The key facts
What a website costs depends above all on what it has to do. Here are the typical web design prices in Switzerland, excluding VAT:
- Website builder: CHF 2 to 40 per month. Plus your own time.
- Simple small business website with 5 to 10 pages: CHF 2'500 to 8'000. On average around CHF 4'400 for a company website with 4 subpages (a Gryps survey of web designers).
- Website with features such as online booking or a link to bexio: CHF 8'000 to 30'000.
- Online shop: CHF 3'000 to 20'000, on average around CHF 6'500 for 50 products (also Gryps).
- Web app such as a customer portal: from around CHF 10'000.
- Running costs: around CHF 25 to 250 per month for hosting, updates and maintenance.
I compiled these figures in October 2026 from the published prices of Swiss web agencies, freelancers, hosting companies and subscription providers, and from studies by Gryps, Beyondweb and Websharks.
Website cost in Switzerland by type of website
The key question is not “How much?” but “What exactly?”. An online business card costs something different from a website where customers book appointments. This is what the usual prices in Switzerland look like:
| Type | One-off | Running | A good fit if … |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website builderYou build it yourself, from templates | CHF 0, but it takes your time | CHF 2 to 40 per month | you have a small budget but some time, and don't need links to other software. |
| Simple small business website5 to 10 pages, built by a professional | CHF 2'500 to 8'000 | CHF 25 to 90 per month | you want a professional website that people find and that brings in enquiries. |
| Website with featuresFor example online booking, a link to bexio (Swiss accounting software), several languages | CHF 8'000 to 30'000 | CHF 100 to 250 per month | enquiries, bookings or quotes should run without manual work. |
| Online shopFor example 50 products, payment by TWINT and card | CHF 3'000 to 20'000 | CHF 40 to 210 per month, plus fees per payment | you want to sell products directly online. |
| Web appFor example a customer portal or a booking system. Large applications up to CHF 150'000. | from around CHF 10'000 | around 15 to 20% of the build cost per year | your customers or your team need a tool of their own that you can't buy off the shelf. |
Source: published prices of Swiss providers and studies by Gryps, Beyondweb and Websharks, compiled in October 2026. Guide figures, excluding VAT.
Example: A joinery with 6 employees needs 6 pages: home, kitchens, furniture, references, about us and contact. Plus an enquiry form where customers can send photos of their room. That is a simple small business website, realistically between CHF 4'000 and 7'000.
How much does a website cost with an agency or a freelancer?
When you have a website built, you mainly pay for working time. In Switzerland, agencies usually charge CHF 120 to 250 an hour, freelancers CHF 80 to 180. A simple 5-page website takes around 20 to 40 hours.
How big the differences are was shown in a 2026 test by the Zurich web agency Websharks: the same request for a 7-page website went to 40 providers. The 31 quotes that came back ranged from CHF 790 to CHF 47'500. On average, the quotes were:
- Freelancers: around CHF 2'100, finished in 3 to 4 weeks
- Small agencies (2 to 5 people): around CHF 6'800, finished in 4 to 8 weeks
- Mid-sized agencies (6 to 15 people): around CHF 15'200, finished in 8 to 12 weeks
- Large agencies (16 people or more): around CHF 29'500, finished in 10 to 16 weeks
Even more important than the price is what lies behind the number. Only 6 of the 31 quotes were true fixed prices. Just over half charged by the hour, with no upper limit. The same agency analysed 47 Swiss web contracts from 2022 to 2025: only 39% had a fixed price or a cost ceiling, 55% a binding date and 60% a clear rule on who owns the code.
What this means for you: don't just compare the total at the bottom of the page. Compare what is included, and what happens if the project takes longer.
What drives the price of a website
Six factors make up most of the cost. Clarify them before the first conversation, and the quotes you get will be more precise and easier to compare.
1. Number of pages
Every page has to be planned, designed and filled with content. For many small businesses, 5 pages are enough: home, services, about us, references and contact. Each additional page usually costs CHF 100 to 400.
2. Text and images
Writing the copy yourself saves money, but not time. Good copy says in a few sentences what you offer, who it is for and what it costs. That is a craft, and many providers charge extra for it. Your own photos work better than images from the internet. A photo shoot starts at around CHF 800.
3. Template or custom design
An adapted template is cheaper. A custom design costs more, but fits your business exactly. Either way, the website must load quickly on a phone. That is where a large share of your customers search.
