By Renie Ravin, co-founder of InkySites. Updated 9 November 2026. Every price on this page was read on the seller's own page, or its Clutch listing, as a visitor in Canada sees it, on 9 November 2026. This is general guidance, not legal or tax advice. Already have a site and want the yearly bill? Read what it costs to keep a small-business website running in Canada.
Who can build your site, and what each charges
You can build your site yourself on a builder, or pay a freelancer, a small agency or an established agency. Each band's price covers different things. A builder plan is a monthly fee plus your own hours. A package is one price for a set number of pages, with some extras outside it. Where a page names no currency, the table shows the number as the page does, so you know which quotes to ask about.
| Who builds it | What they publish, low to high |
|---|---|
| You, on a website builderthe plan, plus your time | GoDaddy Airo Starter CAD 12.99 a month, billed annually. Wix Light and Squarespace Basic, CAD 21 a month each, paid yearly (Squarespace Basic is CAD 30 paid monthly). Squarespace includes the web address for the first year. |
| A freelancer's own packageone time | Lead Web Studio (North York, Toronto): CAD 899 for up to 10 pages, CAD 1,499 for up to 20, CAD 2,999 with booking, payments or member areas; web address and hosting paid by you. Eagle Rock Web Design (Toronto): 1,000 for up to five pages to 5,000 (no currency named). ITsPaul (Ottawa): from 2,000 for up to three pages (no currency named). |
| A small agency's packageone time | Canadian Web Designs (Toronto): CAD 299 plus HST for up to three pages, CAD 699 plus HST for up to 15 with booking and payments. MapilitMedia (Toronto): from CAD 2,500 for five pages. Ottawa Web Genius: 999.99 to 2,999.99 (no currency named). Omnivision Design (Montreal): 3,300 to 7,700, taxes not included (no currency named). Graphica (Brossard): from 800 before taxes, with the first year of hosting (no currency named on its price page). |
| An established agencya minimum, not a price | No packages found. Clutch's Canadian listings show minimum project sizes from 10,000+ (Studio Yellow, Chilliwack) and 25,000+ (Art & Science, Toronto; Orizon Design, Montreal) to 50,000+ (Locomotive, Montreal) and 75,000+ (ImageX, Vancouver). Clutch names no currency. |
Why established agencies show no price
We found no package prices from established Canadian agencies. Their Clutch listings show a minimum project size instead: 10,000 and up at Studio Yellow, 25,000 and up at Art & Science and Orizon Design, 50,000 and up at Locomotive, and 75,000 and up at ImageX. Clutch names no currency and says nothing about what the minimum buys. A minimum tells you the smallest job a firm will take on. If your budget sits below it, you can skip that call and spend your time on the sellers who will quote you.
What your quote leaves out
In the packages we read, these extras can sit outside the build price: the words on each page, the photos, a second language, a shop with its plan and card fees, and the hosting and web address. Every package we read included a contact form. Ask each seller to name every extra in writing, with its price, before you sign. Then the total you budget for is the total you pay.
| The extra | What we found published |
|---|---|
| The wordsper page | One copywriter, Client Scout, charges CAD 188.88 a page, up to 500 words (its page gives a BC phone number but no address, so its base is not verified). Lead Web Studio quotes copywriting separately. |
| Photosa licence or a shoot | Shutterstock CAD 35 a month, billed yearly at CAD 420. One photographer's rate page gives 150 an hour with a two-hour minimum, currency not named; we could not verify where it is based. |
| Extra pagesper page | ITsPaul: 350 a page past its first three, currency not named. |
| A logoone time | We did not find a Canadian firm's own published logo price. |
| A second languageFrench or English | Graphica (Brossard): CAD 800 for the English version of a five-page French site, or CAD 250 with a translation plugin. French Marketing: CAD 0.20 to CAD 0.24 a word to translate into French (base not verified). |
| Booking and paymentsa feature | Lead Web Studio: they move the price from CAD 1,499 to CAD 2,999. Canadian Web Designs includes them in its CAD 699 package. |
| A shopthe build, then fees on every sale | Canadian Web Designs: CAD 899 for up to 75 products, CAD 1,699 for its Pro store, plus HST, Shopify plan fees extra. Then Shopify Basic CAD 44 a month paid yearly, and a fee on each card sale: Shopify Payments 2.8% + 30¢ CAD, Stripe 2.9% + CAD 0.30, PayPal 2.90% + CAD 0.30, plus Shopify's 2% on Basic with another payment provider. |
| Hosting and the web addressevery year | Outside the price at Lead Web Studio, Canadian Web Designs, ITsPaul and Omnivision; inside it for the first year only at Graphica. The yearly cost is in our Canadian upkeep guide. |
| Keeping old page addresseswhen a site is replaced | No package we read prices it as a line. ITsPaul lists "301 redirects where required" among its services, and Graphica says a redesign may need redirects (below). |
What your first year costs, all in
Here are two first years in our own arithmetic, before tax. On Squarespace Basic at CAD 21 a month paid yearly, you pay CAD 252 for the year, with the web address included for year one. For a freelancer build that someone looks after, Lead Web Studio's CAD 899 site, twelve months of Velogics' care plan at CAD 59 a month, and a .ca address at CanSpace for CAD 11.99 come to CAD 1,618.99 in year one. Year two is CAD 720.99: the plan plus the CAD 12.99 renewal. We did not check that this care plan takes on a site another firm built. Add your province's tax to both. For your yearly bill after that, see what it costs to keep a small-business website running in Canada.
