Plan a realistic first-year website budget in Indian rupees — not just a soft range. Pick an India scenario (brochure DIY, WordPress SMB, custom/agency, or ecommerce), then edit every line: domain, hosting intro vs renewal, SSL, build, email, maintenance, optional GST. Compare DIY vs WordPress vs agency bands, copy or export the plan, and verify prices at checkout before you pay.
Budgeting a website: what this calculator keeps separate
- A ₹69 or ₹199 hosting price is a long-prepaid intro rate for hosting alone, not your website budget.
- Hostinger India lists renewals of ₹289, ₹449, ₹649 or ₹1,599 a month depending on plan (checked 23 Oct 2026). That is why intro and renewal are separate lines.
- First-year bands: DIY builder ₹8,000 to ₹35,000, WordPress with a freelancer ₹40,000 to ₹1,20,000, agency or custom ₹1,50,000 to ₹6,00,000 and up.
- Year two is mostly renewals: domain, hosting at the renewal rate, email and maintenance.
- The .in domain defaults to ₹699 for the first year and ₹999 on renewal. Swap in your registrar’s cart prices.
- Optional GST adds 18% to build, maintenance and store setup lines. Domain and hosting are left untagged.
- Payment gateway fees grow with sales, so they are not in the fixed total.
- These are planning estimates, not quotes, and your numbers stay in your browser.
By ScaleSaathi Editorial · Assumptions checked 23 Oct 2026 · Sources
Some ScaleSaathi pages use sponsored affiliate links. Links on this tool point to official pricing pages unless marked sponsored. Read our affiliate disclosure.
Planning estimates only. Edit any line. Numbers stay in your browser.
| First-year breakdown | ₹ |
|---|
Planning estimate from scalesaathi.in website cost calculator. Verify prices before paying.
Worked example: a 12-page WordPress site built by a freelancer
Inputs: WordPress SMB scenario, 12 pages, template with assisted design, no online store, freelancer build, GST turned on for build and maintenance. Prices use the calculator’s defaults checked on 23 October 2026.
| Line | How it is worked out | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Domain (.in), first year | Default registrar price | ₹699 |
| Hosting, first year | Intro-rate hosting | ₹3,500 |
| SSL certificate | Free certificate included with hosting | ₹0 |
| Design and development | ₹45,000 for 10 pages + 2 extra pages × ₹1,200 | ₹47,400 |
| Business email | Per year | ₹3,000 |
| Maintenance and updates | Per year | ₹15,000 |
| Subtotal before GST | ₹699 + ₹3,500 + ₹0 + ₹47,400 + ₹3,000 + ₹15,000 | ₹69,599 |
| GST at 18% | 18% of (₹47,400 + ₹15,000) = 18% of ₹62,400 | ₹11,232 |
| First-year total | ₹69,599 + ₹11,232 | ₹80,831 |
| Year 2 | Domain renewal ₹999 + hosting renewal ₹5,388 + email ₹3,000 + maintenance ₹15,000 + GST on maintenance ₹2,700 | ₹27,087 |
| Two-year total | ₹80,831 + ₹27,087 | ₹1,07,918 |
Hosting rises by ₹1,888 in year 2 because the renewal rate replaces the intro rate. In this example the calculator adds GST only to the build and maintenance lines. Open the calculator with the same choices and it shows the same totals.
DIY vs WordPress vs agency (typical ranges)
Ranges synthesised from public India 2026 guides (see Sources). Not fake provider quotes.
| Path | First-year band | Fits | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY builder / template | ₹8,000 – ₹35,000 | Brochure, solo founder | Platform lock-in; limited custom logic |
| WordPress + hosting + freelancer | ₹40,000 – ₹1,20,000 | SMB brochure, blog, lead-gen | You own updates, backups, plugins |
| Agency / custom | ₹1,50,000 – ₹6,00,000+ | Brand-heavy, integrations | Quotes swing hard by city and scope |
Why the advertised hosting price is not your website budget
A website can be affordable and still be poorly budgeted. The usual mistake is to compare a provider’s small monthly figure with a developer’s one-time quotation as if they cover the same job. They do not. A useful budget separates the cash needed to launch from the costs that return every year, then leaves room for changes that become visible only after people start using the site.
