Website Design Cost Comparison 2026: Type-by-Type Guide

A basic portfolio website in Mumbai costs ₹15,000–₹35,000. An ecommerce site with 200 SKUs costs ₹80,000–₹2.5 lakh. The gap is not complexity — it is feature count and technical infrastructure. Most buyers choose the wrong website type because they confuse what they need today with what they might need in three years.

This guide compares six website types used in India: portfolio, corporate, ecommerce, SaaS platforms, educational portals, and healthcare booking systems. Each section breaks down typical costs, the features that drive pricing, and when to choose one type over another. The biggest mistakes happen in Section 2 (misjudging complexity) and Section 4 (not clarifying what "custom design" actually includes).

Average Cost of Website Design in India

| Website Type | Price Range | Timeline | GST | |---|---|---|---| | Portfolio | ₹15,000–₹35,000 | 2–4 weeks | 18% | | Corporate | ₹40,000–₹1.2 lakh | 4–8 weeks | 18% | | Ecommerce | ₹80,000–₹2.5 lakh | 6–12 weeks | 18% | | SaaS Platform | ₹2 lakh–₹8 lakh | 3–6 months | 18% | | Educational Portal | ₹1.2 lakh–₹4 lakh | 8–16 weeks | 18% | | Healthcare Booking | ₹1.5 lakh–₹5 lakh | 10–20 weeks | 18% |

Prices exclude GST. The final invoice will be 18% higher. Timeline estimates assume you provide content and feedback within 48 hours at each review stage. Delays on your end extend the project by 1–2 weeks per missed checkpoint.

Portfolio websites — freelancers, photographers, architects — are the simplest to build. One designer working alone can deliver in 10–15 days if you supply images and copy upfront.

Corporate websites for consulting firms, manufacturers, or service companies add multi-page navigation, contact forms, and sometimes a CMS for blog updates. These take longer because approval chains involve 3–5 stakeholders.

Ecommerce sites require product databases, payment gateway integration, inventory sync, and user account systems. A Shopify-based store costs ₹80,000–₹1.4 lakh. A fully custom WooCommerce or Magento build runs ₹1.5 lakh–₹2.5 lakh.

SaaS platforms — subscription software, member dashboards, API-driven tools — are the most expensive. You are paying for backend logic, user authentication, recurring billing systems, and ongoing technical maintenance.

Educational portals include course listings, video hosting, progress tracking, and sometimes payment for enrollments. Complexity sits between ecommerce and SaaS.

Healthcare booking systems integrate appointment calendars, patient records (often HIPAA-adjacent compliance), payment processing, and SMS/email confirmations. Regulatory requirements add development time.

What Affects the Price

Design is 30–40% of the cost. Development and technical integration make up the rest.

Custom design vs template: A Webflow or WordPress template costs ₹15,000–₹40,000 to customise. A fully custom design built from scratch costs ₹60,000–₹2 lakh because the designer creates wireframes, mockups, and a unique layout system.

Number of pages: A 5-page site (Home, About, Services, Portfolio, Contact) takes 15–25 hours to build. A 30-page site with nested navigation takes 60–100 hours. Price scales roughly linearly after page 10.

Third-party integrations: Payment gateways (Razorpay, Paytm), CRM sync (Zoho, Salesforce), email marketing (Mailchimp), or analytics dashboards each add ₹8,000–₹25,000 per integration. The cost is setup and testing, not the subscription fees for those tools.

Content creation: If you supply text and images, design is faster. If the Pro writes copy, shoots photography, or sources stock images, add ₹12,000–₹50,000 depending on volume.

Mobile responsiveness: Every modern website must work on mobile. This is not optional. Designers charge separately only if you request a distinct mobile-only layout with different navigation or page structure — rare in 2026.

CMS or static: A static HTML site is cheaper (₹15,000–₹30,000) but you cannot update it yourself. A WordPress or Webflow CMS adds ₹20,000–₹40,000 but gives you an editor to change text and images without developer help.

SEO setup: Basic on-page SEO (meta tags, alt text, sitemap, schema markup) adds ₹8,000–₹15,000. Ongoing SEO consulting or link-building is billed separately at ₹12,000–₹35,000/month.

Hosting and domain: Not included in design quotes. Budget ₹3,000–₹12,000/year for shared hosting (portfolio, small corporate) or ₹15,000–₹60,000/year for VPS or cloud hosting (ecommerce, SaaS).

