2026?
Yes, for a business whose website has a job to do: bringing in enquiries, taking payments or bookings, or running part of the business. Some of our clients have been investing in their sites for twenty years: Tin Soldier, a client since 2005, most recently had its site rebuilt in April 2025.
How much do web designers charge in South Africa?
Our prices run from R15,000 incl. VAT for a custom-designed site of up to eight pages to R65,000 and more for custom systems. Other designers’ prices vary with what they build and what their price includes, which is why two quotes for “a website” can be far apart. We don’t bill websites by the hour: Business has a fixed price, Professional a fixed starting price, Custom & Systems is quoted after a free first discovery, and anything outside a package is quoted per task before we start.
How long does a website take?
Typically two weeks for a Business site and four weeks for Professional. Custom & Systems work is scheduled once discovery has fixed the scope. You review the work before launch: Business includes two rounds of revisions, and Professional three.
What our clients say
I have been working with Claude for over 20 years, and last night he properly pulled a rabbit out of a hat for me! Stunning wordpress site designed and built within two hours. Thank you!!
Google review
Claud from Fyre Interactive recently developed a website for me and did a truly outstanding job. When faced with a challenge he will persist and solve to full customer expectation and satisfaction. It was the best decision to select him as a partner for this project.
Google review
I have worked closed with Claude and the Fyre team and its one of the easiest web developers to work with. He is attentive and responsive to requests at all times whether its email or Whatsapp.
He also does not pad his costs and so the service is value for money. I highly recommend Claude for hosting, web development and other services.
Google review
Read our reviews on Google Review us on Google All our reviews
Not sure which package fits?
A few lines about your project are enough to start. We’ll reply with questions, a sensible next step and, where the job allows, a fixed price.
Great service deliverables – Supportive, patient, reachable at all times and responsive
Samantha M. · Xscape4u · Google review