How much do web designers charge in the UK?
Web designers price in three ways: by the hour, by the day, or as a fixed price for the project. Here are the published UK rates for each, from named sources, and how to turn them into a quote you can compare.
Published UK figures put freelance web designers at about £40 to £70 an hour (Wise and Whito) and £180 to £550 a day (Wise). Agencies charge more: £60 to £150 an hour according to Whito, and up to £200 an hour according to Design Box. For a five-page site, published fixed prices run from about £500 to about £5,000.
Prices checked 18 October 2026. Sources at the end of the page.
Published hourly and day rates
| Source | Freelancer | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| Wise UK rate guide | £40 to £70 an hour, £180 to £550 a day | Not given |
| Whito research | £40 to £70 an hour (regional rates £35 to £55) | £60 to £150 an hour |
| Design Box | £30 to £80 an hour | £60 to £200 an hour |
The sources broadly agree. Freelancers sit in the tens of pounds an hour, agencies higher, because they carry staff, project management and overheads.
What that means for a whole project
Most designers quote a fixed price for a new site and use hourly rates for changes afterwards. Published project prices for a five-page site:
| Who | Published price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Freelancer | £500 to £3,000 | Brilliant Digital |
| Freelancer | £1,500 to £3,000 | Whito |
| Small or medium agency | £2,000 to £10,000 | Brilliant Digital |
| Agency | £3,000 to £5,000 | Whito |
| Us, done for you | £449 setup, then £39 a month | This site |
As an illustration of how the two connect: a £1,500 quote from someone charging £50 an hour is 30 hours of their time. It is worth asking how those hours are split between design, writing, building and testing.
Hourly, day rate or fixed price?
Hourly or daily
Fair for small changes and open-ended work. Risky for a whole site, because the final bill depends on how many rounds of changes there are. Ask for an estimate and a cap.
Fixed price
Easier to budget. Make sure the quote lists the pages, who writes the words, how many rounds of changes are included, and what happens after launch.
What a quote should spell out
- The pages, by name, and who writes them.
- The platform, and whether you will be able to edit it yourself.
- Hosting, domain and maintenance after launch, with the yearly cost.
- The hourly rate for changes once the project is finished.
- Who owns the domain, the design and the content.
More on this in how to choose a web designer.
Why our price is fixed
We do not charge by the hour. The setup fee covers writing, design and build, and the monthly fee covers hosting, updates and edits to existing pages, so there is no meter running.
| Our tier | What it is | Setup | Monthly | First year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launch | A five-page site plus the Google groundwork, so local customers can find you. | £449 | £39 | £917 |
| Grow | 10+ pages and the local SEO foundations, for a business that wants to rank, not just exist. | £949 | £59 | £1,657 |
| Scale | 20+ pages for a business with a team or more than one site, so every service and location can be found. | £1,950 | £129 | £3,498 |
New pages and new features are quoted as fixed prices before we start. See what each package includes.
Prices checked 18 October 2026. Sources: Wise on freelance web design rates; Whito website cost research; Design Box website cost guide; Brilliant Digital. Platforms change prices and run offers, so check before you buy. Some prices exclude VAT.
Questions people ask
What is the average web designer hourly rate in the UK?
For freelancers, published figures from Wise and Whito put it at £40 to £70 an hour. Design Box gives a wider £30 to £80. Agencies charge more, from about £60 an hour upwards.
What is a web designer's day rate?
Wise puts UK freelance web designers at £180 to £550 a day.
Why do agencies charge more than freelancers?
Agencies carry staff, project management and overheads, and often include strategy, writing and support. Whether that is worth it depends on how big and complex your site is.
Should I pay a web designer by the hour?
For small changes, hourly is fine. For a whole new site, a fixed price with a clear list of what is included is usually safer.
Keep reading
Want a fixed price instead of a range?
Tell us what your business does and what the site needs to do. We'll come back with the tier that fits and the exact price, including when the answer is the cheapest one.
- Fixed price, published
- No long-term contract
- You own your domain
- Edits included