Revisions: Most quotes include 2–3 design revision rounds. Beyond that, expect ₹2,000–₹5,000 per additional round or hourly billing at ₹1,200–₹3,000/hour.

Typical Price Ranges by Job Type

Portfolio Website

₹15,000–₹35,000 | 2–4 weeks

Best for: freelancers, photographers, designers, consultants, small studios.

What you get: 4–6 pages, image galleries, contact form, basic SEO, mobile-responsive template. Webflow, WordPress, or Squarespace are the usual platforms.

Why the range: ₹15,000 gets a lightly customised template with your branding and images. ₹35,000 includes custom layout, animations, and a CMS for blog or project updates.

When to choose this type: you need an online presence to share work samples and capture enquiries. You do not sell products or process payments.

ROI timeline: immediate. A photographer in Pune recovered the ₹22,000 site cost within three client bookings found via Google search.

Maintenance: ₹3,000–₹6,000/year for hosting, domain renewal, and plugin updates.

Corporate Website

₹40,000–₹1.2 lakh | 4–8 weeks

Best for: service companies, manufacturers, consulting firms, agencies with 5+ service lines.

What you get: 10–20 pages, team bios, case studies, blog, multi-level navigation, lead capture forms, CMS for updates.

Why the range: ₹40,000 is a template-based WordPress site with standard sections. ₹1.2 lakh includes custom design, advanced animations, CRM integration (Zoho, HubSpot), and multilingual support.

When to choose this type: you need credibility with enterprise buyers or investors. The website is a sales tool, not a transaction platform.

ROI timeline: 3–6 months. B2B buyers research 3–5 vendors before contacting anyone. A polished site shortens that decision window.

Maintenance: ₹8,000–₹18,000/year. Add ₹12,000–₹25,000/year if you hire a Pro to update blog content monthly.

Ecommerce Website

₹80,000–₹2.5 lakh | 6–12 weeks

Best for: retail brands, D2C startups, wholesalers adding online sales, multi-vendor marketplaces.

What you get: product catalogue, shopping cart, payment gateway (Razorpay, CCAvenue, Paytm), order management, user accounts, GST-compliant invoicing.

Why the range: ₹80,000 is a Shopify or WooCommerce template with up to 50 SKUs. ₹2.5 lakh is a custom-coded platform with advanced filters, inventory sync with offline POS, and multi-warehouse shipping logic.

When to choose this type: you sell physical or digital products and need customers to pay online. If you only take enquiries and invoice manually, a corporate site is cheaper.

ROI timeline: 6–12 months. A Bengaluru home décor brand recovered their ₹1.4 lakh build cost within 8 months by converting 12% of site visitors into buyers.

Ongoing costs: payment gateway fees (1.5–2.5% per transaction), hosting (₹18,000–₹50,000/year), and developer retainer for updates (₹10,000–₹30,000/month).

SaaS Platform

₹2 lakh–₹8 lakh | 3–6 months

Best for: subscription software, member portals, dashboards with user-specific data, API-driven tools.

What you get: user authentication, role-based access, recurring billing (Stripe, Razorpay Subscriptions), cloud database, admin panel, API endpoints if needed.

Why the range: ₹2 lakh builds a simple member dashboard with login and content gating. ₹8 lakh includes complex workflows, third-party API integrations, real-time data sync, and mobile app scaffolding.

When to choose this type: your business model is recurring subscriptions, not one-time sales. Users log in to access features or data unique to them.

ROI timeline: 12–24 months. SaaS requires user acquisition and retention. A Mumbai HR tech startup took 18 months to reach 200 paying subscribers after launch.

Ongoing costs: cloud hosting (₹25,000–₹1.2 lakh/year), developer retainer for feature updates (₹40,000–₹1.5 lakh/month), customer support tools.

Educational Portal

₹1.2 lakh–₹4 lakh | 8–16 weeks

Best for: coaching institutes, online course creators, certification providers, schools adding digital learning.

What you get: course catalogue, video hosting (Vimeo, Wistia, or self-hosted), student dashboards, progress tracking, quizzes, certificates, payment for enrollments.

Why the range: ₹1.2 lakh is a WordPress LMS plugin (LearnDash, LifterLMS) with basic features. ₹4 lakh includes custom-built video streaming, assignment uploads, plagiarism checks, and mobile apps.

When to choose this type: you sell structured learning content — courses, lessons, assessments — and need to track who completed what.

