How much does a tradie website cost in Australia in 2026?
Here is the five-year cost of the four ways I see tradies get online. Five years is the honest window, because that is how long a site usually lasts before a rebuild.
| Option | Upfront | Ongoing | Five-year total | Do you own it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook page only | $0 | $0 | $0 | No. Meta does. |
| Monthly rental ($99 to $299 a month) | $0 to a few hundred | $1,188 to $3,588 a year | $5,940 to $17,940 | No. Stop paying and it goes. |
| Agency | $3,000 to $10,000 | Hosting and a care plan if they sell you one | $3,000 to $10,000, plus any plan | Depends. Ask in writing. |
| Mine: $990 once, plus your domain | $990 | Domain renewals only | About $1,090 to $1,140 | Yes. Your Cloudflare account, your name. |
The domain line is roughly $100 to $150 over five years, paid to your registrar (the company you buy the name from), not to me. Edits are free for 30 days after launch. After that they are $60 each, or $290 a year if you change things often. If nothing changes, you pay nothing.
Want the long version of why? The full price list is on one page, and you can look at finished sites before you spend anything.
What does a Facebook page cost, and is that enough?
A Facebook page is free, and it is a good place to show new jobs to people who already know you. The Australian Bureau of Statistics found that 51% of Australian businesses used social media for their online presence in 2024-25 (ABS, Characteristics of Australian Business). So you are in good company.
The cost is not money. It is ownership. Meta can change the rules, hide your posts or lock the account, and there is nobody to ring. A page also does not give Google or ChatGPT a plain sentence that says what you do and which suburbs you cover. I wrote more on that in Do tradies need a website if they have Facebook?
What does a monthly rental website really cost?
$99 to $299 a month is the usual range. No big upfront cost, which is the pitch. Over five years it is $5,940 to $17,940, and you leave with nothing.
Business.gov.au describes a cloud-based website system as "a paid subscription service", and says a self-hosted one means you pay for hosting separately (business.gov.au, set up a business website). That is the whole rental model in one line. You are paying for access, every month, for as long as you want the site.
If you do rent, find out two things before you sign: who owns the domain, and what happens to the site if you cancel. Getting the domain wrong is the expensive mistake. Business.gov.au notes that a .com.au needs an ABN or ACN (register a domain name), so it should be registered to your business, in your name.
What does an agency website cost?
$3,000 to $10,000 from an agency, depending on the city and the size of the agency. You get a proposal, a discovery session and six to ten weeks. A good agency does good work.
The catch is what comes after the build: hosting and a care plan, and sometimes an SEO retainer. Those are often the biggest cost. An agency is built for a business with a marketing manager. A five-page site with a phone number does not need that.
What about building it myself on Wix or Squarespace?
The software costs a monthly subscription, and the real cost is your time. I put numbers on it in Wix or Squarespace vs a done-for-you website for tradies. Short version: if you bill $90 an hour and spend three weekends on it, the free site cost you about $2,000.
Why is mine $990 once?
Because that is what the job is worth. Five pages of copy for one trade in one area, a layout built around your photos, tap-to-call, a quote form, and the technical bits that help Google understand what you do. A couple of days of skilled work. Not six weeks.
A five-page site with a phone number does not need maintenance, so there is no monthly fee. It sits on a free Cloudflare hosting account in your name. I build a free homepage first, before you pay anything, so you can see it. If you like it, it is $990 once. If you are not happy after launch, I keep editing until you are, and edits for the first 30 days are free.
See exactly what is and is not included, or how the 3 business days work.
What should I ask any website quote?
Two questions. Make them answer in writing.
- What is the total over five years, including everything monthly?
- If I stop paying you, does my website still exist?
If the answer to the second one is no, you are renting. That is fine if you know it. Most tradies do not find out until they try to leave.
Frequently asked questions
Is $990 enough for a proper tradie website?
Yes, for what a tradie needs: five pages, your photos, tap-to-call, a quote form, fast on a phone. It is not enough for a shop or a booking system. I explain why in why I do not build blogs, shops or bookings.
Are there hidden monthly costs?
Not from me. Hosting is free on your own Cloudflare account. The only running cost is your domain, usually $100 to $150 over five years, paid to the registrar.
Why are rental sites so common?
Because the monthly fee is how the provider gets paid, and a low entry price feels safe. The five-year total is what it really costs.