We use analytics to improve the site. Privacy
What does a custom website actually cost in Switzerland in 2026? Honest price ranges, SmartFlow vs WordPress, SaaS and Swiss Romande agencies comparison, public pricings and the real drivers behind the price.
How much does a custom website cost in Switzerland in 2026? The honest answer is that price ranges are wide. We see SmartFlow projects start at CHF 1'900 for a polished landing page and exceed CHF 80'000 for a full SaaS platform. Between the two, many scenarios, and above all large gaps between providers on the same scope.
CHF 1'900 to 80'000
real price range for SmartFlow projects delivered in French-speaking Switzerland in 2026
SmartFlow, internal data
Custom website pricing is not standardised. Two elements drive the cost: the actual project scope (pages, features, content, SEO, included maintenance) and the provider's positioning (freelance, studio like SmartFlow, classic agency, all-in-one SaaS platform). For the same spec, you can receive a CHF 2'500 quote from a WordPress freelance and a CHF 22'000 quote from an established Swiss Romande agency.
This article gives you concrete benchmarks for 2026, based on public pricings of Swiss Romande agencies, SmartFlow's internal data and what we see from SMEs who consult us in Lausanne, Geneva, Vevey, Morges or Fribourg. The goal: you should be able to read a quote, ask the right questions and avoid the two classic traps, the under-quote hiding hidden costs and the over-quote funding the provider's structure more than your project.
Here are the orders of magnitude observed in French-speaking Switzerland in 2026 for a custom website, in code, by a serious professional. The ranges cover experienced freelancers, studios like SmartFlow and established agencies. They exclude Wix or Squarespace template solutions, addressed later.
| Critère | Project type | 2026 range (CHF) |
|---|---|---|
| Conversion landing page | CHF 1'900 | CHF 8'000 |
| Showcase site (5 to 10 pages) | CHF 3'900 | CHF 12'000 |
| Corporate site (15+ pages) | CHF 8'000 | CHF 25'000 |
| E-commerce (catalog + payment) | CHF 6'900 | CHF 35'000 |
| Client portal (auth, dashboards, roles) | CHF 3'900 | CHF 40'000 |
| Full SaaS platform | CHF 9'900 | CHF 80'000+ |
Quote below CHF 1'500: watch out
Below CHF 1'500 for a custom showcase site, there are mathematically not enough hours to deliver proper design, development, SEO and responsive behavior. Either it's a lightly customised template sold as custom, or the provider absorbs a loss that they will recoup elsewhere: locked maintenance contract, changes billed at premium rates, hidden costs at renewal.
A redesign typically costs between CHF 2'900 and CHF 15'000 depending on the scope and what is kept. A light redesign (new design, same structure) is faster than a full redesign with SEO migration and content rework. At SmartFlow, a showcase redesign starts at CHF 2'900, reflecting the fact that we often start from an existing base rather than from scratch.
The real comparison is not SmartFlow versus another provider, but custom in code versus templates versus classic agencies. Three approaches, three cost logics. Here is what separates them concretely in 2026.
WordPress in freelance mode is still the cheapest to buy. An independent freelancer delivers a WP site on a premium theme for CHF 1'500 to CHF 4'500, depending on complexity. The real cost shows up over 3 years: monthly plugin maintenance, security updates, regular vulnerabilities, Lighthouse performance often in the 60 to 75 range that caps SEO potential. Over 3 years, a freelance WP site costs between CHF 3'500 and CHF 11'000 all-in.
| Critère | SmartFlow custom | WordPress freelance |
|---|---|---|
| Initial price | CHF 1'900 to 9'900 | CHF 1'500 to 4'500 |
| Annual maintenance | CHF 0 to 1'200 | CHF 800 to 2'400 |
| Total 3-year cost | CHF 1'900 to 13'500 | CHF 3'900 to 11'700 |
| Lighthouse performance | 95 to 100 | 60 to 80 |
| Code ownership | You, 100% | You, with plugin dependency |
| Technical SEO | Optimised by design | Depends on SEO plugins |
Wix, Squarespace, Webflow and similar offer subscriptions between CHF 15 and CHF 60 per month, usually plus CHF 200 to CHF 800 of setup if you outsource the design. Over 3 years, the total cost lands between CHF 800 and CHF 3'500. That's attractive, and for a 3-page site with no SEO ambition, it is defensible. Limits appear quickly: design constrained by templates, average mobile performance, impossible or painful export, limited technical SEO, full platform lock-in.
