How much does a website really cost in France in 2026?
Creation, domain, hosting and maintenance: what to compare, the France Num benchmarks and two three-year budget examples.
The cost of a website is not limited to its creation. Add together setup costs, recurring expenses and planned improvements. There is no single national price: a free business website, a website-builder subscription and a bespoke quote cover different things.
Key takeaways
- Compare deliverables before comparing prices.
- Calculate the cost over several years, not just at launch.
- Distinguish public benchmarks from quotes and hypothetical examples.
Which public benchmarks can you use without treating them as a quote?
France Num publishes estimates from professionals: €500–€2,000 for a business-card website, €900–€5,000 for a basic website and €3,000–€10,000 for an online store. Updated on 20 June 2025, this resource is a reference available in 2026, not a statistical survey of transactions during that year.
These amounts describe broad categories. They do not establish that a particular project will cost €900 or that a €5,000 quote is excessive. Options, content and human work change the scope. The cited ranges do not consistently specify whether VAT is included: ask for this distinction in your quotes.
The five cost categories to ask about
The useful question is: what do I receive, who handles it and when do I have to pay again? A subscription may include hosting but leave all the writing to you. A creation package may pay for substantial personal support without including annual maintenance.
On small screens, scroll the table horizontally.
| Category | What to check |
|---|---|
| Creation | Pages delivered, design, writing and included revisions |
| Domain | Registrant, renewal price and account access |
| Hosting | Included or separate, conditions and limits |
| Ongoing support | Updates, backups, assistance and response times |
| Changes | Price and scope of future requests |
- Ask for totals excluding and including VAT where applicable.
- Compare equal periods, such as 36 months.
- Identify external services that are not included.
Two three-year cost examples
These are two educational, hypothetical calculations, unrelated to any actual commercial offer. All table amounts are assumed to exclude VAT. In scenario A, the subscription is assumed to include hosting and technical updates. In scenario B, recurring fees are assumed to remain unchanged for three years. The services are therefore not necessarily equivalent.
On small screens, scroll the table horizontally.
| Assumption | Calculation | Total |
|---|---|---|
| A — builder at €20/month + domain at €15/year | 20 × 36 + 15 × 3 | €765 |
| B — creation at €2,000 + hosting €120/year + domain €15/year + maintenance €180/year | 2,000 + (120 + 15 + 180) × 3 | €2,945 |
- Total cost = creation + subscriptions + domain + support + changes.
- Add photography, writing or options where they are not included.
- The time you spend on the website is not included in these totals.
The overlooked cost: your time
A cheaper solution can require more work. Preparing text, choosing images, learning a tool and correcting pages takes time. Conversely, delegating production does not remove the need to provide information and approve the content. The best budget takes your actual availability into account.
To make this concrete, list the tasks you are willing to do yourself. If you only want to update opening hours and photos, a simple editor may be enough. If you need editorial support, photography and a migration, compare services that include those tasks.
Where does a free plan fit?
The free Site Gratos plan includes creation and publication on a subdomain, with hosting and a banner. It covers four content pages, plus contact and legal pages outside that allowance. The initial service cost within this scope is zero; that does not make it an unlimited agency service.
Premium is a separate option with a one-time payment and a price displayed before purchase. Registration and renewal of a personal domain should be checked separately. Before deciding, match the offer to your needs: presenting your business, receiving enquiries, selling and operating an online service are different projects.
Sources : Site Gratos — Free plan and how the service works · Site Gratos — Terms and conditions
What is this article based on?
Published in 2026, this article draws in particular on a France Num benchmark updated in 2025. It is neither a 2026 price survey nor a national average. The calculations are clearly identified hypothetical examples, not Site Gratos prices.
Sources consulted on 13 September 2026. The plans and features of the services mentioned may change.