How much does a website cost per year to run?
Build cost is quoted everywhere. Running cost is what actually determines whether a website is affordable. Here's the honest annual figure for each route.
Quick answer
Running a small business website costs $15–$250 a year on a DIY builder, $250–$700 a year on a hosted builder, and $500–$1,500 a year for a freelance-built site once you add hosting and maintenance. The only unavoidable annual cost is the domain at $12–$20. Everything else depends on the route you chose at build time.
Annual running cost after year one
| Route | Per year | What that covers |
|---|---|---|
| Free builder + domain | $15–$20 | Domain only |
| Paid AI builder | ~$230 | Subscription + domain |
| Hosted builder | $250–$700 | Subscription + domain, apps extra |
| Freelance-built site | $500–$1,500 | Hosting, maintenance, updates, domain |
| Agency retainer | $6,000–$36,000 | Ongoing support and changes |
Step-by-step
- 1
Start with the one cost you can't avoid
The domain, at $12–$20 a year, plus a few dollars for WHOIS privacy. That's it for compulsory spending. Everything else is a choice made when you picked how to build, which is why the build decision determines your running cost far more than most people realise.
- 2
Add the subscription, if you have one
Builders charge $10–$30 a month depending on tier, so $120–$360 a year. In exchange, hosting, SSL, security updates and backups are someone else's problem. A freelance-built site has no subscription but you're now paying separately for those same things.
- 3
Count maintenance honestly on a custom build
A WordPress or custom site needs hosting ($120–$480 a year), plus plugin and core updates, backups and security. Either you pay someone $20–$80 a month for that, or you do it yourself and it costs time instead. A site nobody maintains slowly breaks — this isn't optional spending, it's just spending people forget to budget.
- 4
Add the extras that appear later
Business email at around $6 a user a month. Paid apps or plugins for booking, forms or galleries. Transaction fees if you sell. A photography refresh every couple of years. None are huge; together they routinely double a headline subscription.
- 5
Compare total annual cost, not monthly price
A $16-a-month plan with three $8 apps and $20 of domain is $488 a year, not $192. When comparing routes, add everything up for a full year — that's the number that determines whether the website is genuinely affordable for your business.
Tips & best practices
- ▸Set the domain to auto-renew on a card that won't expire; lapsed domains are the most expensive small mistake in this list.
- ▸Year two is where introductory pricing ends — check the renewal rate before committing.
- ▸A build with no maintenance budget has an expiry date, usually two to three years out.
- ▸Free builder plus your own domain is a genuinely viable long-term position at about $15 a year.
Common questions
How much does a website cost per year?
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$15–$250 a year on a DIY builder, $250–$700 on a hosted builder, and $500–$1,500 for a freelance-built site once hosting and maintenance are included. The domain, at $12–$20, is the only unavoidable annual cost.
What are the ongoing costs of a website?
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Domain renewal, any builder subscription or hosting, maintenance and updates, business email, paid apps or plugins, and transaction fees if you sell. On a hosted builder most of these are bundled; on a custom build they're separate line items.
Can I run a website for free?
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Almost. A free builder plan gives you hosting, SSL and a live site at no cost, carrying the builder's branding on the link. Add your own domain for $12–$20 a year and you have a professional presence for roughly the price of a couple of coffees annually.
Why is my website costing more than I expected?
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Usually three things: an introductory rate that ended at renewal, paid apps added one at a time, and a domain billed separately after a bundled first year. Add up twelve months of every charge — the total is often double the plan price you remember agreeing to.