ROI timeline: 6–12 months. A Delhi coaching institute recovered ₹2.8 lakh in build costs within 9 months by enrolling 140 students at ₹8,000/course.

Ongoing costs: video hosting (₹12,000–₹60,000/year depending on hours uploaded), hosting, content updates.

Healthcare Booking System

₹1.5 lakh–₹5 lakh | 10–20 weeks

Best for: clinics, diagnostic labs, wellness centres, multi-doctor practices, telemedicine platforms.

What you get: appointment calendar with slot booking, patient records (with privacy controls), payment integration, SMS/email confirmations, doctor availability management.

Why the range: ₹1.5 lakh is a plugin-based system (Bookly, Amelia) with basic scheduling. ₹5 lakh includes custom HIPAA-adjacent compliance, prescription uploads, insurance claim forms, and teleconsultation video.

When to choose this type: patients book appointments or services online and you need a system that handles sensitive health data securely.

ROI timeline: 6–12 months. A Chennai diagnostic lab reduced phone enquiries by 60% within 4 months, recovering the ₹3.2 lakh build cost through staff time saved.

Ongoing costs: SMS gateway fees (₹0.15–₹0.30/message), cloud storage for records, annual security audits if handling payment cards.

How to Get an Accurate Quote

Price spreads exist because Pros interpret "website" differently. Eliminate confusion upfront.

Write a one-page brief with these details: website type (portfolio, ecommerce, etc.), number of pages, must-have features (payment, booking, CMS, integrations), who supplies content (you or the Pro), hosting preference (if any), and launch deadline.

Example brief: "Corporate website for a Pune-based logistics firm. 12 pages: Home, About, 6 service pages, Case Studies, Careers, Contact. Must include: WordPress CMS, contact forms on each service page, blog section we update monthly, integration with Zoho CRM. We supply all text and photos. Deadline: 8 weeks from contract signing."

Post this brief on Selyst to receive quotes from up to five matched web design Pros. You will see profile ratings, portfolio samples, and pricing side by side.

Ask shortlisted Pros these questions:

• Does the quote include GST or is it extra?
• How many revision rounds are included?
• Do you provide hosting or do we arrange it separately?
• Who owns the source files and design assets after launch?
• What happens if we need changes 3 months after launch?

Request itemised quotes. A single lump sum (₹1.2 lakh for "corporate website") tells you nothing. A breakdown (design ₹40,000, development ₹50,000, CMS setup ₹18,000, SEO ₹12,000) lets you cut or defer features if budget is tight.

Compare timelines as closely as price. A Pro quoting ₹80,000 with a 12-week delivery is not cheaper than another quoting ₹95,000 in 6 weeks if your launch is time-sensitive.

Check what "mobile-responsive" means. Some Pros test on one device size. Others test across 5+ screen widths. Ask to see mobile previews during the design approval stage.

Clarify who writes content. If the quote assumes you supply text and you do not have it ready, you will delay the project or pay ₹8,000–₹30,000 for the Pro to write it.

Ways to Save Without Compromising Quality

Launch with fewer pages. A 6-page site costs ₹30,000 less than a 15-page site. Add the extra pages in Phase 2 when revenue allows.

Use a template instead of custom design. A customised Webflow or WordPress theme looks professional and costs ₹20,000–₹50,000 less than a design built from scratch.

Supply your own content. Writing copy and sourcing images yourself saves ₹12,000–₹40,000. Brief the Pro on tone and structure if you are unsure what to write.

Skip integrations you do not use daily. Syncing your website to a CRM you check once a month is not worth ₹18,000. Use Zapier or manual CSV uploads instead.

Choose a Pro outside metro cities. A designer in Jaipur or Coimbatore charges 20–30% less than a Mumbai or Bengaluru Pro with identical skills. Location does not affect quality for web design — all work is remote.

Pay in full upfront if the Pro offers a discount. Some offer 5–10% off for single-payment projects instead of milestone billing. Only do this if the Pro has a portfolio of completed work and verified client reviews.

Phase the build. Launch a 6-page portfolio site now for ₹25,000. Add ecommerce features in 6 months when you have 50 products ready to sell. This avoids paying ₹1.2 lakh upfront for features you are not using yet.

DIY the CMS setup. Some Pros charge ₹15,000–₹25,000 to install WordPress and configure plugins. If you are comfortable with tutorials, do it yourself and hire the Pro only for design and custom code.

Negotiate on revisions instead of price. Ask for 4 revision rounds instead of 2 rather than requesting a ₹10,000 discount. More revisions give you a better final product without cutting the Pro's margin.

