What does a website cost in Switzerland?

Anyone collecting quotes for a new website is often in for a surprise: one offer costs CHF 800, the next CHF 12,000. For what seems to be the same thing. No wonder many small businesses feel unsure and push the topic back another year.

The good news: there’s no magic behind the prices. Once you know what makes a website expensive or affordable, you can compare quotes, ask the right questions and quickly spot when something doesn’t add up. That’s what this article is about.

The short version

• A small, well-made business website in Switzerland starts at around CHF 1,000.
• With online booking, two languages and more pages, you’ll usually land between CHF 2,000 and 6,000.
• On top come running costs for domain, hosting and maintenance, typically a few francs to a few dozen francs a month.
• The cheapest price isn’t automatically the best. What matters more is what’s included and who owns the website in the end.

What drives the price

A website isn’t an off-the-shelf product, it’s working time. The price mostly comes down to how much work goes into it and what an hour costs. These are usually the biggest drivers:

Number of pages and amount of content

A business-card site with home, services, about, contact and legal notice is quicker to build than a 30-page site with a blog and several languages. Every extra page needs structure, design, content and testing on different devices.

Design: template or made to measure

An adapted core design costs less than a fully custom design with its own animations. Both can look good. The difference: a custom design is cut to fit your business and stands out, while a template is shared with many others.

Features

Contact form, online booking, newsletter, members’ area or a shop: every feature takes time to set up, check for data protection and test. A shop with payments is a league of its own and costs accordingly.

Copy and images

Will you provide content yourself, or should it be created? Professional photography and copywriting are separate services. Many people underestimate this part: getting the texts ready often takes longer than building the site.

The hourly rate

According to an analysis of 36 Swiss web agencies, hourly rates range from CHF 120 to CHF 250. Large agencies with lots of overhead tend to sit at the top, small teams and freelancers lower down.

Rough guide prices

Type of website	Typical scope	Ballpark
Small business website	up to 5 pages, contact form	from approx. CHF 1,000
SME website with features	up to 10 pages, booking, bilingual	approx. CHF 2,000 to 6,000
Extensive presence	custom design, many pages, blog	from approx. CHF 5,000
Online shop	products, payments, shipping	from approx. CHF 8,000

These are guide values, not fixed prices. Our own packages start at CHF 990. You’ll find all the details on our pricing page.

Website builder, freelancer or agency?

Before you compare quotes, it’s worth asking which route suits you at all.

Website builder (Wix, Jimdo, Squarespace and co.): you pay a monthly fee and build the site yourself. That’s cheap if you have time, patience and a good eye. The catch: your time is money too, and many builder sites look alike. Switching providers is often hard because the site is tied to the platform.

Freelancer: one person does everything. That can be excellent value. Ask who steps in when they’re ill or on holiday, and whether you get all access details after the project.

Agency: several people, clear processes, usually more capacity. With large agencies you also pay for offices, project managers and sales. With small agencies like ours, you talk directly to the people building your site.

There’s no right or wrong. What matters is knowing what you get.

Don’t forget the running costs

A website isn’t free once it’s live. Plan for:

• Domain: a .ch domain usually costs between CHF 10 and 20 a year.
• Hosting: running the site on a server, ideally located in Switzerland, including an SSL certificate.
• Maintenance: technical updates, checks and small changes. With systems like WordPress, regular updates are essential for security. An unmaintained website is an open door for attackers.
• External services: newsletter tools, booking or shop systems have their own fees depending on size.

Always ask which of these costs are included in the quote and which only appear after launch. To compare, add up the costs over three years. You’ll quickly see whether a seemingly cheap offer ends up costing more.

How to compare quotes properly

Two quotes can only be compared if they describe the same thing. These questions help:

1. How many pages are included, and what happens if you need one more?
2. How many rounds of revisions are there?
3. Who provides copy and images, and what does help cost?
4. Is the site optimised for smartphones and fast? (Ask for an example and open it on your phone.)
5. What does running it cost per month or year, and how long are you tied in?
6. Who owns the website and domain, and do you get all access details?
7. What happens after launch when you want to change something?

Anyone who answers these clearly usually means business. Anyone who dodges them, less so.

How to spot unfair offers

Sadly, we keep seeing small businesses get ripped off. Watch out for these warning signs:

1. Long contract terms: rental models with 24 or 36 months’ commitment where you don’t even own the website at the end.
2. Domain in someone else’s name: your domain should always be registered to you or your company. Otherwise switching providers becomes a nightmare.
3. Vague quotes: “Complete website, CHF 4,900” with no details on pages, revisions or running costs.
4. Guaranteed Google rankings: nobody can seriously promise you the top spot on Google. Anyone who does is fibbing.
5. No hand-over: you should receive access details and all files, even if you switch provider later.
6. Pressure to sign: “40 percent off, this week only” is a sales trick, not an offer.

How we do it

At Peter & Co you get a quote with a binding final price after our first call. The website and domain belong to you, hosting and maintenance can be cancelled at the end of any month, and we explain everything in plain language.

Already have a quote and not sure about it? Write to us. We’re happy to look at it with you, free of charge, even if you don’t end up working with us.