WordPress website pricing
See what the money pays for, and why quotes differ so much.
- WorkHoursAmount
- Planning and structure10 hNOK 15,000
- Design in your colours and fonts18 hNOK 27,000
- Custom theme and Gutenberg blocks32 hNOK 48,000
- 1Vipps payments12 hNOK 18,000
- 2English version14 hNOK 21,000
- Testing and launch8 hNOK 12,000
- Total excl. VAT94 hNOK 141,000
- 1Vipps, Norway's mobile payment app, is a small development project of its own, with its own testing.
- 2Each extra language adds work to both content and development.
- Level
- NOK 80–150k
- Time to launch
- 6–8 weeks
- Maintenance
- NOK 2,500/month
Why WordPress quotes vary so much
Ask three providers to price a WordPress website and the prices can range from under NOK 20,000 to over NOK 200,000. The difference is nearly always in what the quote includes. Even though all three use WordPress, they have described three quite different websites.
Template (NOK 15,000–30,000)
A bought theme with your logo and colours, plus 4–8 pages of content. A contact form and an SEO plugin are included, often analytics too, and the site runs on shared hosting. For a sole trader who needs a simple page with contact details, that's enough. Expect 10–20 hours of work.
Professional (NOK 80,000–150,000)
The provider adapts a ready-made theme and writes some of the code specifically for you. Simple integrations are included, and the design follows familiar layouts. Some providers also set up a test copy of the site and version control. Expect 50–90 hours.
Custom-built (NOK 150,000–300,000+)
The theme is built from scratch. Sometimes WordPress is only used to edit the content, while the website itself is built with another tool (headless). Version control, automated tests and automatic publishing are in place from the start, along with security measures, load-time targets and an operations agreement with an SLA. Expect 100–200 hours, a good share of them spent on planning and documentation.
- NOK for a simple template site
- 15k
- NOK for a custom build with operations
- 300k+
- Typical hourly rate in the industry
- 1,500 NOK
- The period to work out costs over
- 5 yr
What you get at each price level
| TemplateNOK 15,000–30,000 | ProfessionalNOK 80,000–150,000 | Custom-builtNOK 150,000–300,000+Most extensive | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to launch | 1–3 weeks | 4–8 weeks | 8–16 weeks |
| Design | Ready-made theme in your colours | Adapted design using familiar layouts | Custom design system |
| Development | Page builder (Elementor/Divi) | Adapted theme with custom code | Custom theme or headless |
| Version control | No | Maybe | Git, with fixed routines for changes |
| Test environment | No | Maybe | Yes |
| Automatic publishing | No | No | Yes |
| Performance | No performance target | Compressed images, no fixed targets | Under 200 ms response time, fixed load-time targets |
| Security | Wordfence (free) | Wordfence Pro and basic security | Firewall (WAF), security settings and monitoring |
| SLA | None | Email support | Agreed response time and uptime |
| Suitable for | Sole traders, start-ups | Established businesses, 5–50 employees | Websites the business depends on |
Write a couple of lines about the project and we'll send you an estimate and a suggested level.
Load time on a template site and a custom-built site
The two sites can look the same. The difference lies in how many plugins are running and how the server and caching are set up. Each extra second of load time can mean up to 7% fewer sales or enquiries [1]. In this example it's 182 milliseconds against 4.2 seconds, and both sites run WordPress.
What makes a WordPress website cost more
The number of pages says little about the price. What costs money is what each page has to do.
Integrations
Payments with Vipps, Norway's mobile payment app, login with BankID, a link to the Tripletex accounting system and syncing with a warehouse system are each a small development project. Each one needs testing, and each one can stop working for different reasons. That's why a simple Vipps button often costs more than people expect.
Multiple languages
With plugins such as WPML and Polylang, multiple languages can look like a simple job. In practice, each extra language adds noticeably to both design and development work, because every page has to exist in several versions with the right menu. The pages also have to be marked so Google knows which language each one is in. Otherwise Google may show the wrong language version.
Online shop
WooCommerce can be anything from a simple product catalogue to full e-commerce with variants, discount rules, Klarna, Vipps and shipping rates from Bring. The budget varies just as much. Read more about WordPress online shops.
Content production
A professional copywriter charges NOK 2–4 per word. Thirty pages of 400 words each comes to NOK 25,000–50,000, and that doesn't include photography or video.
