It’s one of the most Googled questions for business owners who are finally ready to get online — or who are tired of a website that isn’t working for them. The honest answer is: it depends. But let me give you something more useful than that.

Here’s how Canadian website pricing actually breaks down in 2026.

The short answer

For a professionally designed website in Canada, you’re generally looking at:

  • DIY (Squarespace, Wix, WordPress.com): $0–$50/month
  • Template + setup by a freelancer: $1,500–$3,500 CAD
  • Custom-designed WordPress site by a freelancer: $3,000–$8,000 CAD
  • Agency-built custom site: $8,000–$25,000+ CAD

Those are rough ranges. Below, I’ll walk through what actually drives the price.

DIY platforms: Wix, Squarespace, Showit

If you’re a solo operator just getting started, a DIY platform can work. You’ll pay a monthly subscription — roughly $20–$50 CAD/month — use a template, and handle everything yourself.

The trade-off is your time. If you’re spending three hours fighting your website instead of doing client work, you’ve already cost yourself more than a freelancer would have charged. Also worth knowing: you don’t own any of it. Change your mind about the platform, and you’re starting over.

Template sites built by a freelancer

This is a popular middle ground. A freelancer sets up a template on WordPress or a similar platform, customizes it to your brand, and hands it off. You get something professional without paying for fully custom design.

Expect $1,500–$3,500 CAD depending on how many pages you need, how complex the build is, and how much content you’re providing versus having written. Some designers (myself included) offer this as a fast-turnaround option.

Custom-designed sites

A custom site is designed from scratch — your layout, your brand, your structure, not a template someone else built. It takes more time and costs more, but the result is something that actually reflects your business.

For a small business with five to ten pages, a strong design, and thoughtful copywriting, you’re typically looking at $4,000–$8,000 CAD with a solid freelance designer. More pages, WooCommerce, booking systems, or complex integrations push that higher.

Agency pricing

If you go with a web agency, expect to pay more. You’re paying for a team — a project manager, a designer, a developer, maybe a copywriter — plus overhead. For some businesses, that’s the right call. For a lot of small businesses, it’s more than they need.

What actually affects the price

Beyond who you hire, here’s what moves the number:

Number of pages. A five-page brochure site and a 30-page service site are very different projects.

E-commerce. WooCommerce and other store setups add significant time — product pages, checkout flows, payment gateways, inventory management.

Copywriting. If your designer has to write the words too, that’s extra. If you’re providing solid content, the project moves faster.

Custom features. Booking systems, membership areas, client portals, custom calculators — each adds scope.

Timeline. Rushed projects cost more.

What I charge

At CJamesRun Design, my custom WordPress sites start at $4,500 CAD. That includes the design, the build, one round of revisions, and a basic training session so you’re not left wondering how to update your own site. I also offer a three-page starter package for smaller budgets.

If you’re not sure what you need, a quick conversation is usually enough to figure out what makes sense.

The real question to ask yourself

Don’t just ask “how much does a website cost?” Ask what the website needs to do for your business. A $900 template site that sits online and does nothing is a waste of $900. A $6,000 site that brings in two new clients a month pays for itself fast.

Ready to talk through what your site might cost? Reach out and I’ll give you a straight answer.