On Hostinger’s India hosting page (checked 23 Oct 2026), long-term promos advertise figures such as ₹69/mo or ₹199/mo-class bands, while the same page lists renewals such as ₹289, ₹449, ₹649 or ₹1,599 per month depending on plan. That renewal step-up is why this calculator shows hosting intro and hosting renewal as separate editable lines.
Use three buckets before you compare quotations
- Launch costs — domain, design or development, initial content, migration, business email setup, paid theme or extensions needed on day one.
- Operating costs — domain and hosting renewals, email mailboxes, subscriptions, maintenance, security, backups, support.
- Change costs — reserve for work that is not in the first build: new pages, integrations, store features, redesigns.
India scenarios this tool models
- Brochure DIY — template or builder path; low build line; hosting still renews.
- WordPress SMB — typical freelancer-assisted brochure / content site; mid hosting band; maintenance reserved.
- Custom / agency — higher build and maintenance; cloud hosting at its renewal price as an estimate.
- Ecommerce fork — adds a one-time store setup line; gateway % fees remain outside the fixed total.
Useful checks before you act on the result
- Enter the page count and selling needs for the first version of the site, not an imaginary future project.
- Keep one-time setup separate from annual renewals — the tool’s year-1 vs year-2 split is there for that.
- Ask every provider which important costs are not included in the displayed plan.
- Agency quotes vary by city and scope; compare written deliverables, timelines and what “maintenance” means.
Website cost calculator FAQ
Why is Hostinger ₹69 or ₹199 not my website cost?
Those figures are promotional monthly equivalents on long prepaid terms for hosting only. Your website budget still needs a domain, design or development, email, content, maintenance, and — after the promo — a higher renewal rate. On Hostinger India public pricing checked 23 Oct 2026, mid-band plans renew around ₹449 per month and upper shared around ₹649 per month. Use the intro vs renewal lines in this calculator.
What is website development cost in India for a small business?
Public 2026 India guides commonly place a brochure or small business site roughly from the low tens of thousands of rupees for DIY or light freelancer work up to a few lakhs for agency or custom builds. Ecommerce and integrations move the number more than the CMS brand. Treat published bands as planning ranges, then get a written quote against a fixed deliverable list.
How much does a .in domain cost?
First-year .in prices are often promo-priced; renewals are usually higher. This tool defaults to planning midpoints of ₹699 for year one and ₹999 for renewal — edit them to match your registrar cart and verify at checkout.
Why does year 2 look different from year 1?
Year 1 usually includes one-time build or theme work. Year 2 is mostly renewals: domain, hosting at renewal (not intro) rates, email, and maintenance. Promo hosting headlines hide that step-up.
Should I use a DIY builder, WordPress, or an agency?
DIY builders fit simple brochure sites when you accept platform limits. WordPress plus hosting fits most Indian SMB brochure and content sites with freelancer help. Agencies fit brand-heavy work, many stakeholders, or custom integrations. Quotes vary widely by city and scope — compare deliverables, not only the headline fee.
Does the estimate include GST?
Turn on GST planning to add 18 percent on the service lines you tag (build, maintenance, ecommerce setup by default). Domain and hosting are left untagged because many host invoices already itemise tax. This is arithmetic for budgeting, not tax advice.
Are these numbers a quotation?
No. They are editable planning estimates assembled from public pricing pages and India cost guides dated in the Sources section. Verify every line at checkout and in written proposals.
Is my data saved?
No sign-up. Numbers stay in your browser. A share link only puts your inputs in the page address.
Related tools and guides
- Hosting Plan Finder — match shared, WordPress or cloud-style responsibility before you buy.
- Website Platform Selector — WordPress vs builders vs store platforms for India SMB needs.
- Online Store Cost Calculator — when selling is the main job, plan store-specific costs.
- All free tools
Sources (checked 23 Oct 2026)
- Hostinger India web hosting public pricing (intro vs renewal): hostinger.in/web-hosting
- Zethic, Website Development Cost in India 2026 breakdown: zethic.com
- SiteYatra, Website cost calculator India (2026) rate card: siteyatra.in
All calculator defaults are planning estimates assembled from the sources above. They are not quotations. Verify at checkout.