There are three ways to pay for a website, and the price depends more on which one you choose than on the site itself. The figures below were checked in October 2026 and are in NZ dollars, before GST, unless they say otherwise.
| Option | What you pay | Who looks after it |
|---|---|---|
| Build it yourself | NZ$19 to NZ$109 a month (Squarespace, paid annually) | You |
| Pay a designer | $1,000 to $6,000 one-off for most small business sites | You, unless you pay the designer extra |
| Monthly website plan | $49 to $299 a month in the plans below, and some charge setup | The provider |
1. Build it yourself
Website builders like Squarespace and Wix give you templates, hosting and a security certificate for a monthly fee. Squarespace's plans run from NZ$19 to NZ$109 a month paid annually, and a little more paid monthly. Wix prices are similar.
Good for: a simple site when you have the time and enjoy doing it. The catch: your time. Writing the pages, taking photos, setting up the contact form, and keeping it all up to date is your job, and so is noticing when the form stops working.
2. Pay a designer to build it
A one-off build from a freelancer or agency is the traditional route. One Auckland agency's published guide puts most small business sites at $1,000 to $6,000, with online shops and custom builds well above that.
Good for: a business that wants a site made to measure and is happy to own its upkeep. The catch: what happens after launch. Hosting, the domain, security updates, backups and changes are usually extra, or not covered at all. This is how businesses end up with a site, and a domain, that only an old designer can change.
3. A monthly website plan
More NZ providers now build the site and run it for a monthly fee. Prices we found published in October 2026:
| Provider | Monthly | Minimum term |
|---|---|---|
| Graphic Detail (build included) | $299 | 12 months |
| Kiwi Web Design subscription (build included) | $199 | 24 months |
| Rocketspark (builder for trades) | from $49, plus $1,750 setup | not stated |
Good for: owners who want the website off their plate. The catch: lock-ins, exit fees, and who holds the domain if you leave.
The running costs people forget
Whichever way you go, a website keeps costing something every year:
| Cost | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Domain | A .co.nz costs a few tens of dollars a year, depending on the registrar |
| Hosting | Included with builders and plans; separate if a designer built the site |
| Email on your domain | Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, charged per person |
| Updates and fixes | WordPress sites need regular updates, or they break or get hacked |
| Your time | Every hour spent fixing the website is an hour not on paid work |
Questions to ask before you pay anyone
- Will the domain be registered in my business's name?
- What does it cost each year after the first, all in?
- Who fixes it if it breaks, and how fast?
- Is there a minimum term, and what does leaving cost?
- If I leave, do I get the site, the domain and the logins?
For what we charge and how our terms compare, see our pricing. Everything there is published, with no minimum term on monthly plans.