The honest answer (before we dive in)
Ask 10 different web agencies in India for a quote and you will get 10 wildly different numbers — anything from ₹5,000 to ₹5,00,000 for what sounds like the same thing. This guide cuts through that confusion.
After building 15+ websites and web apps for Indian startups, NGOs, and businesses, here is what website development actually costs in India in 2026 — broken down by type, who builds it, and what is hidden in the fine print.
Bottom line: A simple business website in India costs ₹25,000–1,20,000. An e-commerce site runs ₹60,000–3,00,000+. A custom SaaS product starts at ₹1,50,000. But who builds it matters as much as what you are building.
Quick Price Reference (India, 2026)
Here is a clean comparison table before we go into the details:
| Website Type | DIY (Wix/Webflow) | Freelancer | Agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landing Page / Portfolio | ₹1,500–4,000/yr | ₹8,000–30,000 | ₹25,000–75,000 |
| Business Website (5–15 pages) | ₹3,000–8,000/yr | ₹25,000–80,000 | ₹60,000–2,50,000 |
| E-commerce Store | ₹8,000–25,000/yr | ₹40,000–1,50,000 | ₹80,000–5,00,000+ |
| SaaS / Web Application | Not possible | ₹1,00,000–5,00,000 | ₹3,00,000–20,00,000+ |
| AI-Powered Product | Not possible | ₹2,00,000+ | ₹5,00,000+ |
Types of Websites and Their Real Costs
1. Landing Page or Portfolio Website
A single-page or 2–3 page website. Perfect for freelancers, consultants, or businesses testing a new product idea before investing in something bigger.
What you get: A hero section, services or about section, contact form. Sometimes a basic blog.
- DIY (Wix, Squarespace): ₹1,500–4,000 per year — looks templated, limited customisation, weaker SEO
- Freelancer: ₹8,000–30,000 one-time — quality varies wildly depending on who you find
- Agency: ₹25,000–75,000 — custom design, proper code, SEO-ready from day one
The reality: A bad ₹8,000 website will cost you clients. A well-built landing page at ₹30,000–40,000 is one of the highest-ROI investments a small business can make.
2. Business Website (5–15 pages)
The most common type. Includes multiple service pages, an about page, a contact form, and usually a blog section for SEO. This is what most SMBs, agencies, and service businesses need.
What is typically included: Custom design, mobile responsiveness, contact forms, basic SEO setup, Google Analytics, and CMS so you can update content yourself.
- Freelancer: ₹25,000–80,000
- Small agency India: ₹60,000–1,50,000
- Mid-size agency: ₹1,50,000–2,50,000
At Aurocode, we offer business websites on a subscription model starting at ₹2,500/month — no large upfront payment, with ongoing support, hosting, and updates included. This works out to ₹30,000/year for a site that would otherwise cost ₹60,000+ upfront plus separate maintenance.
3. E-commerce Website
An online store with product listings, cart, payment gateway (Razorpay, PayU, or Stripe), order management, and an admin dashboard. Complexity — and cost — scales fast with the number of products and features.
- Shopify (DIY): ₹2,000–8,000/month, plus 2% transaction fees. Gets expensive fast.
- WooCommerce (freelancer): ₹40,000–1,20,000 one-time, but you manage hosting and plugins
- Custom e-commerce (agency): ₹1,00,000–5,00,000+ — full control, no recurring platform fees
The platform trap: A Shopify Advanced plan costs ₹5,000/month — that is ₹60,000 per year, every year, forever. A custom-built store costs more upfront but is often cheaper within 2–3 years and gives you complete control over your data and checkout flow.
4. SaaS or Web Application
If users need to log in, create accounts, and do things — manage data, make bookings, collaborate in real time — you are building a web app, not a website. This includes project management tools, HR software, booking platforms, and B2B SaaS products.
- MVP (core features only): ₹1,50,000–5,00,000
- Full-featured SaaS: ₹5,00,000–20,00,000+
- Enterprise-grade: ₹20,00,000+
Timeline: minimum 3–6 months for a solid MVP. If someone quotes you a complete SaaS for ₹30,000 in two weeks — walk away. You will be rebuilding it within six months.
5. AI-Powered Products
Websites or apps that integrate AI models (GPT, Gemini, or custom ML) for automation, chatbots, recommendations, or data processing. This is a newer and fast-changing category.
- Simple chatbot or AI assistant: ₹50,000–2,00,000
- Custom AI agent or automated workflow: ₹2,00,000–8,00,000+
- Full AI-powered product: ₹5,00,000+
We built an AI-powered loan recovery agent for Intalks AI that reduced manual work by 80%. These kinds of products have a real ROI case — if the numbers make sense, the development cost pays for itself quickly.