Avoid "all-inclusive" packages. Bundled deals (design + SEO + content + ads) sound convenient but often include services you do not need. Buy only what you will use in the first 3 months.

When to Call a Pro

You are launching a product in 8 weeks and have no dev team. Hire now.

A Gurgaon SaaS founder tried to DIY a subscription platform using Bubble. Six weeks in, the user authentication broke and he had no idea why. He hired a developer at ₹3.5 lakh to rebuild it properly. The delay cost him two enterprise pilot deals. Platforms that handle payments or user data need a Pro from day one.

Your website is 4 years old and mobile traffic bounces at 70%. Redesign.

You have enough content for 40 pages and need nested navigation. A Pro structures large sites so users find information in 2–3 clicks.

You need WooCommerce to sync with offline POS or Tally. A Pro codes that integration in 3–4 days. DIY plugins rarely work as advertised.

You are a solopreneur with a ₹25,000 budget and basic needs. Use a drag-and-drop builder (Webflow, Squarespace, Wix) yourself. Hire a Pro only when you need custom code or integrations those platforms do not support.

Common Mistakes Buyers Make

A Hyderabad café owner agreed to ₹55,000 for a "fully functional ecommerce site" over WhatsApp. The Pro delivered a static catalogue with no shopping cart. The misunderstanding: the buyer assumed ecommerce meant payment processing; the Pro assumed it meant product listings. A written quote specifying payment gateway integration prevents this.

Buyers approve design mockups without checking mobile layout. The site looks polished on desktop but navigation breaks on phones. Request mobile previews at every approval stage.

Paying the full amount before testing the site. A Kolkata consultant paid ₹80,000 upfront. The Pro vanished after delivering a half-built site with broken forms. Hold 30–40% until you test every feature — forms, payments, user accounts, mobile navigation.

Choosing the cheapest quote without checking turnaround. A ₹40,000 Pro quoting 16 weeks is not saving you money if a ₹55,000 Pro delivers in 6 weeks and your launch is time-sensitive.

Not asking who owns the design files. Some Pros retain rights to the source code or design assets. Clarify in the contract that you own everything after final payment.

FAQ

How much does a basic business website cost in India in 2026? ₹40,000–₹80,000 for a 10–15 page corporate site with WordPress CMS, contact forms, and mobile responsiveness. Add ₹12,000–₹25,000 if you need the Pro to write content. The quote excludes GST; final invoice is 18% higher.

What is cheaper: ecommerce or SaaS platform? Ecommerce costs ₹80,000–₹2.5 lakh. SaaS starts at ₹2 lakh and runs to ₹8 lakh. Ecommerce handles one-time product sales; SaaS manages recurring subscriptions and user-specific data. Choose based on your revenue model, not upfront cost.

Should I hire a freelancer or an agency for website design? Freelancers charge ₹15,000–₹1.2 lakh depending on complexity and deliver in 2–8 weeks. Agencies charge ₹60,000–₹5 lakh, offer project management, and deliver in 6–20 weeks. Freelancers suit simple projects with tight budgets; agencies suit multi-stakeholder projects needing account management.

How much does ongoing website maintenance cost? ₹3,000–₹18,000/year for hosting, domain renewal, and security updates. Add ₹10,000–₹30,000/month if you need a developer on retainer for feature updates, bug fixes, or content changes. Ecommerce and SaaS sites need monthly retainers; portfolio sites do not.

Can I build a website myself and save money? Yes, if you use Webflow, Squarespace, or Wix and do not need custom code or third-party integrations. You will spend ₹8,000–₹15,000/year on the platform subscription instead of ₹40,000–₹1.2 lakh hiring a Pro. DIY works for portfolios and simple service sites, not for ecommerce or SaaS.

What drives the price difference between a ₹80,000 and ₹2.5 lakh ecommerce site? Features and platform. ₹80,000 gets a Shopify or WooCommerce template with up to 100 SKUs, basic payment gateway, and standard shipping. ₹2.5 lakh includes custom design, advanced product filters, inventory sync with offline systems, multi-warehouse logic, and subscription billing.

Get Free Quotes on Selyst

Post your website project on Selyst in under 3 minutes. Describe your website type, page count, must-have features, and timeline. Receive quotes from up to five matched web design Pros within 24 hours. Compare portfolios, pricing, and timelines before you choose who to contact. No obligation to hire.