4. Features and connections
This is where the biggest differences arise. A contact form is standard. But if an enquiry should land in bexio straight away as a quote, or customers should book appointments online or pay with TWINT, the Swiss mobile payment app, that adds work. In return, you save time every week from then on.
Worked example
An electrician receives 10 enquiries a week and spends 6 minutes typing each one into his software. That is 1 hour a week, or 46 hours a year. At CHF 60.– an hour, that is CHF 2'760.– a year that a connection saves.
5. Languages
Each additional language usually costs CHF 500 to 1'500 in Switzerland, depending on whether the translation is included. Allow a few extra working days as well.
6. Moving your old website
If your old website is already found on Google, the move needs careful planning. The old addresses are redirected to the new ones, so that visitors and Google keep finding you. That takes a few hours, but costs less than having to be found all over again later.
What does a website cost per year? The hidden costs
The price in the quote is only part of the picture. A website runs for years, and it costs money for as long as it runs. Ask about these costs before you sign:
- Domain: your address on the internet, for example yourcompany.ch. Around CHF 15 to 25 a year. It should be registered in your name, not the provider's.
- Hosting: the server space your website runs on. Around CHF 120 to 300 a year. Ask where the data is stored, for example in Switzerland or the EU.
- Maintenance: updates, backups and security. CHF 25 to 90 a month for simple websites, CHF 150 to 250 for websites with features. Without maintenance, a website becomes less secure over time.
- Licences: paid add-ons, fonts, images or software such as a booking tool. Often charged yearly, and often in the small print.
- Changes: anything not covered by maintenance is billed by the time it takes, usually at CHF 110 to 220 an hour.
All in, a simple small business website costs around CHF 400 to 1'400 a year, without major changes.
Website subscriptions: renting instead of buying
Website subscriptions in Switzerland cost CHF 49 to 315 a month, often with a minimum term of 12 to 36 months. Little is due at the start, which makes them popular. But read the small print: with some subscriptions, your right to the website ends with the contract. Cancel, and the website is gone.
Worked example: rent or buy?
Assumptions: a subscription at CHF 150 a month. A website you buy for CHF 4'400, plus maintenance at CHF 70 a month.
| After | Subscription | Bought |
|---|---|---|
| 3 years | CHF 5'400 | CHF 6'920 |
| 5 years | CHF 9'000 | CHF 8'600 |
| After that | The subscription keeps running. | The website is yours. |
A subscription can make sense if you don't want to spend a lot at once. If so, look out for three things: a short notice period, a website and domain that belong to you, and a fair price if you want to take the website over later.
Checklist: how to compare website quotes
Put the quotes side by side and ask every provider these ten questions. A good quote already answers most of them in writing.
- Is it a fixed price, or an estimate based on hours?
- Is there a binding date? And what happens if it is missed?
- Who owns the code, text, images and domain after the project?
- What does it cost to move to another provider later?
- What running costs come on top each year, and how long am I tied in?
- Does the website load quickly on a phone? Is that measured at handover?
- Are a privacy policy and an imprint (legal notice) included, under Swiss data protection law (nFADP)?
- Are the Google basics included: page titles, descriptions, a Google Business Profile?
- Can I change text and images myself, and will someone show me how?
- Who is my contact, and how often will I hear where the project stands?
If three or more questions remain open, the cheapest offer is rarely the cheapest in the end.
What does a website cost at SZ. Agency?
I'm Sven Zanstra, and with SZ. Agency I build websites, automations and web apps for businesses in Höfe, March and around Lake Zurich's Obersee. My prices are published on this website. They are in the range of small agencies:
| Package | Price | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Website StartFor small businesses that need a professional website people can find. | from CHF 3'900.– | online in 15 working days |
| Website BusinessFor businesses that want enquiries, quote requests or bookings through their website. | from CHF 6'900.– | online in 25 working days |
| Website ProFor larger sites with several languages, custom features or a migration. | from CHF 12'900.– | online in 8 weeks |
If you wish, a care plan comes on top, from CHF 79.– per month, cancellable monthly after 6 months. All prices in CHF, excluding any applicable VAT.
What you get for that is missing from many quotes: a fixed price, a binding date, one contact and a website that belongs to you, including the code and the domain. And because a date only counts if money is riding on it, my delivery guarantee applies: If I deliver after the agreed date, you get 5% of the package price back for each week or part of a week I'm late, up to 20%.
You'll find all packages, the price calculator and the payment terms on my pricing page.