How to get quotes you can compare
Quotes look far apart when each seller prices a different site. Send every seller the same short brief and ask them to price the same list. Then a gap between two quotes shows you a real difference in what you get, and you can choose on that.
- Write one brief with the pages you need by name, what your site must do (a contact form, booking, a shop, French and English), who writes the words and supplies the photos, and that the web address and hosting account must be in your name.
- Get each seller to price that list line by line, in Canadian dollars, saying whether tax is included and what is left out.
- Find out what year two costs: hosting, the web address, email, care and licences.
- Check what a change costs after launch, and whether there is a care plan.
- Settle the deposit, and what it costs to leave with your files and logins.
- If you are replacing a site, ask how they will keep your old page addresses working.
Tax on your website build depends on your province
Tax on your build runs from 5% to 15% (Canada Revenue Agency). Alberta and the territories charge GST at 5%. British Columbia and Manitoba add PST at 7%, Saskatchewan 6%, and Quebec QST at 9.975% (Revenu Québec). Ontario charges HST at 13%, Nova Scotia 14%, and the other Atlantic provinces 15%. BC charges no PST on a simple information site with no audio, video or software. Manitoba exempts design bought apart from hosting. Saskatchewan taxes design. A seller under CAD 30,000 in taxable sales over four quarters in a row need not register for GST/HST, so a quote with none on it can be correct. This is general guidance, not tax advice, and an accountant can say what applies to you.
French and English, if you serve Quebec
A second language is a real line on your quote. Graphica, in Brossard, charges CAD 800 for the English version of a five-page French site, or CAD 250 with a translation plugin. Most English-Canada agencies we read publish no price for it. The OQLF says websites must be available in French, and may also be in another language. Ask who writes the French, whether it is in the price, and what a later change in both costs.
What moves the price of your site
- The number of pages. Lead Web Studio goes from CAD 899 for up to 10 pages to CAD 1,499 for up to 20, so count yours first.
- Booking and payments. At Lead Web Studio they move the price to CAD 2,999, so name them in your brief.
- A shop. Canadian Web Designs sells Startup Ecommerce at CAD 899, then your shop pays its plan and a fee on every card sale.
- The words. One copywriter charges CAD 188.88 a page, so decide early who writes yours.
- A second language. Graphica charges CAD 800 for the English version of a five-page French site, so price it at the start.
- Hosting and the web address. Some quotes leave them out and Graphica includes them for year one only, so ask which yours does.
Traps to check before you sign
- Logins kept by the builder. Graphica's terms leave you owning your site and web address while it keeps the administrator access, so ask for your logins.
- A price tied to a monthly plan. Salt Water Digital's small-business site starts at 1500 with its web management plan, which is 125 a month (no currency named).
- A "from" price that buys few pages. ITsPaul's covers "Up to three fully developed pages", and so does Canadian Web Designs' CAD 299.
- Half up front. MapilitMedia asks a "50% deposit", and Ottawa Web Genius bills "50% on kickoff and 50% on launch".
- A "Toronto" page from elsewhere. One studio selling "Web Design Toronto" is "a one-person studio in Rotterdam", and a "Toronto" price guide says "Prices are in US dollars."
- A site that lives only where it was built. Wix says yours "needs to be hosted and operated on Wix's servers."
Keeping your old page addresses when you replace your site
Google's site-move page says: "It's important to map your old site's URLs to the URLs for the new site." It adds: "Keep the redirects for as long as possible, generally at least 1 year." Its redirects page recommends "a permanent server-side redirect whenever possible." No package we read prices this as a line. So ask: will you map every old page address to my new site with permanent redirects, and keep them for a year or more? A yes in writing keeps what your old site built up in search.
When to keep your current site
If your current site shows the right hours, prices and services, and people find you through it, a new build can wait. Fix what is yours first. Check who your web address is registered with and when it expires. Get the logins to the address and the hosting in your own name. Then update any words and prices that are out of date. The free site check shows the first of those. You end up with a site that is current and in your hands.
Where InkySites fits beside your quotes
InkySites builds a fresh version of your site from its public pages, or a first site from your listings, free, by email within 48 hours, no card. If you like it, it is $29 a month for hosting and unlimited reasonable changes by email: new text, photos, prices or pages. A ground-up redesign or a new online store is a separate conversation. There is no build fee, setup fee or notice period: you pay monthly, and billing stops when you cancel. We do not sell web addresses or email, or build full stores. Your web address stays at your own registrar, and your code is yours whenever you ask.
