Ask five web designers in Riyadh what a business website costs and you will get five answers, from a few hundred riyals to tens of thousands. The spread is real, but it is not random. This guide sets out typical website design costs in Saudi Arabia in 2026, the yearly costs most quotes leave out, how 15% VAT fits in, and how an upfront build compares with a subscription over three years, so you can budget with your eyes open.
Key takeaways:
- Website design in Saudi Arabia ranges from DIY builders on a monthly plan to SAR 30,000 and more for custom-built platforms; most small business sites sit between a freelancer quote and a small agency quote.
- The build price is only part of the bill. Hosting, the domain, updates and edits come back every year.
- Saudi VAT is 15%. Check whether each quote includes it before you compare.
- Compare options over three years, not on day one. Subscriptions are lighter upfront; an upfront build can win long term if your own team maintains the site.
In this guide
Typical website design prices in Saudi Arabia (2026)
There is no official price list for web design in the Kingdom. The ranges below are indicative, based on offers published in the Saudi market; individual quotes vary with scope, languages and the provider's experience.
| Route | Typical cost | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY website builder | A monthly plan, plus your time | Templates you assemble and update yourself | Testing an idea on a tight budget |
| Freelancer, one-off build | Roughly SAR 1,500–6,000 | A small brochure site; hosting and updates usually separate | Simple sites with a freelancer you trust |
| Small agency | Roughly SAR 6,000–25,000 | Custom design, help with content, a project manager | Established businesses wanting a tailored site |
| Custom platform or web app | SAR 30,000 and up | Bespoke features, integrations, ongoing development | Booking systems, portals, complex logic |
| Managed subscription | A fixed monthly price paid in advance, every 6 months or yearly; at Webnaa from SAR 39 a month | Design, hosting, domain, updates and support in one fee | Businesses that want a professional site without running it |
Most of the gap between rows comes from who does the work after launch. A freelancer's quote often ends at handover; an agency retainer or a subscription keeps someone responsible for the site.
What pushes the price up or down
Pages and templates
Each unique layout takes design, build and testing time. Ten pages built from three templates cost less than ten one-off designs.
Arabic, English or both
A bilingual site is more than a translation: right-to-left and left-to-right layouts need separate checks, and every page exists twice. See our bilingual website guide.
Content and photography
Writing copy and producing photos is real work. Quotes that include it look higher but can save you weeks.
Features
Booking, online payments, customer accounts and links to accounting or CRM tools each add their own line to the quote.
Design level
A customised template sits at the lower end of the range; a fully bespoke visual identity sits at the top.
Platform
WordPress, a website builder and custom code have different build and running costs. We compare them in WordPress or custom code?
The costs that come back every year
These are the items that turn a cheap website into an expensive one when they are left out of the budget:
| Item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | From a few hundred riyals a year | Introductory prices often rise at the first renewal |
| Domain | Under SAR 100 a year for most .com names | .sa domains are registered through SaudiNIC with their own document rules; premium names cost far more |
| SSL certificate | Often free | Free certificates are standard on good hosting |
| Business email | Per user, per month | Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 for email on your domain; see our business email guide |
| Updates and maintenance | Monthly retainer or per request | WordPress, themes and plugins need regular security updates |
| Premium plugins and themes | Annual licences | When a licence lapses, its updates stop |
Don't forget 15% VAT
Value added tax in Saudi Arabia is 15%. VAT-registered providers must charge it, and prices advertised to consumers are expected to include it. When you compare quotes, check whether each figure is VAT-inclusive: a SAR 5,000 quote "plus VAT" is SAR 5,750, which can change which offer looks cheaper. A clear quote states its VAT treatment and the provider's VAT number.
Upfront build vs subscription: a three-year example
Comparing a one-off build with a monthly fee on day one is misleading. Here is an illustrative small-business website, using assumptions you can replace with your own quotes:
- Upfront build: SAR 8,000 for the build, SAR 700 a year for hosting and the domain, and SAR 150 a month (SAR 1,800 a year) for updates and small edits.
- Subscription: SAR 324 a month in Webnaa's price calculator for a 5-page WordPress site in Arabic and English, with hosting, the domain, updates and support included, plus a dashboard to make your own edits. It is paid as SAR 1,944 every 6 months, or SAR 3,499 for a year upfront with a 10% discount; from year two you pay the base price only, as shown in the price calculator.
| By the end of | Upfront build + running costs | Subscription, paid every 6 months | Subscription, paid yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | SAR 10,500 | SAR 3,888 | SAR 3,499 |
| Year 2 | SAR 13,000 | SAR 3,888 + one year of the base price | SAR 3,499 + one year of the base price |
| Year 3 | SAR 15,500 | SAR 3,888 + two years of the base price | SAR 3,499 + two years of the base price |
In this example the subscription costs less in year one and adds only the base price after that, but the result flips if your upfront quote is much lower or if someone on your team already handles hosting and updates at no extra cost. What the table cannot show is risk: with an upfront build you pay before you see results, while a cancellable subscription lets you walk away if the site does not work for you.
