What a freelance web developer costs in the UK, and how to compare quotes
Published figures vary widely, so here are two sources worth knowing, what each one leaves out, and the questions that make one quote comparable with another. These are market figures, not my price list.
Two sources, and what each one covers
Figures are as published on 2 October 2026 and will move. Neither source is mine, and both average very different jobs, so treat them as a sense of scale rather than a quote.
Day rates: ITJobsWatch
ITJobsWatch tracks UK contract job adverts. For web development contracts it reports a median day rate of £513 across the UK and £600 in London, for the six months to 2 October 2026, from 83 quoted rates. These are rates agreed for company contracts, so they show the going price of a day of a developer's time, not what a small business website costs.
Project prices: Whito research
A UK research summary from Whito, based on publicly listed freelancer, agency and survey rates in the first quarter of 2026, puts a five-page brochure website at roughly £1,500 to £3,000 from a freelancer and £3,000 to £5,000 from an agency, with the average small business site between £3,000 and £6,000.
What the headline figures leave out
The same research says copywriting, photography, SEO setup, hosting and maintenance are often excluded from the first quote and can add 30 to 50 percent on top. Always ask what a quote does not include.
Where custom work sits
Brochure site ranges assume a site that presents a business. Booking systems, shops, member areas and integrations with other software are different jobs and cost more, because more of the build is logic rather than layout.
Four questions that make two quotes comparable
Is it the same scope?
Ask each developer to quote the same page types, features and integrations in writing. Two quotes for different jobs cannot be compared.
What is left out?
Check whether hosting, content, SEO and support are separate lines, included, or missing. A low quote that omits them is not a low cost.
Who owns what?
Ask who owns the code and the site at handover, and whether another competent developer could take it over without starting again.
Who answers afterwards?
Ask what happens when something breaks after launch, who you speak to, and how quickly. This is where a freelancer and an agency differ most.
FAQ
Is a freelance web developer cheaper than an agency?
The published research above puts freelancer brochure sites below agency ones, mostly because there is less management and overhead to pay for. That does not hold for every job, so compare quotes on the same written scope rather than on the label.
Are these your prices?
No. They are published market figures with the sources named. My own pricing starts from £2,500 plus VAT, and most projects land between £3,000 and £6,000, written against a scope agreed on a call. The page on what moves the cost of a website explains how that works.
Do these figures include VAT?
The sources do not say consistently, so treat them as indicative. Ask any developer, me included, whether a figure you are given includes VAT before you compare it with another.
Can you work to a budget?
Yes. Share the budget early and the scope gets shaped to fit it. Anything that does not fit now can be planned as a later phase, rather than squeezed in and done badly.
Tell me what's broken, or what you're starting.
One email or a fifteen-minute call. I read and reply to every one myself.