What does a website cost in Switzerland?

A simple, honest website in Switzerland costs from CHF 3’500 as a one-off. A larger presence sits between CHF 7’500 and 12’000, demanding projects with a shop or multiple languages at CHF 12’000 to 25’000. On top comes the maintenance plan from CHF 79 per month, hosting included.

The exact figure depends above all on how individual the design is, how many features are added and how much content already exists. I’ll be as concrete as possible here and name the prices I actually work with.

What do the three website sizes cost exactly?

I work with three price brackets, each covering a clear need. Alongside them sit the ongoing costs, so you don’t only see the entry price.

Business card, from CHF 3’500. A lean, fast site with three to five subpages: home, services, about me, contact. Flawless on mobile, cleanly findable on Google. Ideal for local businesses that finally want a proper presence.

Standard, CHF 7’500 to 12’000. A larger presence with ten or more pages, several templates, more content and features such as a blog or appointment booking.

Demanding, CHF 12’000 to 25’000. Individual design, multilingual, an online shop connected to your accounting, or special features. I build a shop with WooCommerce or Shopify and a bexio connection from CHF 9’000, depending on scope.

A binding fixed quote comes from me in writing after the first conversation, not off the cuff. The prices on /en/pricing/website-hosting/ are the same ones I’m using here.

What really drives the price?

Not the number of pages alone. Three things are decisive:

• How individual the design is. An adapted template is cheaper than a presence designed from scratch. This is often where the biggest difference in price lies.
• How many features are added. Online appointment booking, shop, newsletter, multiple languages. Every real feature is effort to build and test.
• How far your content is already prepared. If I have to write text or organize images, that takes time. More on this further down, because this is exactly where you save the most.

A word on the hourly rate: the Swiss web agency rates I come across run from CHF 120 to 250 per hour. That is the reason a website costs more here than an offer from abroad. In return you work with a reachable person who knows Swiss law and answers in your language.

What does a website cost over three years? (Total cost)

The entry price is only half the truth. A website is operated, not just built. That’s why I calculate the total cost over three years, the so-called TCO (Total Cost of Ownership, meaning all costs together). I compare a WordPress site with a custom-built site, both at standard level.

WordPress is often a little cheaper to build and needs more ongoing attention, because plugins and core regularly require updates; the plan itself costs the same either way. A custom-built site costs more to build but is more stable in operation. Which path suits you, I’ve broken down in detail in the post WordPress or custom-built.

SEO support is optional. It pays off if you want to win new customers through Google. If your website is only your business card, leave the item out.

What does the website cost per month on an ongoing basis?

A website is not finished after launch. It is operated. With me, it breaks down like this:

Running the site therefore costs from CHF 79 per month, with the hosting already in it. For that, daily backups and updates run, and you have a contact person when something goes wrong. Anyone who handles this themselves saves the money but also carries the risk. Why maintenance is not a luxury, I explain in the post Does my website need maintenance?.

Are agency prices in Zurich higher than in Aargau or eastern Switzerland?

Yes, and the difference is real. Zurich agencies frequently charge CHF 180 to 250 per hour. Behind that stand larger teams, dedicated account managers and the corresponding office rents. For a large corporate project that can make sense.

For a local business or an SME it is often too much. The registered office of tomventures GmbH is in Windisch in Aargau, I am based in the St. Gallen Rhine Valley myself, and I work with businesses across Switzerland. My hourly rate is CHF 180, and CHF 160 down to CHF 140 within an hours package. You get the same technical quality and the same understanding of Swiss law, just without the apparatus of a large agency. One contact person instead of an account chain.

Concretely that means: a standard presence that quickly lands at CHF 15’000 with a Zurich agency sits with me in the range of CHF 7’500 to 12’000, with comparable substance.

Where can I honestly save on the website price?

This is often talked around, I’ll say it directly. The biggest levers are with you, not with the technology.

• Your own text. If you supply your content fully written, I save hours and you save money. I can take on the writing, but that is then a separate item.
• Your own photos. Professional photos are not included in the price. Good photos of your own are often enough. If not, we openly plan a shoot.
• Adapted template instead of a design from scratch. A solid template, cleanly adapted to your brand, looks professional and costs less than an individual design.

Where you should not save: on clean technical work, on the mobile display and on data protection. The revFADP (the revised Swiss Data Protection Act) has been in force since 1 September 2023. It requires a privacy policy and a duty to inform. Unlike in the EU it does not require a consent banner before cookies are set, but Art. 45c of the Telecommunications Act does require you to inform people about non-essential cookies and to let them refuse. Anyone who is sloppy here risks trouble. A cheap template without a clean legal basis is cheaper in the short term and costs more later.

What is not included in the website price?

For the sake of honesty, the items that are budgeted separately:

• Logo. I develop a logo separately, from CHF 1’500.
• Professional photos. A separate item, in case your own images aren’t enough.
• Online advertising. I set up Google Ads for CHF 800 setup plus CHF 290 to 590 per month. The advertising budget itself you pay additionally, directly to Google.
• Domain. A .ch domain costs a few francs a year, that runs separately.

We budget everything openly, so there are no surprises at the end.

Conclusion

For most small businesses in Switzerland, a good, honest website sits at from CHF 3’500 as a one-off and from CHF 79 a month ongoing, hosting included. Over three years you end up at around CHF 10’000 to 12’000 without SEO, correspondingly higher with SEO.

The big difference between providers is not the entry price, but what happens in operation and whether someone is reachable when something goes wrong. If you want to know what your project costs specifically, write to me at hello@thomasgaechter.ch or call +41 79 174 41 32. I reply within one business day (Mon to Fri). The open prices are on /en/pricing/website-hosting/. The first conversation is free.