| Critère | SmartFlow custom | Wix / Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| Total 3-year cost | CHF 1'900 to 13'500 | CHF 800 to 3'500 |
| Design | 100% custom | Template-bound |
| Technical SEO | Green Core Web Vitals | Yellow to red Core Web Vitals |
| Site export | Yes, you keep everything | Impossible or paid |
| Advanced customisation | Unlimited | Limited by editor |
| Scalability | No limit | Stops at large catalogs |
Classic Swiss Romande agencies (20+ staff, offices in Lausanne or Geneva, framework contracts with large companies) charge between CHF 8'000 and CHF 50'000 for an SME site, depending on scope. Quality is often there, but you pay the structure: project manager, art director, developers, offices, sales team. For a 5 to 30 person SME, it is disproportionate unless the project is genuinely complex.
| Critère | SmartFlow custom | Classic Swiss Romande agency |
|---|---|---|
| SME site price | CHF 1'900 to 9'900 | CHF 8'000 to 25'000 |
| Delivery time | 3 to 8 weeks | 2 to 6 months |
| Contact person | Founder directly | Intermediate project manager |
| Stack | Next.js 16, React 19, modern code | Varies by agency |
| Code ownership | You, 100% | Varies, to negotiate |
| 3x payment plan | Yes, no fees | Rare, to negotiate |
Beyond the site type, seven drivers explain why two quotes for an apparently identical project can go from single to triple. Understanding them helps you calibrate your request and compare proposals on a real basis.
Design complexity
A standard design with existing components takes 8 to 20 hours. A 100% custom design with art direction, animations, iPad mockups and careful responsive design takes 40 to 100 hours. This is the item that varies the most at equal functional scope.
Number of pages and depth
A 5-page template site is not the same workload as a 20-page site with distinct user journeys (clients, partners, candidates, products). Design, development and content production all grow with depth.
Custom features
Simple form: included. Member area with auth: CHF 1'500 to 4'000 extra. Stripe payment: CHF 1'000 to 3'000 extra. Full multilingual: CHF 800 to 2'500 extra. Each brick adds design, development, testing and documentation.
Third-party integrations
CRM (HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce), ERP, business tool, third-party APIs, local payment gateways (PostFinance, TWINT). Each integration takes 4 to 20 hours depending on documentation and target system specifics.
Content provided or produced
If you deliver texts, photos and structure, the project moves fast. If the provider writes, shoots, translates and structures, count CHF 1'500 to 5'000 extra depending on volume and editorial standards expected.
SEO and visibility included
A technically SEO-ready site is not the same as a site with editorial strategy, internal linking, JSON-LD schemas, local SEO and GSC monitoring. The first option is standard at SmartFlow. The second adds CHF 500 to 2'000 per month depending on ambition level.
Maintenance included or billed
Some providers include 6 to 12 months of free maintenance after delivery. Others bill from month one. Over 3 years, the gap is CHF 2'400 to 7'200 of total cost. Read the quote carefully: who pays what, and starting when.
Why SmartFlow at CHF 3'900 beats WP agency at CHF 8'000 over 3 years
A SmartFlow showcase site at CHF 3'900 includes custom design, Next.js 16, full technical SEO, Vercel hosting, monitoring, and 6 months of maintenance. A WordPress agency site at CHF 8'000 typically adds CHF 150 per month of mandatory maintenance (plugins, updates, security), i.e. CHF 5'400 over 3 years. Total: CHF 3'900 versus CHF 13'400. Custom code becomes the most cost-effective choice.
Here is an overview of pricings communicated publicly by agencies and studios active in French-speaking Switzerland in 2026. Values come from their websites, Sortlist and quotes circulating in the ecosystem. When pricing is not public, we indicate on quote. The goal is not to rank, but to provide concrete benchmarks for comparison.
| Critère | Agency or studio | 2026 communicated pricing |
|---|---|---|
| SmartFlow (Lausanne) | CHF 1'900 landing | CHF 3'900 showcase, CHF 9'900 SaaS |
| Helveit | On quote | SME positioning |
| Antistatique (Lausanne) | On quote | Premium positioning |
| Liip (Zurich, Lausanne) | CHF 25'000+ | Enterprise positioning |
| Edana | On quote | Mid-market positioning |
| Emblematik | On quote | Creative positioning |
| Enigma | On quote | Premium positioning |
| Flashdesign | From CHF 1'500 | Template package |
Premium-positioned studios (Liip, Antistatique, Enigma) typically charge between CHF 25'000 and CHF 100'000 for an SME site, structure included. SME-friendly positionings (SmartFlow, Flashdesign, Helveit) play in the CHF 1'900 to 15'000 range. At comparable budget, the difference shows in design, SEO, performance and ownership of the delivered code.
