Initiate Project

NOTE.001 — Notes

What a website actually costs in South Africa.

Every second enquiry we get starts the same way: "roughly, what would this cost?" Fair question. Here are honest ranges for the South African market in 2026, and what moves the number.

The ranges

A brochure site done properly, five to ten pages, custom design, mobile-first, basic SEO, lands between R15 000 and R50 000. A custom build or online store with real design work, integrations and conversion thinking runs R50 000 to R150 000. Platforms, booking systems, member areas, anything with accounts and logic, start around R150 000 and climb with scope.

What actually moves the price

  • Custom design versus a theme. Themes are cheaper and look it.
  • Content. If we write and structure it, that is real work. If you supply it polished, you save.
  • Integrations: payments, booking engines, CRMs, stock systems. Each one is a small project.
  • The deadline. Compressed timelines cost more because they should.

Red flags in a cheap quote

A R5 000 website exists. It is a template with your logo on it, hosting you do not control, and nobody answering in month three. Ask any cheap quote three questions: who owns the site afterwards, what happens when it breaks, and can I see the last three things you built. The answers do the filtering for you.

If you are budgeting for a store specifically, read our note on choosing between Shopify and WooCommerce first; the platform choice moves the number too. When you are ready for a figure instead of a range, send us the brief. Scoped quote within 48 hours, and the invoice matches it.

Quick answers

How much does a basic website cost in South Africa?

A properly built brochure site runs R15 000 to R50 000 in 2026. Below that you are usually buying a template with your logo on it and no support.

Why do website quotes vary so much?

Custom design, content production, integrations and deadlines are the big four. Two quotes for 'a website' can describe completely different amounts of work.

Do I own my website after paying for it?

With us, yes: code, content, hosting access, everything. Ask any developer this question before signing; the answer tells you a lot.

Written by IH Digital

The studio behind the build: design and development under one roof in South Africa. See the registry or send a brief.

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