This is the question I get asked most often. The honest answer is: it depends. But that's not very helpful, so here's a proper breakdown based on what I've seen over the past decade working with businesses across Northern Ireland.
The short answer
For a simple brochure website (5-10 pages, contact form, mobile-friendly), expect to pay somewhere between £1,500 and £4,000 in Northern Ireland.
For a custom web application with user accounts, payment processing, or complex functionality, you're looking at £5,000 to £50,000 or more.
Those are wide ranges. Let me explain what affects the price.
What drives the cost up
Complexity
A five-page site for a local plumber costs less than an e-commerce store with hundreds of products. That's obvious. But complexity isn't just about features. It's about edge cases, integrations, and all the things that only become apparent once you start building.
A booking system sounds simple until you need to handle cancellations, refunds, time zones, and calendar sync.
Custom design vs templates
If you want something that looks exactly like your brand and nobody else's, that takes time. A designer needs to create mockups. We need rounds of feedback. Then I need to build it from scratch.
Template-based sites are faster and cheaper, but they look like template-based sites. For some businesses that's fine. For others, it matters.
Content
This catches people out. A website needs words, images, and sometimes video. If you don't have these ready, someone needs to create them. That's either your time or money spent on a copywriter and photographer.
I've seen projects delayed by months waiting for content. It's worth thinking about early.
Integrations
Need to connect to your accounting software? Sync with a CRM? Pull data from a third-party API? Each integration adds time and complexity. Some are straightforward. Others involve wrestling with poorly documented systems that haven't been updated since 2015.
What you're actually paying for
When I quote for a project, the cost covers:
- Discovery - understanding what you actually need
- Design - how it looks and how users interact with it
- Development - writing the code that makes it work
- Testing - making sure it works on different devices and browsers
- Deployment - putting it live and making sure it stays live
- Training - showing you how to update content yourself
Cheaper quotes often skip some of these steps. That's fine until you launch and realise nobody tested it on mobile, or you can't update your own prices without calling the developer.
Comparing quotes in Northern Ireland
You'll find everything from £500 to £50,000 for what sounds like the same thing. Here's what's usually going on:
Very cheap (under £1,000): Usually a template with your logo swapped in. Fine for a basic online presence, but limited customisation. Often comes with ongoing monthly fees that add up over time.
Mid-range (£1,500 - £5,000): Custom design, built to your requirements. This is where most small business websites sit. You should get something that's genuinely yours and works well.
Higher end (£5,000+): Complex functionality, custom features, or larger sites. E-commerce, web applications, or sites that need to integrate with existing systems.
Questions to ask before signing anything
- What's included in the price? (Design, development, content, hosting, training?)
- Who owns the website when it's done? (You should.)
- What are the ongoing costs? (Hosting, maintenance, updates?)
- What happens if I need changes after launch?
- Can I see examples of similar work?
My approach
I quote fixed prices based on a detailed scope. No surprises, no "that'll cost extra" conversations halfway through. If something takes longer than expected, that's my problem, not yours.
I also work directly with clients. No account managers, no junior developers being swapped in. You talk to me, I do the work.
Getting a quote
The best way to get an accurate quote is to describe what you need and what problem you're trying to solve. Don't worry about technical details. I can figure those out.
If you're not sure what you need, that's fine too. I offer free consultations to help you work out the right approach before committing to anything.
Get a free quote or email me directly if you'd prefer to chat.