Web Design
Web Design Pricing in Germany: Freelancers, Agencies, and Small IT Teams
Robert Cummings — Digital Consultant & zertifizierter BAFA-BeraterPublished on 28 July 20268 min read
Ask three providers for a website quote in Germany and you'll get three very different numbers. A freelancer on Fiverr might charge €200. A Berlin agency might charge €8,000 — for what looks, on the surface, like the same result. So what's actually behind these numbers, and which option makes sense for a solo entrepreneur or small business?
Market prices at a glance
| Landing page | €500–3,000 |
|---|---|
| Corporate website (5–10 pages) | €1,000–8,000 |
| Online store | €2,000–30,000 |
| Typical hourly rate in Berlin | Freelancers €50–75/h · Agencies €100–200/h |
We charge €50/hour at Hot Milk Digital — agency-level work at a freelancer's rate. And if you qualify for BAFA consulting support, you can cover 50–80% of the consulting portion through the subsidy.
Quick price check
Pick your project type and instantly see a realistic price range — including our Hot Milk Digital starting price.
Features add to the price range. Incompatible options are disabled automatically.
Realistic price range (market)
Typical range for comparable projects in Germany.
Our starting price (Hot Milk Digital)
Fixed price — agency quality at a freelancer rate.
Eligible: BAFA consulting support (50–80 % of consulting costs) can apply to this project type.
This estimate is for guidance only and does not replace a binding quote. The actual price depends on design, features and content.
1 page · market prices, our categories and BAFA notes (PDF)
Download the pricing overview as PDFWhat else affects the price?
The hourly rate only tells part of the story. What really drives the final number is the scope of the project:
- Number of pages: A one-page landing site typically costs up to four times less than a full multi-page website.
- Custom design vs. template: A fully custom design runs 30–50% more than a well-customized template.
- Features: Contact form (+€0), online store (+€1,000–3,000), multilingual support (+20–40%), booking system (+€300–800).
- Copy and photography: If we need to write your text or source photography, expect +€200–500.
- SEO setup: Technical SEO — sitemap, metadata, Google Search Console — should always be included. With budget providers, it often isn't.
Three types of provider
| Provider | Hourly rate | Typical project cost | Strengths | Risks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freelancer marketplace (Fiverr, Upwork) | €5–20/h | €200–800 | Cheap, fast | Quality varies widely, no support after launch, often template-based |
| Local freelancer in Berlin | €50–75/h | €600–2,500 | Personal contact, solid quality | Availability can be inconsistent; no team for larger projects |
| Small IT team (e.g. Hot Milk Digital) | €50–125/h | €500–4,000 | Team expertise, personal service, fair pricing, long-term support | Less capacity than a large agency |
| Berlin digital agency | €100–200/h | €3,000–15,000 | Strategic consulting, big team, branding | Expensive, slow, often more than an SME actually needs |
Our website categories
| Website type | Pages | Starting price (HMD) | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini-site | 1 | €595 | One-off project, personal profile, band page, event page — not eligible for BAFA subsidy |
| Landing page | 1 | €1,495 | Trades, simple service providers |
| Corporate website | 5–8 | €2,490 | Craft businesses, service companies, medical practices, law firms |
| Industry site with SEO | 8–15 | €3,490 | Restaurants, salons, retail, food service |
| Online store (up to 50 products) | 10–20 | €4,990 | Webshops, retailers |
| Multilingual website (DE+EN) | 5–10 | €2,990 | Internationally active SMEs |
| Maintenance + hosting | — | €25–100/month | Depending on service |
Note: BAFA consulting support applies to projects at or above our standard project minimum (€1,500) — mini-sites at €595 fall below this threshold and are not eligible.
What's included in the price — and what isn't?
With any reputable provider, these should always be part of the base package:
Included
- Domain setup and configuration
- SSL certificate (HTTPS)
- Responsive design (mobile, tablet, desktop)
- Contact form
- Google Search Console and sitemap
- Basic SEO (meta titles, meta descriptions, alt text)
- Basic GDPR setup (legal notice, privacy policy, cookie banner)
Usually not included (extra cost)
- Professional copywriting
- Product photography
- Logo design or branding
- Google Ads or SEO campaigns
- Online store functionality (payment processing, inventory management)
Red flags to walk away from
- A flat "complete website" for under €300. Realistically impossible — it's either an uncustomized template or hidden costs waiting down the line.
- No written quote. A reputable provider always gives you a written scope of work.
- No handover of login credentials. You must have access to your own domain and CMS. The website is yours — not the provider's.
- Hosting only on the provider's own domain. If you cancel, your site disappears with it.
- Careless handling of GDPR. Skipping the legal notice, cookie consent, or privacy policy isn't just sloppy — it's a legal liability.
Is a cheap website worth it?
It's tempting to think a €300 website is better than no website at all. In practice, it's often worse than nothing — because it:
- has no SEO, so Google never finds it,
- isn't optimized for mobile, so visitors leave within seconds,
- looks unpolished, which quietly costs you the customer's trust.
A website isn't a cost — it's a sales channel. A €1,000 website that brings in five inquiries a month pays for itself within two months. A €200 website that brings in none is money gone.
Why Hot Milk Digital offers the best value in Berlin
The numbers above make the picture clear: we price like a local freelancer, but deliver at agency quality. Here's how:
- No Berlin office overhead. No expensive office, no account manager, no extra layer of project management — your budget goes directly into the work.
- Direct communication. You always talk to the person actually building your website. No middlemen, no lost-in-translation briefs.
- Modern technology. We build with React and Next.js — no WordPress templates, no page builders. Faster load times, stronger SEO, no vendor lock-in.
- Transparent fixed prices. Every quote is written and itemized. No hourly overruns, no surprise invoices.
- No lock-in. Your domain, hosting, and code always belong to you. You're free to leave any time — most clients stay because it's worth it.
Take a look at our work, or request a free quote today.
You can read how we build websites on our pages about web design, SEO/GEO-optimized web design and technical website maintenance.