1. Pages
A one-page site and a site with a page for every service and suburb are very different jobs. The number of pages moves the price more than anything.
How much does a website cost in South Africa?
Straight answers on website design prices in South Africa: what pushes the price up or down, what each option gets you, the monthly costs to plan for, and exactly what I charge, in rand.
By Ryno Kahl, founder of Nova Site, Pretoria · Updated November 2026
/ The short answer
Four things decide the price.
With me, a small business website starts at R2,500 for up to five pages, a bigger site at R4,500, and web apps from R8,000. Across South Africa you will see quotes from a few hundred rand for a DIY builder to far more from large agencies. These decide where yours lands:
2. Template or custom
A template is cheaper and quicker, but looks like thousands of other sites. A custom design is built around your customers and your brand.
3. Features
Online bookings, quote calculators, client logins and shops add real work. A brochure site with WhatsApp and a quote form is the simplest build.
4. Content and SEO
Who writes the words, sorts the photos and sets up Google. Some quotes include all three; many include none of them.
/ Your options
DIY, freelancer, small studio or agency?
Each can be the right call. What matters is knowing what the money gets you.
DIY website builder
The cheapest way in, usually a monthly subscription. You do the writing, design and setup yourself, and the platform limits your speed and SEO.
Freelancer
Prices and quality vary a lot from person to person. Look at live sites they have built, and ask who looks after yours once it is launched.
Small studio
A fixed quote, a custom design and one person responsible from first call to launch. The trade-off is capacity, so good small studios limit how many projects they take. That is me.
Large agency
Big teams, branding and campaign work under one roof. Expect higher prices, longer timelines and an account manager between you and the people doing the work.
/ What I charge
My prices, in rand.
Fixed starting prices. Every project then gets a written, itemised quote, and the number on it is the number you pay.
- Launch · up to 5 pagesR2,500 once-off
- Growth · up to 12 pagesR4,500 once-off
- Custom builds & web appsfrom R8,000
- Care plan · optionalR1,000 a month
SEO is included in every website. See what each package includes.
Outside South Africa? See website costs in dollars, pounds and euros on novasitehq.com.
/ After launch
Monthly and yearly costs to plan for.
Domain name
Your .co.za address, renewed every year. Make sure it is registered in your name, not your web designer’s.
Hosting and SSL
Where the site lives, plus the certificate for the padlock in the address bar. Both are included in my care plan.
Changes and support
New prices, photos or pages as your business changes. The care plan includes up to two hours a month; otherwise I quote changes as they come.
Google Ads
Optional. Ad spend goes straight to Google, and management is quoted separately.
/ Spend less
An affordable website that still works.
- Start with fewer pages and add more once the site brings in work
- Have your words and photos ready before the build starts
- Decide what you need now and what can wait
- Fix a sound existing site instead of rebuilding by default
- Leave out features you will not use in the first year
/ Watch out
Red flags in a website quote.
- Your domain registered in the designer’s name
- Hourly billing with no cap or estimate
- No mention of Google basics like page titles, a sitemap or Search Console
- A platform you cannot leave without starting over
- A promise of first place on Google
/ Common questions
Website cost questions.
What do websites cost in South Africa?
Prices range from a free or cheap do-it-yourself builder to large agency projects that cost many times more. With me, a custom small business website starts at R2,500 for up to five pages and R4,500 for up to 12, with SEO included. You get a written, itemised quote before any work starts.
Are there monthly costs after the website is built?
Usually. Your domain name renews every year, and the site needs hosting. My optional care plan covers hosting, SSL, backups, monthly SEO checks, updates and up to two hours of changes for R1,000 a month. Google Ads spend, if you advertise, is paid directly to Google.
Why are website quotes so different?
Because they rarely cover the same thing. Quotes differ on the number of pages, custom design versus a template, who writes the content, whether SEO is included and what support you get afterwards. Compare what is included, not only the total.
Is a cheap website worth it?
It can be, if it loads fast, shows up on Google and makes it easy to contact you. The risk is paying twice: a site that brings in no enquiries usually gets rebuilt within a year or two.
How much does a web app or custom CRM cost?
Web apps such as booking systems, client portals and custom CRMs start from R8,000 with me. See web app development for what that includes.
Do you work with businesses outside Pretoria?
Yes. I am based in Erasmuskloof, Pretoria, and work with businesses across Gauteng and the rest of South Africa, mostly over WhatsApp, email and video calls.
Want a fixed price for your website?
I reply within 1 hour, and you get an itemised quote within two business days. No sales call needed.