Having an online presence is essential for businesses and individuals alike these days. People Google everything, and if you’re not in the results, you’re not getting seen! However, before launching a website, it’s important to understand the costs involved in running it or if you already have a site, it’s worth checking if you’re more than you should.
So how much does it cost to run a website in 2023?
In this article, we will explore the running costs of four of the most popular website platforms: WordPress, Wix, Shopify, and Magento. If you want to know about HTML sites, but you can read about them here.
How much does it cost to run a WordPress Website?
Generally speaking, you’ll expect to pay on average between £10 – £40 per month for a WordPress site. It’s hard to put an exact figure as the monthly costs depends massively on what your site is for.
(If you have a big fancy e-commerce site, it’s going to cost a lot more to run than say, a small informational site that doesn’t sell products.)
WordPress itself is actually completely free (and powers over 40% of all websites on the internet!). While WordPress itself is free, the costs come in the building and maintenance of the site, eg. hosting, themes, and plugins.
- Hosting: The cost of hosting a WordPress website varies depending on the hosting provider you choose. Shared hosting plans, which are the most affordable option, can cost as little as £2.45/$2.95 per month, while managed WordPress hosting can cost from $35 up to $100 per month or more.
- Themes: WordPress themes are pre-designed templates that determine the appearance and functionality of your website. While there are many free themes available, premium themes can cost between $30 to $200 or more depending on the features and support offered.
- Astra is a very popular option here, which starts at $47 a year or $227 lifetime
- Elementor’s Hello Theme is a good free option too, and works really well with the Elementor plugin, should you choose to use it (which you should). Elementor also have a package that includes Hosting, a page builder & a theme for $9.99 a month, which is worth considering.
- Read more about the best WordPress themes here.
- Plugins: WordPress plugins are add-ons that can add new features and functionality to your website. There are many free plugins available, but premium plugins can cost a lot depending on what they are. The only Premium plugin we advise is Elementor Pro, which is widely accepted as the best page builder for WordPress. It includes hundreds of templates for you to use, there are hundreds of tutorials on it and it’s only $59 a year (so $4.91 a month)
In summary, it’s a bit of a “how long is a piece of string” scenario when trying to establish the exact price of running a WordPress site. Generally speaking though, take the minimums, you need hosting, a Theme & Page Builder and a SEO plugin.
Our recommended ultra-affordable WordPress set up is –
Hosting – BlueHost (£2.45 / $2.95 a month)
Theme – Elementor Hello theme (free)
Page Builder – Elementor Pro ($59 a year) – Includes loads of templates you need and is easily the best page builder for WordPress (this site was built with it!)
SEO plugin – Rankmath (Free!)
Elementor Pro needs to be bought for the year outright but on average, this setup works out at just £6.48 / $7.87 a month!
How much does it cost to run a Wix Website?
Generally speaking, you can do it for free with ads or you’re looking at a minimum of £7.50 a month for a basic site or £15 a month if you want e-commerce.
Let’s look in more detail-
Wix is a cloud-based website builder that allows users to create websites quickly and easily, without much techy know-how at all. Wix offers a free plan as well as premium plans with more features and functionality. The cost of running a Wix website depends massively on the plan chosen.
- Hosting: Wix hosting is included in all plans, including the free plan.
- Themes: Wix offers hundreds of pre-designed templates for free, but premium templates can cost between $20 to $50 or more depending on the features and design.
- Apps: Wix has an app marketplace where users can add additional features and functionality to their websites. Most apps are free, but some premium apps can cost between $5 to $25 per month.
Again, pricing depends on the package you get and the apps. It’s worth noting that although you can do it for free, your website will have Wix adverts if you do. Being realistic about it, you’re going to want to get one of the packages, which start at £7.50 a month. There is a £4 a month package, but that also has Wix ads.
For example, if you want an e-commerce site, you need the “Wix Stores” app, which is free, but only if you upgrade to the Business plan, which starts at £15 a month.
How much does it cost to run a Shopify Website?
Generally speaking, you’re looking at anywhere from £25 to £344+ a month. It’s worth noting that a Shopify site makes no sense if you’re not selling products, so this isn’t applicable to informational site users. If you do sell products though, it may be worth the higher price tag!
Let’s look at the details –
Shopify is an e-commerce platform that allows users to create online stores and sell products online. Shopify offers a variety of plans depending on the features and functionality you need. The cost of running a Shopify website depends massively on the plan you chose and any additional apps or features added.
- Hosting: Shopify hosting is included in all plans, but users can also choose to use their own hosting.
- Themes: Shopify offers both free and premium themes, with premium themes costing between $140 to $180 or more.
- Apps: Shopify has an app store where users can add additional features and functionality to their online stores. Most apps are free, but some premium apps can cost between $10 to $50 per month.
Overall, the cost of running a Shopify website can range from £25 to £344 ($29 to $299 per month and yes, the premium package dollar price is lower, I’m not sure why!) depending on the plan chosen and any additional apps or features added.
Have a look here on Shopify’s Website.
How much does it cost to run a Magento Website?
Generally speaking, you’re looking at a minimum of $50 a month to $1000 a month + to run a Magento site, depending massively on the features you choose.
Let’s look in more detail –
Magento is an open-source e-commerce platform that is highly customizable and scalable. While Magento itself is free, there can be a lot of additional costs involved in running a Magento website.
- Hosting: Magento hosting can be expensive as it requires a dedicated server or cloud hosting, which can cost between $50 to $500 or more per month.
- Themes: Magento offers both free and premium themes, with premium themes costing between $50 to $300 or more depending on the design and features.
- Extensions: Magento has a vast marketplace of extensions that can add additional features and functionality to the website. Some extensions are free, while others can cost between $50 to $500 or more depending on the complexity of the features.
Like the others, it really depends on how big you want to go. I would mention that a Magento site is not for beginners. If you elect to do it yourself it will take a lot of learning and time, or you will need a developer to do it for you.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the cost of running a website varies depending on the platform chosen, hosting, themes, and any additional features or functionality needed. While the options above all have their own merits, the range massively in price.
Our vote is always going to be WordPress as it’s our favourite (and clearly the World’s favourite too as it’s considerably more popular than any others on this list). That being said, Wix is going to be an quicker and easier option if you’re going solo. It’ll just become costlier as/if you choose to expand your site compared to WordPress, where the sky is the limit even with the most basic premium plugins and hosting.
