How Much Does a Website Really Cost per Month in 2025? (Honest Breakdown + 2-min Calculator)

TL;DR

Most small websites cost $10–$40/month to run. A marketing site with forms and basic analytics is usually $40–$150/month. If you’re paying much more, you may have duplicate tools, unused seats, or plans that are too big for your traffic.

The build is one‑off. The monthly is forever. Here’s what your ongoing bill is made of, with simple ranges and quick ways to get your number.

What you actually pay for:

Domain - your address like yourname.com. $12–$20/year (about $1–$2/month).

Hosting - a computer that serves your site. $5–$30/month for small sites; up to $200+ if busy or on premium plans.

CDN - copies your site around the world so it loads fast. Often free–$40/month.

SSL (HTTPS) - the padlock. With Let’s Encrypt it’s $0. Paid SSL is rarely needed.

Business email - yourname@yourdomain. $0–$12/user/month depending on provider.

Analytics - see visitors and conversions. Free–$50/month. (Free is often enough.)

Uptime & error alerts - tells you when things break. $0–$30/month.

Backups / storage - one‑click restore if something goes wrong. $0–$20/month.

Image optimization - shrinks images for speed. $0–$30/month.

Fonts / assets - if you use paid fonts, it’s annual. $0–$150/year.

Forms / automation / CRM - captures leads, sends emails. $0–$125+/month, often priced per seat.

Live chat - the chat bubble. $0–$50+/month.

APIs (e.g., Maps) - pay per use. $0–$100+/month depending on traffic.

SEO tools / heatmaps / session replay - nice‑to‑haves for insights. $0–$200+/month.

Seat math matters. If only two people use a tool, don’t pay for five seats.

Quick example totals

Basic brochure site (domain + hosting + email): $15–$30/month.
Marketing site (add forms/CRM + backups + analytics): $50–$120/month.
Busier site (more traffic or many tools): $150–$400+/month.

Your number in 2 minutes

Download the calculator.
For each line you use, enter your price and pick Monthly or Annual.
The sheet converts annual to monthly and totals everything.

Download the Website Cost Calculator (XLSX)

Easy wins to lower the bill

Don’t buy SSL if Let’s Encrypt is fine.
Keep one analytics/heatmap/replay tool, not three.
Reduce unused seats in chat/CRM/forms.
Keep the CDN; it improves speed and is usually cheap.

FAQ (fast)

Is a “website builder” cheaper? Often yes at first, but add‑ons (forms, analytics, email) can push the monthly back up. Check the total.

Can I run a site for free? You can get very close using free tiers, but plan for at least $10–$20/month if you want your own domain, email, and backups.

What about one‑time build costs? Separate topic. This post is just the monthly so you can budget realistically.