It's the first question almost every business owner asks us: how much does a website cost? The honest answer is "it depends", but that isn't very helpful when you're trying to plan a budget. So in this guide we break down what actually drives the price of a website in Prince Edward Island and across Canada in 2026, what ongoing costs to plan for, and how to get the most out of your budget.
Typical website costs in Canada in 2026
Published Canadian pricing guides in 2026 put most small business websites somewhere between $1,500 and $20,000, with a few common tiers:
- DIY website builders (Wix, Squarespace and similar): little or nothing up front, plus roughly $300 to $1,200 a year in subscription fees, and your own time to build and maintain it.
- Simple brochure websites (about 5 to 10 pages): roughly $1,500 to $7,500 with a professional designer or agency.
- Custom small business websites with custom design, more pages and features like booking, events or galleries: often $7,500 to $20,000.
- Online stores: commonly $5,000 to $25,000, and more when you need custom checkout, payment or inventory integrations.
- Web applications and portals (member portals, directories, custom tools): priced on scope, often well above a standard website.
These are planning ranges, not quotes. Two websites with the same number of pages can be priced very differently depending on what they need to do.
What affects the cost of a website?
Custom design vs a template
A pre-built template is faster and cheaper, but it looks like everyone else using it. A custom design is built around your brand, your customers and your goals, which takes more time, and usually performs better.
Number of pages and amount of content
Every page needs to be planned, designed, written, filled with images and tested. A 6-page site and a 40-page site are very different projects, especially if you need help writing the content.
Features and functionality
This is usually the biggest factor. Events calendars, online stores, booking, member portals, directories, multilingual content and integrations with other software all add development time. For example, the Fall Flavours festival website needed a custom events calendar and trip planner, and the PEI Business Women's Association needed a member directory and member portal.
Branding, copywriting and photography
If you need a new logo, website copy or professional photos, those are separate pieces of work, but they make a huge difference to how your website looks and performs. Bundling them with your website project is often the most efficient way to do it. See our branding and logo design and photography services.
SEO and accessibility
A website built with search engines and accessibility in mind from day one saves you from expensive fixes later. That means fast loading, a clear page structure, descriptive titles and image alt text, and a design that works for everyone. Learn more in our post on accessibility on the web.
Bilingual content
A website in English and French needs translated content, a language switcher and the right technical setup so both languages can be found on Google. We cover the options in Bilingual Websites: Machine Translation vs Professional French.
Ongoing costs to budget for
Launching your website isn't the end of the costs. Plan for:
- Domain name: usually $15 to $30 a year.
- Hosting: roughly $120 to $1,200 a year, depending on your site's size, traffic and the level of service.
- Maintenance and support: updates, backups and security monitoring, often $600 to $3,600 a year depending on the plan.
- Software and plugin licences: some features, like premium forms or booking tools, have annual fees.
How to get the most from your website budget
- Start with your goals. Do you need more calls, bookings, ticket sales or online orders? Spend your budget on the features that drive those results.
- Prepare your content early. Having your text and photos ready keeps your project on schedule and on budget.
- Plan for phase two. Launch with what you need now and add features later, rather than cutting corners on everything.
- Choose a site you can update yourself. A website your team can edit saves you paying for every small change.
- Be open about your budget. Sharing your budget lets a good agency recommend the best scope for what you have.
So, how much will your website cost?
Every project we take on is scoped to the business behind it, so we don't have set prices. Tell us what you need and what you're working with, and we'll give you a clear estimate and timeline. Learn more about our web design services in Charlottetown and across PEI, or get in touch to start the conversation.
