How much does a website cost in Canada?

Expect to pay from C$700 for a business website, from C$1,200 for an online store and from C$1,900 for a mobile app. Those are our Canadian starting prices, and every one includes your domain and hosting for the first year. Your own figure depends on your scope, and you see it in a written quote before anyone starts work.

Below you'll find how a quote is put together, what keeps a budget under control, what comes due in year two, and the Canadian rules that touch even a small site: who can hold a .ca address, what PIPEDA expects from a contact form and, if you're in Ontario, the accessibility law.

What each starting price buys

Think of the packages as three different jobs rather than three sizes of the same one.

• Business website, from C$700. For businesses that want to look professional online and win more leads. It looks right on any screen, puts call, chat and contact buttons where visitors need them, is set up to be found on Google and is easy for you to update. See website design for Canadian businesses.
• Online store, from C$1,200. For businesses ready to sell around the clock: products customers find in seconds, a card and PayPal checkout they trust, shipping and local pickup, and all your orders in one dashboard. Details are on our e-commerce website design page.
• Mobile app, from C$1,900. Built for Android and iPhone, published on Google Play and the App Store, with notifications that bring customers back and a link to your website or portal. More on mobile app development.

In every case the site, the domain and the content belong to you, with full admin access from day one. The Canadian pricing page sets all of this out side by side.

Five questions that shape your quote

Any web designer in Canada, us included, will want answers to roughly the same questions. The more clearly you can answer them, the more accurate your quote will be.

1. How big is the site? Each page needs its own layout, words and images. A site with separate pages for each service and each town you cover is more work than a single page about the company, so bring a rough page list.
2. Will you sell online? A store adds products, photos, prices, shipping rules, taxes and a checkout. The size of your catalogue matters most: a few items load quickly, while a long range with sizes and colours takes real time to enter and organize.
3. Do you need anything interactive? Appointment bookings, client logins, member areas and connections to your accounting or booking software each add to the build. Larger tools of this kind are covered on our web app development page.
4. Who supplies the words and photos? Ready-made text, a logo and good photography keep things moving. If those still need creating, budget for it, and remember that branding and logo design is quoted per project.
5. Is an app part of the plan? An app is a separate build with its own price. It can share accounts, orders and bookings with your website once both are live.

If you are still deciding between those last options, our guide on whether you need a website, online store or app can help you choose where to begin.

Year two and beyond

The first year of domain and hosting comes with the website. After that, renewal is C$230 a year. Put it in next year's budget now and it won't catch you off guard.

Everything else after launch is your choice. A website care plan covering monthly updates, backups, fixes and small edits is quoted for your site. SEO, digital marketing and branding are each priced for the project, so you only pay for work you ask for. You can also start with a website and add a store or an app when the timing suits you.

Who can register a .ca domain

If you'd like a .ca address, your first year of registration is included. Unlike some domain endings, .ca isn't open to everyone. The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) sets Canadian Presence Requirements, and only people and organizations that meet them may register and keep a .ca name.

The categories in CIRA's policy include:

• adult Canadian citizens;
• permanent residents who are of age and normally live in Canada, which CIRA defines as more than 183 days in the previous twelve months, and in every twelve months after that while the name stays registered;
• corporations formed under federal law or the law of a province or territory;
• owners of a trademark registered in Canada, though only for a .ca name made up of, or including, the exact words of that mark.

The list goes on to cover partnerships, associations, schools, governments and other groups. If your company is incorporated in Canada, the corporation category is usually the simple route. Whichever ending you choose, the domain belongs to you.

PIPEDA and your contact form

The moment someone types their name and email into your inquiry form, you are handling personal information. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada explains that the “Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act” (PIPEDA) lays down the rules for businesses that gather, use or share personal information as part of their commercial work. In PIPEDA's terms, personal information is any information, recorded or not, about a person who can be identified.

Businesses covered by the Act must follow 10 fair information principles. For a contact form, a few stand out: be clear about why you collect each detail (identifying purposes), get consent, limit what you collect, and keep it safe (safeguards). In practice, ask only for what you need to reply, and say on the site what you do with it.

Provincial law can apply too. The Commissioner's office notes that Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec have private-sector privacy laws considered substantially similar to PIPEDA. If you're in one of those provinces, check which law covers you before launch.

Accessibility rules for Ontario businesses

Ontario has a specific website rule. The Government of Ontario explains what the “Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005” (AODA) requires. As of January 1, 2021, it requires businesses and non-profits with 50 or more employees, along with designated public sector organizations, to make their public websites accessible.

The standard is set out too: under the regulation, public websites and web content published after January 1, 2012 have to reach Level AA of WCAG 2.0, apart from live captions and pre-recorded audio descriptions. Ontario's guidance counts forms as part of a site's content, so your inquiry form is included. If the rule applies to you, or you simply want everyone to be able to use your site, put accessibility in your brief so it is written into the quote.

Paying and working together

You pay by card or PayPal, whichever suits you, on the terms set out in your written quote. We're a remote team that has built thousands of websites since 2013. We work over video calls, email and WhatsApp, agree meeting times that fit your working day wherever you are in Canada, and share progress on a private link. Before you get in touch, our list of what to prepare before a website project will help you get a sharper quote, and our portfolio shows sites you can visit.