Questions people ask
How much does a small business website cost in Canada?
From published prices read as a visitor in Canada on 9 November 2026: a builder plan such as Wix Light or Squarespace Basic is CAD 21 a month, paid yearly, plus your time. A Toronto freelancer, Lead Web Studio, sells up to 10 pages for CAD 899. Small agencies start from CAD 299 plus HST for up to three pages. Established agencies show minimum projects on Clutch from 10,000 and up, with no currency named. Tax and a year of upkeep come on top.
Why are website quotes so different?
Each quote prices a different site. A starter price may cover three pages where another covers 10. Hosting and the web address can be in the price for year one or left out. The words, photos, a second language and booking can sit inside or outside it. Some pages name no currency, and tax is shown in different ways. Send every seller the same brief and ask for a line-by-line price, and your quotes become comparable.
What should a website build quote include?
A price for each line of your brief: the pages by name, features such as booking, a shop or French, and who writes the words and supplies the photos. Look for the currency, whether tax is included, and what is left out. A good quote also names the deposit, what a change costs after launch, and the year-two cost of hosting, the web address, email, care and licences. Make sure it puts the web address and hosting account in your name, with the logins.
Is a website quote in Canadian dollars, and does it include tax?
Not always. Many Canadian build pages we read on 9 November 2026 print a bare dollar sign with no currency. A few say CAD, and one "Toronto" pricing guide says "Prices are in US dollars." Tax is shown in different ways: "CAD + HST", "avant taxes", "taxes not included", or nothing at all. Ask every seller to quote in Canadian dollars and to say whether tax is included.
What does a bilingual French and English website cost?
On 9 November 2026, Graphica in Brossard charged CAD 800 for the English version of a five-page French site, or CAD 250 with a translation plugin. A French translator, French Marketing, quotes CAD 0.20 to CAD 0.24 a word. Most English-Canada agencies we read publish no price for a second language. Ask whether the French version is in your price, who writes or translates it, and what a change in both languages costs later.
How we got these prices
On 9 November 2026 we read 145 price, plan, help, terms and tax pages from 99 sites, from Toronto and Montreal, in English and French. A seller counts as Canadian only where its own page gives a Canadian address or base. Each price is written as its page showed it, never converted, rounded or averaged. The first-year sums are our own arithmetic. "We did not find" never means "it does not exist". We re-read the pages and update this guide when prices move.
- GoDaddy Canada, Airo website builder, read 9 November 2026.
- Wix, plans, read 9 November 2026.
- Squarespace, pricing, read 9 November 2026.
- Lead Web Studio, web design, read 9 November 2026.
- Eagle Rock Web Design, pricing, read 9 November 2026.
- ITsPaul, Ottawa web design, read 9 November 2026.
- Canadian Web Designs, packages, read 9 November 2026.
- MapilitMedia, web care plans and website packages, read 9 November 2026.
- Ottawa Web Genius, pricing, read 9 November 2026.
- Omnivision Design, packages, read 9 November 2026.
- Graphica, website prices and terms (in French), read 9 November 2026.
- Graphica, bilingual websites (in French), read 9 November 2026.
- Salt Water Digital, small business website design, read 9 November 2026.
- Clutch, web designers in Canada, read 9 November 2026.
- Client Scout, website copywriting, read 9 November 2026.
- Shutterstock, pricing, read 9 November 2026.
- Captive Camera, Toronto photography rates, read 9 November 2026.
- French Marketing, French translation, read 9 November 2026.
- Shopify Canada, pricing, read 9 November 2026.
- Stripe Canada, pricing, read 9 November 2026.
- PayPal Canada, business fees, read 9 November 2026.
- Velogics, WordPress maintenance, read 9 November 2026.
- CanSpace, domain pricing, read 9 November 2026.
- Joepify, "Web Design Toronto", read 9 November 2026.
- 2Marketing, web design pricing guide, read 9 November 2026.
- Wix Help, exporting your site, read 9 November 2026.
- Google Search Central, site moves with URL changes (last updated 20 August 2026), read 9 November 2026.
- Google Search Central, redirects (last updated 14 April 2026), read 9 November 2026.
- Office québécois de la langue française, the Charter: myths and reality (in French), read 9 November 2026.
- Canada Revenue Agency, GST/HST rates by province, read 9 November 2026.
- Canada Revenue Agency, when to register (small supplier), read 9 November 2026.
- Revenu Québec, GST/HST and QST basic rules, read 9 November 2026.
- British Columbia, PST on telecommunication services (web design and hosting), read 9 November 2026.
- Manitoba Finance, RST bulletin 033, read 9 November 2026.
- Saskatchewan, PST bulletin PST-7, read 9 November 2026.
See your own site beside the quotes
Ask InkySites for a free preview of your own site, by email within 48 hours, and put it beside the quotes you are comparing. Or run the free site check to see who holds your web address and when it expires.