The price of a website in India ranges from under ₹2,000 a year to several lakh rupees, and both ends can be the right answer. What you pay depends on two things: how the site is built, and what it costs to keep running every year. This guide breaks down each cost, separates the one-time spend from the yearly bills, and shows where the hidden costs usually are.
Every website pays for two recurring basics: a domain (a .in is ₹575 for the first year at Domain India, ₹625 a year after) and somewhere to run it (shared hosting or a website builder plan). Everything else depends on who builds it: yourself with an AI builder or WordPress, a freelancer, or an agency. Budget separately for content, any paid themes or plugins, payment gateway fees for a shop, and yearly maintenance. Always compare renewal prices, not just the first year, and remember that 18% GST is added to most bills.
1. The two kinds of website cost
| Cost type | Examples | When you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring basics | Domain, hosting or builder plan, business email | Every year, for as long as the site is live |
| One-time build | Design, development, setup, initial content | Once, at the start (plus redesigns) |
| Ongoing extras | Plugin licences, maintenance, updates, marketing | Monthly or yearly, if you choose them |
| Transaction costs | Payment gateway fees on an online shop | A share of every sale |
Most first-time budgets forget the last two rows. A ₹15,000 website with ₹10,000 a year of licences and maintenance costs more over three years than a ₹25,000 site with none.
2. Domain name
Your domain is your address, and it is rented by the year. Domain India list prices on 19 September 2026, excluding 18% GST:
| Extension | Register (1 year) | Renew (per year) | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| .in | ₹575 | ₹625 | Any business serving India |
| .co.in | ₹475 | ₹525 | Indian companies |
| .com | ₹1,150 | ₹1,150 | A global audience |
Check the renewal price before you buy anywhere: a very cheap first year often renews much higher. For .in and its second-level extensions (.co.in, .net.in, .org.in and others), personal registrant details are not shown in public WHOIS. This is free and automatic; there is nothing to switch on.
3. Hosting: where the website runs
For a normal business website, shared hosting or a builder is enough. Move to a VPS when the project genuinely needs server control, not because it sounds more powerful.
4. Building the website
This is where costs vary most. The figures below are rough ranges seen in the Indian market, to help you judge a quote; they are not Domain India prices.
| Route | Typical one-time cost | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI website builder, yourself | ₹0 beyond the plan | Brochure sites, shops with simple ordering | Limited to the builder's features |
| WordPress, yourself | ₹0 to a few thousand for a premium theme | Blogs and business sites, if you will learn | Updates, security and backups are your job |
| Freelancer | Roughly ₹10,000 to ₹50,000 | Small custom business sites | Quality varies; ask who maintains it later |
| Agency | Roughly ₹50,000 to several lakh | Larger sites, custom features, brand work | Scope creep; clarify what is included |
| Custom development | Several lakh and up | Portals, marketplaces, custom apps | Long timelines; you need ongoing developers |
Whatever the route, get the quote in writing with the number of pages, the features, who owns the design and code, who holds the domain and hosting logins, and what yearly maintenance costs.
Register the domain in your or your company's name, in an account you control, even if a developer builds the site. Getting a domain back from a former developer is slow and sometimes impossible.
5. Content: words, images and translation
Content is often the biggest delay and a real cost:
- Copywriting: you can write it yourself, use AI tools and edit carefully, or pay a writer per page.
- Images: free stock libraries and your own phone photos cost nothing; a professional shoot costs more but looks like your business.
- Translation: a site in Hindi, Tamil or other languages alongside English needs translated content, not just a translated menu.
An AI website builder writes a first draft of the text and creates images for you, which removes much of this cost for a simple site. Review everything it writes before you publish.
6. Online shops cost more
An online shop adds products, a cart, payments, shipping and taxes.
- WooCommerce on WordPress: the software is free and runs on shared hosting, but payment, shipping and invoice plugins often have yearly licences.
- Hosted shop platforms: a monthly subscription that includes hosting, often with extra charges for apps and themes.
- Payment gateways: Indian gateways charge a fee on each transaction, commonly a small percentage of every sale. Check the gateway's current rates.
- Builder with a cart: some website builder plans include a simple cart where customers order by WhatsApp or UPI, suited to small catalogues.
For a detailed low-budget shop setup, read Create a low-cost e-commerce website.
7. Keeping the site running
The costs after launch are the ones people forget:
- Renewals: domain, hosting and any builder plan, every year.
- Updates: WordPress core, themes and plugins need regular updates. Either you do it, or you pay someone to.
