The honest answer is: it depends. But that is not the non-answer it might seem.
I build WordPress websites from €2,500 and have worked on projects of €25,000 and more. Both are WordPress and yet they are completely different products. In this article I explain what determines that difference so you have a realistic expectation before you start a conversation with a developer.
What you get for €2,500 to €5,000
This is the segment of the professional business website that looks good, loads fast and does exactly what a website needs to do: present you and your services, convince visitors and point them towards contact.
What you can expect: a custom WordPress theme built specifically for you, a homepage, a number of fixed pages, a contact form, a mobile-friendly layout and a technically sound foundation for SEO.
What you do not get: extensive custom integrations, complex user flows or functionality that goes beyond an informational website.
For many businesses this is exactly enough. A well-built website in this segment outperforms an expensive website that has been poorly thought through.
What you get for €5,000 to €10,000
This is where the custom work begins. A WooCommerce shop with tailored product pages, a booking system, a membership area, an integration with your accounting software or a platform with multiple user roles.
Most WordPress projects where design and custom development come together stay within this segment. It is enough budget for an experienced developer to build something that truly works, looks good and is scalable.
I work almost exclusively with custom code, no premium themes and no page builders unless the client specifically asks for them. That takes more time but delivers a cleaner, faster and more maintainable foundation.
What you get for €10,000 to €25,000
At this level you are no longer building a website. You are building a platform.
Think of a B2B marketplace, a complex WooCommerce ecosystem with automated integrations to external systems, a community platform with subscriptions and user-generated content or a technical ecosystem where the website is the backbone of your business processes.
In this segment I often work alongside a designer and sometimes a marketer. Not because I cannot handle the design myself but because a project of this scale benefits from specialists who each own their domain. The developer builds what the designer creates and the marketer validates.
And beyond that?
Projects beyond €25,000 are not really websites anymore. They are applications that happen to run on WordPress or where WordPress forms the foundation of something built entirely to specification. Think platforms with complex data structures, real-time integrations or specific business logic embedded deep in the code.
Those kinds of projects require a team, a longer timeline and a different way of working together. They exist but they are the exception.
What determines the price?
Three factors determine what a project costs:
Complexity of the functionality. An informational website is predictable. A platform with integrations, user roles and custom data flows is not. Every deviation from standard costs time.
Design. A fully custom design costs more than an adapted premium theme. Not because one is better than the other but because custom work simply takes more hours.
Content and preparation. Projects where the client comes prepared with clear copy and a clear vision move faster. Projects where this is still being figured out during the build run over time.
What you should not do
Do not compare quotes purely on price. A quote of €1,500 for a webshop and a quote of €6,000 for the same webshop are not the same product. The question is not who is cheapest but who delivers what you actually need.
Also avoid choosing the cheapest option if it means you become dependent on that same party for every future change. A cheap website that locks you in is ultimately more expensive than a slightly pricier website you can actually work with.
What will your website cost?
I cannot tell you until I know what you need. But I can tell you that I am always honest about what something costs, even if that means pointing you towards someone else who is a better fit for your budget or your question.
Do you have a concrete project or do you simply want to know what is possible within your budget? Send me a message.
