Every week a small-business owner asks us some version of the same question: “I just need a simple website — why did one quote say HK$3,000 and another say HK$80,000?” Both quotes can be honest. The gap is the scope hiding behind the word “simple”. Here is the market as it actually looks in 2026.
The five ways people buy a website
| Route | Typical cost | What you really pay |
|---|---|---|
| DIY (Wix / WordPress yourself) | HK$0–600/mo + your evenings | Your time — usually 40–100 hours the first time |
| Website builder “made for you” | HK$300–800/mo, forever | Rent. Stop paying, site disappears |
| Freelancer | HK$3,000–15,000 | One person’s calendar — great when available, risky when not |
| Agency | HK$25,000–100,000+ | Process, meetings, polish — and their rent in Central |
| Fixed-scope studio (like us) | HK$12,800–30,000 | A defined page list, agreed before starting |
None of these is a scam route. The trap is paying agency prices for freelancer scope, or builder rent forever for a site you could own outright.
What actually moves the price
- Page count — but only after about five pages. A 10-page site is not twice a 5-page site; the design system is reused.
- Bilingual EN / 中文 — adds real work: not just translation, but typesetting for two scripts. Budget roughly 30–40% more.
- Copywriting — writing the words is often more work than building the pages. If you bring finished copy, you save real money.
- Booking, payments, member areas — each integration is its own mini-project.
- Who maintains it — a site you can edit yourself beats a “just email us for every change” arrangement over two years.
The question that saves the most money: “What exactly is on the page list, and what happens when I want changes later?” A fixed quote means nothing without a fixed scope attached to it.
Warning signs in any quote
- No written scope — “simple website” is not a scope.
- You don’t own the domain or the files — you’re renting, possibly forever.
- “Free website!” with a mandatory monthly plan — do the three-year math.
- SEO promised as a one-off magic step rather than structure plus content plus time.
What we’d do in your position
If budget is tight, start with a landing page (ours start at HK$4,800) that captures enquiries properly, and grow to the full site once revenue proves the channel. If customers already find you and you’re losing them to an outdated site, invest in the full build first. And whoever you hire — us or anyone — get the scope in writing.
Want to pressure-test a quote you’re holding? Send it to us — we’ll tell you honestly what it covers and what it doesn’t, free, whether you hire us or not.