Freelancer vs Agency vs DIY: What You Actually Get
| DIY (Wix/Webflow) | Freelancer | Agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Lowest | Low to medium | Medium to high |
| Customisation | Limited by templates | Good | Complete |
| SEO performance | Below average | Depends on skills | Strong if done right |
| Post-launch support | Self-managed | Often unavailable | Included or add-on |
| Reliability | High (platform) | Variable — person-dependent | High |
| Scalability | Platform limits apply | Hard to scale | Built to scale |
The freelancer trap: Many Indian businesses start with a freelancer to save money, then spend more later fixing bad code, redesigning poorly-built features, or rebuilding from scratch when the freelancer becomes unreachable. We see this regularly — clients come to us after spending ₹20,000–40,000 on a site they cannot update, cannot rank, and cannot maintain.
DIY is fine if: You have time to manage it, your needs are genuinely simple, and SEO is not a priority. Wix and Squarespace work for a basic presence. They do not work when you want to rank on Google, handle significant traffic, or integrate custom features.
Hidden Costs Nobody Mentions in the Quote
The "₹25,000 website" quote you received? Here is what is usually not included:
- Domain name: ₹800–2,000/year (or ₹10,000+ for premium domains)
- Web hosting: ₹2,000–15,000/year (free on Vercel/Netlify for basic sites, but costs more at scale)
- Content writing: ₹5,000–40,000 depending on number of pages — most agencies charge separately or expect you to provide it
- Photography / stock images: ₹5,000–20,000 for a decent library
- SEO setup: Usually an add-on — ₹10,000–30,000 for proper technical SEO
- Business email (Google Workspace): ₹125–400/user/month
- Payment gateway fees: Razorpay charges 2% per transaction — this adds up
- Revisions beyond the agreed number: Many agencies charge ₹2,000–5,000 per revision round after the first 2–3
Monthly Costs After Your Website Launches
The launch is not the end. A website needs ongoing attention to stay fast, secure, and ranking:
- Hosting and infrastructure: ₹200–3,000/month
- CMS / plugin updates and maintenance: ₹2,000–8,000/month
- Content updates and new pages: ₹2,000–20,000/month if outsourced
- SEO: ₹10,000–50,000+/month for active keyword ranking campaigns
- Paid ads: Whatever budget you decide to run
This is exactly why the subscription model we offer at Aurocode makes sense for many businesses — instead of a large upfront cost plus unpredictable monthly fees, you pay one amount that covers hosting, maintenance, and support. Predictable budgeting, no surprises.
How to Not Get Ripped Off
Five things to do before signing any web development contract in India:
- Get at least 3 quotes — and ask each vendor to itemise the cost (design, development, testing, and deployment separately). A single number tells you nothing.
- Ask for the tech stack upfront — a site on Next.js performs very differently from one on WordPress or Wix. Ask why they chose it.
- Test their portfolio on your mobile phone — not just screenshots. Open the live URLs on your phone. If their existing work loads slowly or looks broken on mobile, yours will too.
- Ask who actually does the work — some agencies outsource to cheaper developers and mark up the cost significantly. You deserve to know.
- Clarify post-launch support explicitly — what happens when something breaks? Who do you call? How fast do they respond? Get it in writing.
A website built wrong costs you twice: once to build, once to rebuild. The extra ₹20,000 you spend getting it done right the first time is almost always worth it.
What We Charge at Aurocode (Actual Numbers)
We are a web development agency based in Delhi. We have built websites, web apps, and AI-powered products for Indian startups, community organisations, and businesses. Here is our actual pricing — not a range with asterisks:
- Website subscription: ₹2,500/month — custom design, hosting, maintenance, and updates all included
- App subscription: ₹4,500/month — web or mobile application with ongoing support
- AI integration: ₹3,500/month — AI features integrated into your existing product or workflow
- One-time projects: Quoted individually based on your scope — no generic packages
You can see full details on our pricing page. If you want a straight quote for your specific project, contact us here. We reply within 24 hours.
The Bottom Line
Website cost in India in 2026 comes down to three things: what you are building, who is building it, and what is actually included. The cheapest option is rarely the best value — but the most expensive is not always worth the premium either.
Ask yourself: what will this website do for my business, and what is that actually worth? A ₹60,000 website that consistently generates clients is a bargain. A ₹15,000 website that nobody finds or trusts is money wasted.
If you are still not sure what you need or what a fair price looks like for your project, send us a message. No sales pitch — just a straight answer.