Sortlist Swiss Romande, web agency directory consulted in April 2026
Public pricings consulted between March and April 2026 on the official websites of the agencies cited
— SmartFlow review
Budgeting a custom website starts with clarifying your scope. Here is the checklist we use at SmartFlow with our SME clients during the first call. The more precisely you answer these questions, the fairer and more comparable the quotes you receive will be.
Before requesting a quote
The percentage rule
For an SME, a healthy website budget represents about 3% of annual revenue if the site is a real acquisition channel, 1% if it is primarily a brand image asset. For an SME at CHF 500'000 revenue, this places the website budget between CHF 5'000 and CHF 15'000, consistent with market ranges.
Two common mistakes: picking the cheapest quote without verifying the scope, and accepting a full quote without challenging line items. A good provider is happy to detail their proposal line by line. If they refuse or get defensive, that is already a signal worth taking seriously.
Let's discuss your project concretely
We offer a free 30-minute first call to calibrate your project and give you a realistic range. No commitment, no sales pressure.
Get a range for my projectFor a truly polished landing page, in code, with custom design and technical SEO: CHF 1'900 at SmartFlow. For a complete showcase site of 5 to 10 pages: CHF 3'900. Below that, you are looking at lightly customised templates or freelance work without quality guarantees.
Structure. SmartFlow is a lean studio: no intermediate project manager, no sales director, no expensive offices. The founder works directly on every project. On an SME site, this removes 50 to 70% of structural overhead without compromising design or code quality.
For an SME needing a simple business card online without SEO ambition, yes. For an SME wanting to be found on Google, convert visitors to clients, customise their design and not depend on a third-party platform, no. Technical limits appear as soon as the project gets serious: mobile performance, SEO, export, design.
Not always. A CHF 2'500 freelance WordPress site typically adds CHF 1'500 to 2'500 per year of maintenance to stay secure and up to date. Over 3 years, total CHF 7'000 to 10'000. A SmartFlow showcase site at CHF 3'900, with hosting and maintenance included for 6 months then CHF 0 to 1'200 per year, lands at CHF 3'900 to 7'500 over 3 years. Often cheaper, with superior technical quality.
At SmartFlow, yes: professional Vercel hosting is included for the first year, then CHF 0 to 240 per year depending on traffic. The domain name (CHF 15 to 25 per year) stays in your name. Professional emails are not included by default, but we support Google Workspace or Infomaniak configuration at CHF 5 to 8 per mailbox per month.
Yes. SmartFlow offers a 3-installment plan with no fees on every project above CHF 2'000, with 40% at signature, 30% at mid-project and 30% at delivery. For SMEs, this avoids mobilising the cash all at once.
A SmartFlow showcase redesign starts at CHF 2'900, about 25% less than an equivalent new site. The difference comes from keeping URL structure, part of the content and existing information architecture. A full redesign with SEO migration, content rework and new positioning costs almost as much as a new site.
For a showcase site, technical maintenance is minimal: Next.js and Vercel handle infrastructure security updates. Minor content changes are billed hourly (CHF 120) or via an annual package if you change things often. Realistic budget: CHF 0 to 1'200 per year depending on your change frequency.
Yes, 100%. The source code is deposited in a GitHub repo under your name, the domain is registered in your name, Vercel hosting is transferable. You can leave SmartFlow at any time and continue with another provider without loss. At some agencies this is not the case: explicitly request the code ownership clause in the quote.
Too cheap (less than CHF 1'500 for a custom showcase): often a resold template, watch what is actually included. Too expensive (more than CHF 15'000 for a simple SME site): you are paying for structure, request line-by-line detail and compare with two other studios. In any case, a good provider accepts to cost each item and explain the gaps.
Go deeper on website delivery
Explore our website creation page to review project scope, delivery steps and redesign options.
View our website creation pageEvery collaboration starts with a conversation. Tell us about your project, we'll get back to you within 48h.
