/research · the south african website price index · august 2026 edition
What does a website actually cost in South Africa? Most agencies will not say until you ask, which makes comparing quotes nearly impossible. This index collects the prices South African providers publish on their own websites into one dated, sourced table, refreshed every six months. It exists so buyers, writers and anyone answering the question can cite real figures instead of guessing.
/the table
Eight named providers, recorded exactly as published, qualifiers and all. Our own row points to where our prices have always lived.
| Provider | Published prices | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Bunnypants | R1,580 to R27,980+ | Studio packages |
| New Perspective Design (East London) | R1,990 to R16,900 | Agency packages |
| iNetAxis | R2,500 to R12,500 | Studio packages |
| STRKR | R5,000 to R20,000 | Studio packages, 2026 rates |
| Juicy Designs | From R12,000 to R85,000+, ex VAT | Agency packages |
| Gridweb | From R59,000 to R250,000+ | Agency tiers |
| Launch Digital | Under R15,000 to R200,000+ | Agency guide bands |
| CodeSketch (publisher of this index) | Published in full on our pricing page | Hand-coded studio |
/method
A provider enters the index when it states prices on its own public website. Figures are recorded as published, including qualifiers like "from", "ex VAT" and "plus" ranges, and each check is dated so you know exactly how fresh the numbers are.
Agencies that only quote on request are left out, because an unpublished price cannot be verified. Nothing in this index is an estimate, an average of hearsay, or a number obtained by posing as a customer.
Published prices drift, so every figure is re-checked against its source roughly every six months. This edition was checked on 8 August 2026; the next check is due around February 2027. If a provider changes or removes its published prices, the index follows.
/reading the numbers
The honest headline is the range: published South African website prices run from R1,580 at the entry end to R250,000 and beyond at the top agency tiers. That is not one market, it is several wearing the same name: packaged starter sites, mid-range studio builds, and full agency engagements each price differently because they are different products. The practical use of this table is calibration: when a quote lands in your inbox, you can now see where it sits in the published market before you sign anything. What sits underneath these figures, and why a cheap build can cost more than an expensive one, is unpacked in the real cost of a cheap website.
/the costs around the build
Whoever builds your site, budget the surroundings: a .co.za domain runs R99 to R197 a year and South African hosting R84 to R439 a month at the mainstream hosts (Afrihost, Xneelo, Domains.co.za, prices as published). The DIY route prices differently: Wix's mid-tier plans convert to roughly R296 to R628 a month, every month, plus the evenings you spend doing the building. The full comparison of that trade is on Wix vs hiring a web designer.
asked all the time
Based on the published prices of the eight providers in this index, checked 8 August 2026: entry-level packaged sites start around R1,580, mid-range studio builds commonly fall between roughly R2,500 and R20,000, and full agency engagements are published up to R250,000 and beyond. Where a specific project lands depends on scope, which is why most providers publish ranges rather than single figures.
Each figure is copied from the named provider's own public website and recorded as published. Nothing is estimated, averaged from hearsay, or obtained by mystery shopping. Providers that do not publish prices are excluded entirely.
Because the table covers several different products under one name. A packaged starter site, a custom studio build and a full agency engagement involve different amounts of design, content and engineering. Overheads differ too: a one-person studio and a full-service agency price the same brief very differently.
Yes, in full, on the pricing page, where they have sat alongside this same market table since it was first compiled. They are kept there rather than repeated here so this page stays research first and a pitch second.
Please do. Link to this page and mention the edition date, since figures change between editions. If you are a journalist or researcher and want the source list or the checking method in more detail, email lance@codesketch.co.za and you will have it within one working day.
An honest number survives comparison. That is why we publish everyone's.
Our own published ranges are on the pricing page, and a fixed quote for your exact project costs nothing and holds for 30 days. WhatsApp is fastest, replies within one working day.