A business website in Dubai can cost anything from about AED 1,000 to well over AED 60,000. The spread is real, and it comes down to four things: who builds it, how many pages and languages it has, whether someone writes the copy for you, and what it needs to do once it is live. This guide breaks down what UAE businesses actually pay in 2026, what drives the price up or down, and the ongoing costs most quotes leave out.
The short answer
Based on prices published by UAE web agencies and freelancers in 2025 and 2026, these are the typical ranges for a business website in Dubai:
| Type of website | Typical cost in AED | Who usually builds it |
|---|---|---|
| Template or DIY site, 1 to 5 pages | 1,000 to 5,000 | You, or a freelancer customising a theme |
| Small business website, 5 to 10 pages | 5,000 to 25,000 | Freelancers, small studios and boutique agencies |
| Corporate website with custom design | 25,000 to 60,000 | Mid-size and large agencies |
| E-commerce store | 15,000 to 100,000 and more | Agencies with e-commerce teams |
| Single landing page | 1,500 to 20,000 | Anyone from freelancers to performance agencies |
These are market ranges, not quotes. Two agencies can price the same brief very differently, which is why it pays to understand what you are buying.
What actually drives the price
1. Copywriting and positioning
This is the biggest hidden difference between quotes. Many cheaper builds assume you will supply all the text. Writing clear, persuasive copy for a five page site is real work, and it is the part that decides whether visitors contact you. If a quote is low, check whether the words are included.
2. Number of pages and templates
A five page brochure site and a twenty page site with service pages, industry pages and a blog are different projects. What matters is not just the page count but how many different page layouts need to be designed.
3. Arabic and right-to-left layout
A proper Arabic version is not a translation plugin. It needs a mirrored right-to-left layout, Arabic fonts, adapted copy and separate pages for search engines. Published UAE agency pricing puts this at roughly AED 2,000 to 8,000 extra, depending on the size of the site. Planning both languages from the start costs less than adding Arabic later.
4. Custom design versus a template
A premium theme can look good for a fraction of the cost. Custom design makes sense when your brand, your offer or your buyers need something a template cannot show well, or when speed and search performance matter.
5. Features and integrations
Booking systems, member areas, multi-currency payments, CRM connections and custom calculators each add cost. A simple enquiry form and WhatsApp button do not need to be expensive.
6. Who you hire
Large agencies carry account managers, offices and bigger teams, and price accordingly. Freelancers are cheaper but vary widely in quality and availability. Small studios usually sit in between and often give you direct access to the person doing the work.
The ongoing costs most quotes leave out
A website is not a one-off purchase. Budget for these every year:
- Domain name. A .com domain usually costs well under AED 100 a year. A .ae domain typically costs more. Make sure it is registered in your company's name, not your developer's.
- Hosting. Standard business hosting commonly runs from around AED 200 to 800 a year. Busy or e-commerce sites need more.
- Business email. Email on your own domain through Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 is billed per user, per month.
- Maintenance and updates. Agency care plans in the UAE range from a few hundred dirhams to around AED 3,500 a month, depending on what is included: security updates, backups, content changes, search work and reporting.
- Content and search. If you want the site to bring in enquiries from Google, it needs new content and ongoing improvements, not just launch and leave.
Is a cheap website worth it?
Sometimes, yes. If you need a simple online presence while you set up, a template site can be a sensible first step. The problems start when a cheap site is expected to do the job of a sales tool. Common issues with very low cost builds:
- No copy, or copy that lists services without giving a reason to choose you.
- Slow loading on mobile, which is where most UAE visitors will see it.
- No search foundations, so Google struggles to understand the site.
- The developer, not you, controls the domain, hosting or code.
- No clear next step: no WhatsApp, no visible form, no reason to get in touch.
A useful test: if your website is the first thing a buyer, partner or bank checks before replying to you, it is a sales asset, and it should be budgeted like one.
Freelancer, agency or DIY?
| DIY or template | Freelancer | Agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Lowest | Low to medium | Medium to high |
| Copywriting | You write it | Rarely included | Often included |
| Quality | Depends on you | Varies widely | More consistent |
| Speed | Fast | Depends on availability | Usually weeks to months |
| Support after launch | None | Depends on the person | Usually a care plan |
There is no single right answer. The right choice depends on what the website has to achieve for your business.
How to get an accurate quote
You will get faster, more comparable quotes if you prepare:
- What your business does and who your buyers are, in two or three sentences.
- The pages you think you need, and any you are unsure about.
- Whether you need English only, or English and Arabic.
- Who will write the copy.
- Any features beyond a contact form, such as bookings or payments.
- Two or three websites you like, and why.
- Your budget range and the date you need to be live.
Then ask every supplier the same questions: Is copywriting included? Who owns the domain, hosting and code? How many rounds of revisions? What happens after launch, and what does it cost?
How we price websites
At Al Jindi Advisory we build bilingual English and Arabic websites for UAE businesses and startups, with positioning and copywriting included. Every project gets a fixed quote after a short call, so you know the full cost before anything starts, and you own the domain, hosting and code on handover. Most company websites are live in two to three weeks.
If you are comparing options, we are happy to look at your current site and tell you honestly what it needs, even if the answer is less than you expected.
This guide reflects typical market prices published by UAE web agencies and freelancers in 2025 and 2026. Prices vary by supplier and scope, so treat the ranges as a starting point, not a quote.