- Security: an outdated plugin is the most common way small sites are hacked. Cleanup after a hack costs far more than keeping things updated.
- Backups: check what your host includes and keep your own copy of anything important.
- SSL: free certificates from Let's Encrypt are standard with most hosting, including Domain India's. A paid certificate is rarely needed for a small business site.
- Email: mailboxes at your own domain are included with shared hosting, or bought per mailbox with a separate email service.
cPanel and DirectAdmin accounts are backed up weekly with JetBackup 5, keeping 5 copies, and you can download or restore from JetBackup in your control panel. See Backup and restore with JetBackup.
8. Hidden costs checklist
- The renewal price of the domain and hosting, not just the first year
- Whether the quote includes content, images and a contact form
- Who holds the logins for the domain, hosting and website
- The yearly cost of each premium plugin or theme
- 18% GST added at checkout on most services
- Plugin licences that stop updates when they lapse
- Payment gateway fees on every sale
- A developer's hourly rate for "small changes" after launch
9. Example yearly budgets
These examples use Domain India list prices on 19 September 2026, excluding GST, for the recurring basics only. Add the build, content and extras from the sections above.
| Website | What it runs on | First year | Each year after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal blog | .in + DirectAdmin Starter | ₹1,775 | ₹1,825 |
| Small business WordPress site | .in + cPanel Starter | ₹2,075 | ₹2,125 |
| Business site with no technical work | .in + AI Website Builder Starter | ₹2,975 | ₹3,025 |
| Same, with one business mailbox | .in + AI Website Builder Starter + Business Email | ₹3,695 | ₹3,745 |
| Shop or several sites on WordPress | .in + cPanel Growth | ₹2,975 | ₹3,025 |
Hosting and builder figures are twelve months of the monthly plan price. For a fuller comparison of routes, see How much does it cost to build a website for a small business.
10. Where Domain India fits
Domain India is a NIXI-accredited .IN registrar and sells the recurring basics: domains, shared hosting, the AI Website Builder, business email, the App Platform and VPS servers. The cards below show today's price for three common starting points.
- 10 GB NVMe SSD Storage
- 50 GB Monthly Bandwidth
- 1 Website
- 5 Email Accounts
- 25 GB NVMe SSD Storage
- 50 GB Monthly Bandwidth
- 1 Website
- 10 Email Accounts
- 1 website
- Connect your own domain + free SSL
- AI website generation
- AI chat editor
The AI Website Builder also has a free plan to build and preview a site before you pay; publishing on your own domain needs a paid plan. New shared hosting purchases have a full refund within 30 days. Support is on 24/7 live chat, and tickets get a first response within 15 minutes; there is no phone support.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to build a basic website in India?
The recurring basics start low: at Domain India, a .in domain with DirectAdmin Starter hosting costs ₹1,775 for the first year and ₹1,825 a year after, excluding GST (list prices on 19 September 2026). Building it yourself adds little; a freelancer or agency adds a one-time fee that varies widely with the scope.
What are the yearly costs of running a website?
The domain renewal, the hosting or website builder plan, and any business email you pay for separately. Add yearly licences for premium plugins or themes, and maintenance if you pay someone to keep the site updated.
Can I build a website for free?
You can build and preview a site free with the Domain India AI Website Builder's free plan. Publishing it on your own domain needs a paid plan and a domain, so a real business website always has some yearly cost.
Do I need to pay for an SSL certificate?
Usually not. Domain India hosting includes free SSL certificates, and they are enough for a normal business website or shop. Paid certificates are rarely needed by small businesses.
Why is the renewal price higher than the first-year price?
Many providers discount the first year. At Domain India, for example, a .in domain registers at ₹575 and renews at ₹625, excluding GST. Compare renewal prices before choosing a provider, because you pay them every year after.
How much does an online shop cost compared with a normal website?
More, because it adds payment, shipping and tax features. Expect yearly plugin or platform fees and a payment gateway fee on every sale, on top of the domain and hosting.
Is GST included in website prices?
Domain India prices are shown excluding 18% GST, which is added at checkout. When comparing quotes from anyone, check whether the figure includes GST.
Does Domain India include backups with hosting?
cPanel and DirectAdmin shared hosting accounts are backed up weekly with JetBackup 5, keeping 5 copies, and you can restore or download from JetBackup in your control panel.
Ready to price your own website? Start with a name at domain registration, then compare DirectAdmin and cPanel hosting or the AI Website Builder.
Check your name as a .in, .co.in or .com, with register and renewal prices shown side by side.
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