Guides · 6 min read · Updated
How much does a website cost in South Africa?
Ask five people what a website costs in South Africa and you'll get five answers, from "free" to "R100,000". They're all right, because they're describing different things. This guide explains what actually drives the price, the costs that arrive after launch, and how to make sure you're paying for something that works.
The short answer
For a small business in South Africa, a properly built website usually sits somewhere between R5,000 and R20,000, with online stores and web applications costing more. At GOOLTECH, portfolios start at R5,500, business websites of up to 5 pages at R9,000 and online stores at R15,000. Below, you'll see why the range is so wide.
What decides the price
- Number of pages. A one-page site and a 15-page site are different jobs, mostly because of the content each page needs.
- Custom design or a template. A template is cheaper up front; a custom design fits your business and doesn't look like your competitor's.
- Features. Bookings, an admin panel to edit the site yourself, logins, payments and integrations each add build time.
- Products. For online stores, the number of products and how they're organised (sizes, variants, categories) drives the price.
- Content. If you supply text and photos, it costs less than having them written and sourced for you.
The three ways to get a website
Do it yourself with a website builder. The cheapest way to start: a monthly subscription, usually a few hundred rand a month, plus your own time. The trade-offs are template designs, monthly fees that never stop, add-on costs for features, and a site you can't take with you if you leave.
Hire a freelancer. Prices and quality vary widely. A good freelancer can be excellent value; the risks are availability, what happens when they move on, and whether you end up owning the site.
Work with a studio. You pay more than a builder subscription, and in return you get a fixed scope, a team that stays around after launch, and a site built to a standard. Ask any studio, including us, who owns the code when the job is done.
What we charge
Our prices are fixed and published. These come straight from our current price list:
| Package | Price | What's included | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | R5,500 | Up to 3 pages, project gallery, contact form and WhatsApp, search setup, analytics | 1–2 weeks |
| One-page business | R5,500 | 1 page with your services, about and contact, Google Business Profile, structured data, contact form and WhatsApp, search setup, analytics | 1–2 weeks |
| Business | R9,000 | Up to 5 pages, Google Business Profile, structured data, contact form and WhatsApp, search setup, analytics | 2–3 weeks |
| Admin Starter | R15,000 | Business with an admin panel: edit text and images on up to 5 pages, enquiry inbox with status and notes, email alerts, CSV export, 1 login | 3–4 weeks |
| Premium Pro | R60,000 | Premium Business with up to 15 pages, plus one built-in feature: online bookings, a client portal with logins, a quote builder, or online payments | 6–10 weeks |
| Starter store | R15,000 | Up to 30 products, cart and guest checkout, customer sign-ups, wishlist, card payments, order emails and tracking, store admin | 3–4 weeks |
The costs people forget
A website isn't a once-off purchase. Budget for hosting (ours starts at R50 a month after the first year, which is included with once-off websites), your domain name (a .co.za is inexpensive, and free with our websites for South African clients), and someone to keep the site updated and secure (our care plans start at R350 a month).
If the site needs to bring in customers, also budget for being found: Google Business Profile upkeep, search work or ads. A beautifully built site that nobody sees is money spent for nothing.
How to avoid overpaying (or underpaying)
- Get the scope in writing: pages, features, timeline and a fixed price. Nothing should be added later without your approval.
- Ask who owns the code and the domain. It should be you.
- Ask what hosting costs after year one, and what happens if you leave.
- Look at the provider's previous sites on your phone. Are they fast? Do the forms work?
- Be wary of very cheap quotes that skip content, mobile testing or search basics. Fixing a cheap site often costs more than building it properly.