Ownership matters too. With an upfront build you usually receive the site files at handover. With most subscriptions the provider keeps the files unless you buy the site. At Webnaa the custom domain is registered in your name, and buying the website is optional: you pay its value (one year at 10% off, without articles) plus an independence fee of 30% of the undiscounted year, SAR 4,665 in this example, including a year of hosting and the domain in your name.
Budget for three years of running a website, not for the day it launches.
How to read a web design quote
Before you sign, make sure the quote answers these questions in writing:
- Which pages are included, and in which languages?
- Is content writing included, or do you supply all text and images?
- Who registers the domain, and is it in your company's name?
- Which hosting is included, for how long, and what does renewal cost?
- How many rounds of design revisions are included?
- After launch, who updates WordPress, takes backups and fixes problems, and at what price?
- Is the price VAT-inclusive, and what are the payment milestones?
- When will the site be delivered, and what do you need to provide first?
Our website brief template helps you get quotes you can compare, and how to choose a web design company covers the rest of the selection process.
When a low price is a warning sign
No itemised scope
A single number with no list of what is included means the gaps will arrive later as extra invoices.
Domain in the designer's name
Your domain is a business asset. If it is registered to someone else, moving it depends on their cooperation.
Unlicensed themes or plugins
Pirated premium themes skip the licence fee but can carry malware and never receive security updates.
Guaranteed rankings
Nobody can guarantee first place on Google. Promises like that point to shortcuts that can hurt your site.
More on avoidable problems in mistakes that cost customers.
What a website costs at Webnaa
Webnaa builds professional websites for businesses in Saudi Arabia from SAR 39 a month (a one-page site on a Webnaa subdomain). Every other site is priced in our price calculator by domain, type (static or WordPress), number of languages and pages. Prices are shown per month but paid in advance, every 6 months or for a year at 10% off, with no setup fee and no long contract. A 5-page WordPress site in Arabic and English, for example, is SAR 324 a month and includes:
- Hosting, SSL and a domain registered in your name (a standard domain, not a premium one).
- 5 pages, each in Arabic and English.
- A preview link within 24 hours at most from receiving all the information and content we need from you, so you review it before launch.
- A dashboard to edit your site yourself, plus security updates, backups and technical support, with free fixes for any technical fault caused by how we built the site.
- A full refund if you do not like the design during the design stage, and the option to buy your website: SAR 4,665 for this site, including a year of hosting and the domain in your name.
Pay for a year upfront and you get 10% off. On every site we write your website’s content from the details you send through one form, and you get 3 revision rounds before launch (an extra round is SAR 50). After launch, a simple edit you request is SAR 25 per request, a new page is added at its calculator price, fixing any technical fault caused by how we built the website is free, and new features are priced separately. From year two, a subscriber pays only the base price: SAR 39 a month for a static site, and the WordPress base is shown in the calculator.
Choose what you need, see your exact price
The price updates with every choice. No surprises, no hidden fees.
The calculator is off. Press the power button to start
From Zoho, a global provider with data centres in Riyadh and Jeddah. More than 10 addresses are quoted separately.
From SAR 39 a month — cancel anytime — upgrade anytime
Work out the exact price of your site in the calculator above, from SAR 39 a month, then tell us about your business.
Read next: Website design pricing: the price calculator; Web Design Quote: What a Website Proposal Should Include (With Template); Company Profile Website: The Pages and Content Every Business Needs.
FAQ
How much does a simple business website cost in Saudi Arabia?
A simple brochure site typically costs from a few thousand riyals with a freelancer to SAR 6,000–25,000 with an agency, plus yearly running costs. A managed subscription replaces the upfront fee with a monthly price paid in advance; at Webnaa prices start from SAR 39 a month with hosting included, and any other site is priced in the price calculator: a 5-page static site in Arabic and English, for example, is SAR 189 a month.
Do web design prices in Saudi Arabia include VAT?
Not always. VAT is 15%, and some providers quote before VAT. Ask for VAT-inclusive figures so you compare like with like.
Do I own my website on a subscription?
It depends on the provider. The domain should always be registered in your name. Site files usually stay with the provider unless you buy the site. At Webnaa, buying the website is optional: you pay its value (one year at 10% off) plus a 30% independence fee, and a subscriber who leaves completes the value, with what they paid counting towards it, plus the fee.
How long does it take to build a business website?
It depends on the scope and on how quickly the content is ready; agencies often plan several weeks. At Webnaa, a subscription website’s preview link is sent within 24 hours at most from receiving all the information and content we need from you.
Is a website subscription cheaper than paying once?
Over the first two or three years it often is, once hosting, maintenance and edits are added to the upfront price. Over many years an upfront build can cost less if your own team maintains the site. Run both through the three-year table above.
Summary
Website design costs in Saudi Arabia depend less on the city or the designer's name than on scope, languages, content, features and who runs the site after launch. Add hosting, the domain, maintenance and 15% VAT to every quote, then compare your options over three years. If you want a professional website without a large upfront payment or the job of maintaining it, a managed subscription is usually the most predictable route.
Sources: ZATCA: taxes in Saudi Arabia, SaudiNIC: .sa domains, Apptunix: web development cost in Saudi Arabia. Price ranges are indicative and change over time.