Is a €500 website any good?

It can be, if the scope is clear. One page, your own content and a proven layout can be built well for that money. It isn't good if the €500 hides a 36-month contract, or a domain registered in someone else's name.

Are prices quoted with or without VAT?

Business suppliers in the Netherlands usually quote excluding 21% VAT. Website builders often show prices including VAT, so check before you compare.

Is a subscription cheaper than paying once?

Over three years they often land close together. A subscription spreads the cost and includes upkeep. A one-off build means you arrange hosting and changes yourself.

What is the cheapest way to get online?

A free Google Business Profile, then a website builder if you have the time. You pay with evenings instead of euros.

What does a website cost in 2026?

I get asked this more than anything else, and the honest answer is “it depends”. So here is what it depends on, with real numbers from the Dutch market in 2026.

Your three options

Every small business ends up in one of three places. The right one depends less on your budget than on how much of your own time you want to spend.

Option	Typical cost	Good for
Do it yourself (Wix, Squarespace)	€12–€50 a month	People who enjoy tinkering and have evenings to spare
Freelancer	€500–€3,000 one-off	One-page and small sites, with one person to call
Agency	€2,000–€8,000+ one-off	Larger sites, several people deciding, custom features

Website builders look cheapest, and in euros they are. Wix’s paid plans run from about €17 to €41 a month when you pay for a year, and Squarespace sits in the same range. What you pay with is time: choosing a template, writing every word, resizing photos and working out why the page looks odd on a phone.

Freelancers vary the most. A junior might build a simple site for around €500; an experienced developer for €3,000 or more. Agencies start higher because you pay for a team, a process and their overheads. For a small local business that is often more than you need.

What you keep paying

The build is one cost. Keeping the site online is another, and it’s the one people forget.

Running cost	Typical price
Domain name (.nl or .com)	€10–€15 a year
Hosting	€3–€50 a month
SSL certificate	Usually free with hosting
Maintenance plan, freelancer	€0–€50 a month
Maintenance plan, agency	€50–€200 a month

With a website builder, hosting and updates are part of the subscription. With a site someone built for you, ask what happens after launch: who updates it, who fixes it when something breaks, and what a small change costs.

What moves the price

Four things make a website more expensive:

The number of pages. One page with your services, prices, hours and a map is quick to build. Ten pages with their own text take much longer.
Who writes the text. This is the part most owners underestimate. A site with good words and real photos beats a fancier one full of placeholders.
Booking, a menu system or a webshop. Every feature that does something, not just shows something, adds work and testing.
How much of the design is made just for you. A proven layout in your colours costs less than a design started from a blank page.

How to choose

If people mainly need your prices, opening hours and a way to reach you, a one-page site is enough. If you take bookings or sell online, plan for a multi-page site.

Then ask every supplier the same three questions:

Who owns the domain? It should be registered in your name.
What does a change cost after launch? Ask for the hourly rate, or how many minutes a month are included.
How long am I tied in? A year is normal for a care plan. Three years is a lot.

My own prices are on the pricing page: €500 for a one-page site, plus €59 a month for hosting, updates and 30 minutes of changes. They’re excluding VAT, and the domain is yours.