How much does it cost to build a website for a restaurant, café or tour?
On a website builder, a small business site costs from $2.49 to $25 a month, depending on the builder and how far ahead you pay. Hiring a freelancer or agency adds their hours on top: the median US web developer earned $47.85 an hour in May 2025.
Key takeaways
- Squarespace's Basic plan cost $25 a month paid monthly, or $19 a month paid annually, when we read it on 20 October 2026.
- Hostinger's $2.49 a month needs four years paid upfront and renews at $10.99 a month, so price the second term as well.
- Squarespace and Hostinger include the domain free for the first year of an annual plan; after that it renews at the standard rate.
- A Google Business Profile costs nothing; for a restaurant or tour, the website is the part with a monthly bill.
What do you pay for when you build a website?
- The builder plan
- One monthly price for the editor, the templates and the hosting. Squarespace lists secure hosting in every plan.
- The domain
- Your address, such as yourcafe.com. Annual builder plans include it for the first year, then it renews at the registrar's standard rate.
- Someone's time
- A freelancer or agency charges for the hours they spend designing, writing and building, by the hour or as one project price.
- Upkeep
- New menus, seasonal hours, tour dates and photos. You make these changes yourself in a builder, or pay for them if someone else holds the login.
| Build it yourself | Hire a freelancer or agency | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay first | A builder plan, from $2.49 a month on a four-year term | Their quote for the build, plus the plan or hosting the site runs on |
| What you pay after | The plan at its renewal price, and the domain after year one | The hosting, the domain, and their rate for each change you ask for |
| Your time | Writing the pages, choosing photos, keeping hours current | Sending them the content and approving drafts |
| Who changes the menu | You, in the builder's editor | You if they hand over the login, otherwise them |
How much does a website builder cost per month?
Squarespace's cheapest plan, Basic, was $25 a month paid monthly or $19 a month paid annually, and the page said paying annually saves up to 36%. Basic takes a 2% fee on online store sales; Core, at $29 a month paid annually, has none. Our comparison of AI website builders puts eight builders side by side on the price to publish.1
Why does the cheapest builder plan renew at a higher price?
The lowest prices are paid years ahead. Hostinger's Premium plan showed $2.49 a month, but only as 48 months for $119.52 paid at once, and it renews at $10.99 a month. Before you compare two builders, multiply the renewal price by twelve: that is what the site costs you each year from year five on.2
How much does it cost to hire someone to build a website?
Freelancers and agencies set their own prices, so start from the wage behind them. The Bureau of Labor Statistics put the median pay of US web developers and digital designers at $47.85 an hour, or $99,520 a year, in May 2025. Every 10 hours at that wage is $478.50 before the freelancer's own costs, and an agency's rate also covers its overheads. Ask for one fixed price that says who hosts the site and what each later change costs.3
Do you have to pay for a domain name?
In the first year, usually not: Squarespace and Hostinger both include a domain free for a year on their annual plans. From the second year you pay the renewal. Cloudflare says its registrar does not mark up domain prices at all, which makes it a fair yardstick when your builder's renewal looks high.4
What should a restaurant or tour website cost?
A restaurant site needs only a handful of pages: the menu, opening hours, address, a booking or ordering link and photos. A tour operator needs each tour with its price, length and a way to book. Google lists your business on Search and Maps for free through a Google Business Profile, so spend on a site that says the same as the listing. See what we build for restaurants and for tours.5
How much does PlacePilot cost?
Building the site is free with an account: PlacePilot makes the first version from your Google listing, photos, products and services. Publishing it needs a plan, and Owner is $24.99 a month or $249.90 a year for one business. Not sure your current site is worth keeping? Run it through the free website grader first.6
Questions
How much does a basic website cost?
On a website builder, from $2.49 a month on Hostinger's four-year Premium term to $25 a month on Squarespace Basic paid monthly, both read on 20 October 2026. Hosting and templates are included; the hours you spend writing the pages are not on the bill.
How much does a website cost per month?
For a small business on a builder, about what the plan costs: $19 to $25 a month on Squarespace Basic, depending on whether you pay annually or monthly. Add the domain once its free first year ends, and any help you pay for with changes.
Is it cheaper to build a website yourself?
In money, yes: a builder plan costs less than a designer's hours. In time, it costs you the evenings spent writing pages, choosing photos and keeping the menu and opening hours current.
How much does a freelancer charge to build a website?
Rates vary by person and country. As a reference, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics put the median wage of web developers and digital designers at $47.85 an hour in May 2025, and a freelancer's rate also covers their own costs.
Do I need to pay for hosting separately?
Not on a website builder: the plan includes hosting. You pay for hosting on its own when someone builds you a custom site outside a builder, so ask who hosts it before you agree a price.
Can I build a website for free?
PlacePilot builds the first version of your site free with an account; publishing it needs a plan.
Sources
Read next
See how your business shows up.
Build your website free from your Google listing, photos, products and services, and choose a plan only when you publish it. PlacePilot pricing
Try it free