How Much Do Freelance Web Designers Charge Today?

High quality freelance web designers charge around £40 to £70 per hour, although costs for individual projects will vary.

There are several factors that affect the cost of your website project from a freelancer, including:

• The complexity of your desired website
• The timeframe you have in mind
• The level of expertise you need
• How generic or specialist you want the final website to be
• Whether you need an app as well

So how do you get the best deal for your business? You need to make sure you’re paying the fairest price for what you actually need – no more, no less.

Or, you can read on for more detailed information on freelance website design service costs.

What are the UK web developer rates?

A web developer builds a website from scratch, writing it into existence with code. Sometimes “web designer” is used in place of “web developer”, though often they amount to the same thing. You should check with the professional you’re hiring has the skills to carry out the website build itself rather than just draw up the designs.

• A bespoke website to showcase your business costs £3,495-£5,995 from UK web designer Sarah Evans. You can expect completion within 1-2 months.
• An ecommerce (online shop) website costs upwards of £6,000 from the same web designer.
• A WordPress website created by a freelancer (where you can update the content yourself) typically costs £800-£3,000.

These are just ballpark figures, however, and much will depend upon the complexity of your requirements. We know that finding the right web development company can be tricky, so use this handy guide to browse who we think are the very best in the UK.

A web developer may not be the right professional you need for your particular project. For instance, if you want a tech expert to improve the accessibility of your existing app or website, you should look for someone experienced in UI or UX (user interface or user experience). If you’re interested, you can learn about the nuanced differences between web developers and UI developers in our guide. 

Hours/Day Rates

Developers may charge by the hour or by the day, meaning for every hour/day they spend on the project, you’ll need to pay them a bit more per their rate. For example, if the developer charges a daily rate of £120, and the project ends up taking three days, you’ll need to pay them £360 at the end.

This is the preferred payment structure if you’re looking for a brief project that can be completed in less than a week. If your project is more substantial than that, you might want to look at a flat rate, as more than a week’s worth of daily/hourly rates is likely more than anyone would be willing to spend.

Flat Rates

This is a payment method wherein the total cost is agreed before the project begins. Whether it takes three weeks or three months, you’ll be paying the same, agreed-upon amount of money at the end of the project.

This payment structure is more suited to longform projects where the finish line might be a bit more vague. If you’re looking for a website with multiple aspects and elements that might take a while to piece together, a flat rate is the way to go.

What affects a freelance designer’s rates?

There are many different factors that can affect the rate that a freelancer charges you. Below you’ll find a few examples of the factors that determine how much you might pay:

The complexity of the build

You can expect to pay more for a fancy multi-functional website with log-in areas, a large database with search functions or components like video uploading. On the other hand, you may simply need a basic, no-frills website.

The amount you make your web designer sweat (troubleshoot, version test, reconfigure, and so on) will surely affect project cost.

Your freelancer will need to take all of this on-board, so make sure you clearly outline your needs from the start.

Project duration

Is it a quick fix or a big website re-design? Unsurprisingly these will cost a significantly different amount. For larger projects, it’s best to agree a fee up front for the whole project. Otherwise you’ll end up paying extra by the hour should the project overrun.

Their experience

As with most industries, a freelance web designer’s experience and skills can massively affect the amount they charge. Expect to pay a lower rate for junior and inexperienced designers, and a higher one for experienced designers. You’ll find more information on pricing models below.

Freelancer pricing models

As a general rule, the rate for an independent freelance web designer will be lower than that of a larger company. This is largely due to the fact that larger organisations typically have greater costs and overheads.

By hour

The traditional way of hiring a freelancer was to pay them by the hour until they finished the job. This often proved quite costly with extra hours racking up quickly over time, especially if the client wasn’t happy with the work. You should always consider the cost of potential reworks, edits, and additional extras before agreeing to an hourly rate.

By day

If you want to hire a freelance web designer but need to them to work on-site where you can manage them more directly, then you may be charged by the day. However, many freelance web designers prefer to work at home or in a space of their own.

Paying by the day to have someone on-site can end up costing you more as freelancers won’t know their way around, will need internet access and firewall privileges, and could even be a disruptive presence for the rest of your team. All of these factors may hinder the project’s progress, costing you even more money.

By project

This is generally the safest method of paying your freelance web designer. When searching for a web designer, you should consider how large you want your website to be.

For larger jobs, freelancers will typically charge by the project, which may seem more expensive at first but can be preferable to an hourly rate. Not only does paying by project mean you won’t have to pay extra for hours of overtime, but you can agree a much better up front ‘all-in-one’ package rate.

By page

This is a slightly less common method of charging and is often associated with larger website projects. You pay a set rate per page, making large websites more expensive and smaller sites less so. More often though, you should expect to pay by the project for websites with many pages and by the hour for smaller jobs.

If you need more info about the cost of a website according to what sort of final product you’re after, check out our dedicated guide.

Why hire a freelance web designer?

Convenience

Most people hire freelancers for the convenience. Having a temporary, no strings attached freelancer is less commitment than hiring a new employee.

One-to-one service

Hiring a freelance web designer often means working with just one person.

You’ll also enjoy a more personalised service, with your web designer taking the time to fully understand your wants and needs. This is especially important when designing a website, as it will be the first port of call for your potential customers.

Wide skillset

To ensure they receive work, many freelance web designers will enroll on courses to learn new skills. This makes them more versatile and able to offer a more bespoke end product.

Varied experience

Freelance web designers often have a wider range of experience than your typical agency designer. Accepting commissions from different businesses in different sectors means freelancers can provide a more flexible and tailored service for your business.

Their industry contacts

Freelancers always know other freelancers. If they don’t know how to do something, you can guarantee that they have a friend or a contact that can help you out.

Aftercare

Web design agencies do offer aftercare services, but once a site is live and a project ‘finished’, you might find that you’re no longer the top priority.

However, with a freelancer you can expect a much quicker response time and a willingness to help. It’s all part of the one-to-one relationship you develop with them.

Could I save money using a DIY web builder?

For some, an easier, more affordable option would be to opt for a website builder and develop your site yourself.

At a glance, our top choice for a website builder is Wix, which is an affordable, user-friendly platform that allows anyone to make a website without worrying about coding or figuring out complex systems. And if you’re specifically building a site based around commerce, Shopify is your best bet, with shopping-centric features that can help you construct your online store.

Requiring no coding or technical knowledge, when using a website building platform, you simply choose a professional-looking design template; drag-and-drop your site copy, images, and videos into place; integrate the apps and tools that’ll add the functionality you need; and voila – you have a website!

Below, we’ve listed our favourite website builders for general web design, and included their price ranges. Be sure to check them out before hiring a web designer!

And below here are our favourite website builders for ecommerce sites specifically. Remember you can check out our in-depth Shopify pricing guide for more detailed information.

Next steps

Now that you know much you might expect to pay, it’s time to find the right web designer. The only thing to be sure of before you look at this step is exactly what you’re looking for in your website. That way, you’ll know who to talk to, what to ask for, and what kind of rate will best suit your website’s pipeline.

To get the ball rolling, all you have to do is tell us what you need, and we’ll match you up with web designers that best suit your requirements.