A landscaper in Cranston calls three web shops in February, right before the season starts. The first quotes $1,500. The second says $6,000. The third sends a 14-page proposal for $22,000. All three said "website." So what does a website cost in Calgary in 2026, really?
The honest answer: it depends on what the site has to do, not how many pages it has. A five-page site that just needs to look legit is a different job from a site that books appointments, quotes jobs and pushes leads into a CRM. Below are the typical Calgary market ranges, what drives them, and the costs nobody puts on the first quote.
Typical website cost in Calgary in 2026
These are typical ranges we see across the Calgary market for small-business sites. They are not one shop's price list. Prices are before 5% GST (Alberta has no PST, so GST is the only sales tax on the invoice).
| Type of site | Typical one-time cost (CAD) | Good fit for |
|---|---|---|
| DIY builder (Wix, Squarespace) | $0 to $500 plus your time | Brand-new businesses testing an idea |
| Template site by a freelancer | $1,500 to $4,000 | Simple service businesses, 3 to 6 pages |
| Custom-designed small-business site | $4,000 to $12,000 | Trades and service companies that rely on Google for leads |
| Site with booking, quoting or e-commerce | $8,000 to $25,000 | Businesses where the site does real work, not just marketing |
| Site plus custom software (portal, CRM, automation) | $20,000 and up | Businesses replacing spreadsheets and manual admin |
Ranges are wide because scope is wide. A tree service that needs a homepage, four service pages and a quote form sits near the bottom of the custom row. A cleaning company that wants online booking with recurring schedules and automatic reminders sits much higher.
What actually drives the price
1. Design: template or built for you
A template is a starting layout someone else designed. It's cheaper and perfectly fine for many businesses. Custom design means someone plans the page around your customers, your photos and your offer. That takes more hours, and hours are what you are paying for.
2. Number of unique page types
Ten service pages that share one layout cost less than five pages that are each different. When comparing quotes, ask how many templates are being designed, not just how many pages.
3. Copywriting
Most owners underestimate this one. If you write your own text, the price drops. If the developer writes it, interviews you and structures it for search, expect to pay for that time. Good copy is often the difference between a site that gets calls and one that just sits there.
4. Functionality
Forms are cheap. Online booking, payment, instant quotes, customer logins and integrations with tools like QuickBooks Online are not. Each one needs building, testing and someone to fix it when something upstream changes.
5. Local SEO setup
A site that is built to rank for "roofer Calgary" needs proper page structure, service-area pages that aren't copy-paste, schema markup and a fast load time. Some quotes include this, some charge extra, and some skip it entirely. Our guide to local SEO for Calgary small businesses explains what that work involves.
The monthly costs nobody quotes upfront
The build is one number. Running the site is another. Budget for these:
- Domain name: a .ca or .com is typically $15 to $40 a year depending on the registrar.
- Hosting: anywhere from free (static hosting for simple sites) to $20 to $60 a month for managed hosting. Website builders bundle hosting into the plan.
- Builder subscription: if you're on Wix or Squarespace, the plan itself is an ongoing cost, typically $20 to $60 a month for the tiers most businesses need.
- Business email: Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, typically under $10 to $20 per user per month.
- Maintenance: plugin updates, security patches, small edits. Many Calgary shops offer plans from roughly $50 to $300 a month. Some sites need very little; WordPress sites with many plugins need more.
- Changes: new services, new photos, seasonal promos. Either you do them or you pay hourly.
Ask every quote for a "year one total": build cost plus 12 months of hosting, maintenance and subscriptions, plus GST. It's the only fair way to compare a $1,500 quote against a $6,000 one.
Cheap vs expensive: where the money actually goes
A $1,500 site is not a scam, and a $20,000 site is not automatically better. The difference is usually in three places:
- Thinking time. Someone working out who your customers are, what they search for and what makes them call. Cheap builds skip this and go straight to the template.
- Speed and code quality. Heavy themes and too many plugins make slow sites. Slow sites lose visitors and rankings. More on that in why website speed matters.
- What happens after launch. Is there tracking so you know which pages produce calls? Do leads land in your inbox, a spreadsheet or a proper CRM? Can you change things yourself?
The question isn't "how much is a website?" It's "how many jobs does this site need to bring in to pay for itself?"
Do that math. If an average job is worth $2,500 to you, a $6,000 site needs a handful of extra jobs over its life to break even. For most trades, that is a low bar if the site is built to generate calls.
How to get an accurate quote
You'll get tighter, more comparable numbers if you send every shop the same short brief:
- What your business does and where you work (quadrants, towns like Airdrie, Cochrane, Okotoks).
- The three to five services that make you the most money.
- What the site must do: get calls, take bookings, give quotes, sell products.
- Whether you have photos, a logo and written content, or need those too.
- Any tools it must connect to (booking software, QuickBooks, a CRM).
- Your rough budget and your deadline. Spring launches for seasonal businesses book up early.
Then ask each shop the same questions: Who owns the site and the domain? What are the monthly costs? What happens if I want to leave? Can I edit text and photos myself? A good shop will answer these without squirming.
Where Sidekick fits
We build websites end to end for Calgary small businesses, and when it makes sense, the software behind them: quoting tools, booking systems, CRMs and automation. If you just need a clean, fast five-page site, we'll tell you that. If a $25 a month builder is genuinely enough for where you are, we'll tell you that too. You can see some of our work here.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a basic small-business website cost in Calgary?
A basic template site built by a freelancer typically costs $1,500 to $4,000 in Calgary, while a custom-designed small-business site typically runs $4,000 to $12,000, plus 5% GST.
Do I have to pay GST on a website in Alberta?
If your web developer is a GST registrant, they will charge 5% GST. Alberta has no provincial sales tax, so GST is the only sales tax. If you are registered for GST yourself, you can usually claim it back as an input tax credit.
What are the ongoing costs of a website?
Expect a domain (typically $15 to $40 a year), hosting or a builder subscription (free to about $60 a month), business email, and optional maintenance plans, which commonly range from about $50 to $300 a month.
Is a cheap website worth it?
It can be, if you just need to look legitimate online. If your business depends on Google leads, a cheap template often skips the planning, speed and local SEO work that makes a site produce calls.
How long does it take to build a small-business website?
A simple site typically takes two to six weeks. Sites with booking, quoting or custom features usually take six to twelve weeks, depending mostly on how quickly content and feedback come back.
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