How much does a small business website cost in Canada?
Real 2026 price ranges in Canadian dollars: what you'll pay up front, what it costs to keep a site running, and how to tell whether a quote is fair.
By Finest Touch Designs · Last updated: October 2026
Quick answer
Canadian pricing guides put a professionally built small business website at roughly $1,500 to $12,000 CAD: freelancers typically charge $1,500–$7,000 and agencies $5,000–$12,000, plus about $500 to $3,500 a year to keep the site running (Marvel Marketing, 2026). Do-it-yourself builders cost less up front but take more of your time. Finest Touch Designs packages sit at or below the low end of that range: $650, $1,750 or $3,400 CAD one-time, plus a monthly care plan of $49 to $149.
What a website costs, by who builds it
The biggest factor in price is who does the work. These are typical 2026 ranges for a Canadian small business site:
| Option | Up front | Per year to run | Who does the work |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY builder (Wix, Squarespace) | $0–$500 | $300–$1,200 | You |
| Freelancer | $1,500–$7,000 | $500–$2,000 | One designer |
| Agency | $5,000–$12,000 | $1,200–$3,500 | A team |
| Custom agency build | $12,000–$30,000 | $2,500–$8,000 | A larger team |
All figures CAD. Source: Marvel Marketing, Website Design Cost Guide for 2026 (April 2026).
Other Canadian studios land in the same place. Ottawa studio Impeka puts a typical small business site at $3,000–$8,000, and online stores at $10,000 to $60,000 or more, because products, payments, tax and shipping all add work (Impeka, 2026).
What changes the price
When we quote a project, these are the things that move the number most:
- Number of pages. A five-page site (home, services, about, contact, plus one more) is a very different job from a 25-page site with a page for every service and town. Our packages step up at 5 pages, 10 pages and unlimited core pages.
- Custom design or a template. A template gets you online faster and cheaper. A custom design is built around your business and your customers, so it costs more.
- Who writes the words. Many owners supply the basics and have them polished. Writing every page from scratch adds time.
- Logo and branding. If you need a logo and brand colors designed first, that's a separate piece of work. Our Signature Touch package includes a custom logo and brand identity system.
- Bookings, payments and online stores. Every feature that connects to another system adds build and testing time. Online stores are usually quoted on their own.
- How much SEO is built in. Basic on-page SEO should come standard. Deeper technical and local SEO takes more time up front.
- Your deadline. A rush timeline usually means a smaller first version or a higher quote.
Ongoing costs to budget for
The build is a one-time cost. These come every month or year after launch:
| Cost | Typical price | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| .ca domain | $10–$20 a year | Per CIRA, which runs .ca. Some registrars discount the first year, so check the renewal price. |
| Hosting, security and maintenance | $50–$200 a month | For a small business site, per Impeka. Often bundled into a care plan. |
| DIY builder plan | $17–$49 USD a month | Typical Squarespace and Wix plans on US pricing, billed annually, per Style Factory (August 2026). |
| Optional extras | Varies | Ongoing SEO, ad spend, paid plugins or tools, and business email. |
GST/HST may also apply, depending on your province and whether your provider is registered to collect it.
Real first-year totals
Upfront prices make quotes hard to compare. Adding twelve months of running costs gives a truer number. Here's that math for our own packages:
| Package | One-time | Monthly plan | First year |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Essential TouchUp to 5 pages, Google Business Profile setup, about 2 weeks | $650 | $49 | $1,238 |
| The Signature TouchUp to 10 pages, custom logo and brand identity, advanced SEO, about 3–4 weeks | $1,750 | $79 | $2,698 |
| The Finest TouchUnlimited core pages, full brand system, Google Ads or social campaign setup, about 4–6 weeks | $3,400 | $149 | $5,188 |
All figures CAD, plus your domain (billed at cost) and applicable taxes. The monthly plan covers hosting, security, updates and edit time, and can be cancelled anytime. Full details on our Pricing page.
For comparison, a $29-a-month builder plan comes to about $348 USD in the first year, before you count the hours you'll spend building and maintaining the site yourself.
Red flags in a cheap quote
A low price isn't a problem on its own. These are:
- You won't own your domain or website. If the domain is registered in the provider's name, leaving can mean losing your web address. Ask whose name it's in.
- The site goes offline if you stop paying. Some low- or no-upfront offers rent you the site rather than build it for you. Ask what happens if you leave.
- No written scope. A fair quote says how many pages you get, how many rounds of revisions, and what isn't included.
- Guaranteed #1 rankings on Google. No one controls Google's results. A promise like that is a reason to walk away.
- Nothing about mobile, speed or basic SEO. These should be standard, not upsells.
- A long contract just to keep the site online. Hosting and support should be easy to cancel or move.
Should you build it yourself?
A DIY builder makes sense if you're testing an idea, your budget is a few hundred dollars, or you enjoy the work. Hiring someone makes sense when your time is worth more than the savings, when you need to show up on Google from day one, or when the site has to look as established as the business behind it. Either way, weigh each quote against what a new customer is worth to you, not just against the cheapest option.
Common questions
How much does a website cost per month in Canada?
It depends on the setup. A DIY builder plan runs about $17–$49 USD a month, while hosting, security and maintenance for a professionally built site typically cost $50–$200 a month. Finest Touch Designs care plans are $49, $79 or $149 a month and include hosting, security, updates and edit time.
Why do website quotes vary so much?
Two quotes rarely describe the same job. One may include five template pages and no writing; another, twenty custom pages, a logo and SEO setup. Compare quotes line by line: pages, design, content, revisions, SEO, hosting, and who owns the finished site.
What's the most affordable way to get a professional website?
Keep the first version small. A focused five-page site with a clear call to action, real photos and basic SEO is enough for most new businesses, and you can add pages as you grow. That's the idea behind our $650 Essential Touch package.
Sources
- CIRA, How much does a .CA domain cost?
- Marvel Marketing, Website Design Cost Guide for 2026, April 2026
- Impeka, Web Design Pricing in Canada (2026)
- Style Factory, Wix vs Squarespace (2026), updated August 2026
Want an exact number for your project?
Tell us what you need and we'll reply within one business day with an exact quote. No pressure, no obligation.