How Much Does a Website Cost in Canada? (2026)

In Canada, a DIY website on a builder like Wix or Squarespace costs about CA$21 to CA$33 a month on annual billing, plus your own time. A small business site built by a freelancer usually runs about CA$1,500 to CA$4,000, an agency site about CA$6,000 to CA$15,000, and online stores and web apps go well past that. Then there's the cost of keeping it running, which can be almost nothing or a few hundred dollars a month.

So the real answer depends on what kind of site you need and who builds it. Here's how it breaks down, with sources for every number.

Website cost in Canada by site type

These are build costs only, before tax. They don't include your domain, hosting or monthly plans, which are covered further down.

The ranges are wide. That's normal. A five page site with stock photos and a contact form is a very different job from one with booking, a members area and two languages.

Why custom work costs what it does

Most custom builds are priced on hours, even when the quote is a flat fee. For context, Job Bank lists web developer wages in the Montreal region at a median of $38.46 an hour, with a low of $23.00 and a high of $52.88 (2023 to 2024 data, updated Nov 19, 2025). Those are employee wages, not what a freelancer or agency bills. Rates billed to clients are usually higher because they cover tools, overhead and time that isn't billable.

And if a site needs real software behind it, like scheduling or member billing, the cost moves into web app territory. I went through what that looks like in building your own gym software.

Running costs: what you pay every year

The build is a one time cost. These keep coming.

Domain name

CIRA, which runs the .ca registry, says a .ca domain costs on average $10 to $20 CAD a year. You buy it through a registrar, and CIRA itself charges registrars a $10.50 yearly registry fee, which is roughly the floor.

Hosting

This is where costs spread out the most. CIRA puts hosting anywhere from free to over $300 a month. On a site builder or Shopify, hosting is part of the plan. On self hosted WordPress, you pay a host separately.

Setsail estimates CA$70 to CA$200 a month for hosting, security, backups and light maintenance when you have someone looking after the site.

Platform plans

If you sell online, the platform plan is usually the biggest running cost. On Shopify Canada, checked Oct 24, 2026:

• Basic: CA$37 a month billed yearly, or CA$49 monthly
• Grow: CA$99 a month billed yearly, or CA$132 monthly
• Advanced: CA$389 a month billed yearly, or CA$517 monthly

Card payments add fees on top. On Basic, online card rates are 2.8% + 30¢ CAD per sale through Shopify Payments, and there's a 2% fee if you use a third party payment provider instead.

For Wix, the business plans that can take payments start at CA$44 a month billed yearly, according to Kootenay Made's snapshot of Wix Canada pricing from Aug 11, 2026. The Light plan can't take payments.

Plugins and apps

Small amounts add up. One example: Yoast SEO Premium for WordPress is listed at $118.80 a year (USD, before tax). Shopify apps work the same way, many billed monthly per app. It's worth listing every paid plugin and app before you commit.

Maintenance

Someone has to update plugins, renew things, fix broken forms and make small edits. CIRA lists website security alone at $10 to $40 a month. If you do updates yourself, the cost is your time. If you don't, budget for it.

Why a static site can cost almost nothing to run

But there's another option a lot of people don't know about. A static site is plain HTML, CSS and some JavaScript, with no database or server running in the background. And static sites can be hosted on free plans.

Cloudflare Pages says all of its plans "come with unlimited sites, seats, requests, and bandwidth," and you can start free without a credit card. The free plan has limits, like 500 builds a month and 20,000 files per site, per the Pages limits page (last updated Sep 5, 2026). For most small business sites, those limits are far away. If you need server code later, Workers Free includes 100,000 requests a day, and the paid plan starts at US$5 a month.

Netlify has a similar free plan, listed as "$0 forever" with custom domains and SSL.

So the running cost of a static site can be just the domain. That's roughly CA$10 to CA$20 a year.

There are trade offs though.

• Editing. There's usually no drag and drop editor. Changes go through a developer or a separate content tool.
• Features. Forms, booking and payments need outside services, and those can have their own fees.
• Build cost. Free hosting doesn't mean a free build. Someone still has to make the site.

For a brochure site that changes a few times a year, it's a good fit. For a store with daily updates, a platform like Shopify is usually easier.

If you're weighing options for your own business, the small business websites page covers how I approach these builds. And if a big part of your site is bookings or intake forms, booking and automation is worth a look too. For stores that are already live, a Shopify conversion audit often matters more than a rebuild.

FAQ

How much does a basic website cost in Canada?

A basic 1 to 5 page site usually costs CA$1,200 to CA$3,500 from a freelancer or CA$3,000 to CA$7,000 from an agency, according to WebDesignGuide.ca's June 2026 numbers. If you build it yourself on Wix or Squarespace, it's your time plus about CA$21 to CA$33 a month.

How much does it cost to run a website per month in Canada?

Anywhere from close to $0 to a few hundred dollars. A static site on a free host costs about the price of a domain. A builder plan is about CA$21 to CA$44 a month. A Shopify store starts at CA$37 a month billed yearly, plus card fees. Paid maintenance adds more.

Is Wix or Squarespace cheaper than hiring a web designer?

Up front, yes. You skip the build fee. But you pay the plan every month for as long as the site is up, and you do the work yourself. Over several years, compare the total, not just the first bill.

Can I host a website for free in Canada?

Yes, if it's a static site. Cloudflare Pages and Netlify both have free plans. You'll still pay for a domain, about $10 to $20 CAD a year for a .ca.

Do website quotes include tax?

The ranges in this post are before tax. Businesses registered for sales tax add it on top, which in Quebec means GST and QST. Ask your provider if a quote includes tax before you compare.

Questions about your own site?

Every site is different, and a price range only gets you so far. If you want to talk through what yours might need, you can book a call. No pitch, just a conversation about what makes sense for your business.