WordPress running costs after launch
| Budget | StandardMost businesses | Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting | NOK 50–150/month (shared) | NOK 300–800/month (VPS) | NOK 1,500–5,000/month |
| Domain (.no) | NOK 100–200/year | NOK 100–200/year | NOK 100–200/year |
| SSL | Free (Let's Encrypt) | Free (Let's Encrypt) | NOK 500–3,000/year |
| Maintenance agreement | None | NOK 1,000–3,000/month | NOK 5,000–15,000/month |
| Premium plugins | NOK 0–2,000/year | NOK 3,000–10,000/year | Custom-built (included) |
| Security monitoring | Wordfence Free | Sucuri/Wordfence Pro | Continuous (included in SLA) |
| Total per month | About NOK 100–300 | About NOK 1,500–4,500 | About NOK 6,000–20,000 |
| Total over 5 years | NOK 6,000–18,000 | NOK 90,000–270,000 | NOK 360,000–1,200,000 |
What a WordPress maintenance agreement should include
In a maintenance agreement you pay for fixed tasks done every month. What's included varies a lot between providers, so compare what is done at each level.
Minimum (NOK 1,000–3,000/month)
WordPress, the theme and plugins are updated every month, and the site is checked for security issues and malware. You get daily backups kept for 30 days, and email support that replies within 48 hours.
Standard (NOK 3,000–8,000/month)
The same as the minimum, but updates are done weekly and tested on a copy of the site before they are published. The provider keeps an eye on how fast the site is, small content changes are included, and you can phone during office hours.
Premium / SLA (NOK 8,000–15,000+/month)
Here you agree on uptime of 99.9% or better, and a response time under 4 hours for critical faults and 8 hours for other faults. The provider should be alerted before your customers notice anything, and the agreement includes hours for ongoing improvements.
Without maintenance
A WordPress site without maintenance can run fine for a long time. Over time, security holes stay open and plugins stop working with new versions of WordPress and PHP. Fixing it all in one go often costs more than maintaining the site regularly.
When a simpler website is enough
Many businesses don't need a NOK 200,000 website, and some don't need WordPress either.
If you run a small business and want a fast website with no plugins to maintain, there's a simpler option. We can also build the site with Sanity and Next.js. That costs from NOK 50,000, with maintenance from NOK 2,500 a month.
- Small business, few enquiriesSanity and Next.js, from NOK 50,000Simpler
- 10–50 staff, enquiries through the siteProfessional WordPress websiteProfessional
- Online shop or integrationsCustom-built, from NOK 150,000Custom
If the simpler level is enough, that's what we recommend.
If you have 10–50 employees and use the website to bring in enquiries, a professional WordPress website is the right fit. You get your own design, a site set up properly for Google, and a maintenance agreement.
If the business depends on the website, the cheapest option can turn out expensive. For an online shop that turns over millions, an hour of downtime can cost tens of thousands of kroner.
WordPress.com and self-hosted WordPress
| WordPress.com | Self-hosted (WordPress.org)For businesses | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | NOK 0–3,300/month | Hosting and development of your choice |
| Domain | wordpress.com subdomain (free) | Your own domain |
| Plugins | Requires the Business plan (from NOK 499/month) | Included in every setup |
| Access to the code | Limited, from the Business plan | Full access |
| Data ownership | Automattic's terms apply | You own everything |
| Choice of server | Automattic's servers only | Any hosting provider and region |
| Norwegian integrations | Limited ecosystem | Vipps, BankID, Tripletex |
Six things to look for in a WordPress quote
Some wording in a quote should prompt more questions. Some should send you looking for a different provider.
- Everything included for under NOK 10,000. Design, development, content, hosting and support at that price means something has been cut. Ask what before you sign.
- No agreement on updates. Ask who updates the site after launch, how often it happens and what it costs.
- If the site is connected to other systems, the code should be in version control. Ask how the provider tests and publishes changes, and how they go back to the previous version if something goes wrong.
- Unclear ownership. Ask directly who owns the code and the domain, and get the answer in writing.
- No plan for privacy and cookies. Google Analytics and a Facebook Pixel without visitors' consent can lead to a complaint to Datatilsynet, the Norwegian Data Protection Authority.
- A low fixed price on a subscription often means you don't own the website. Ask what happens to the site and its content if you cancel.
WordPress homepage prices in 2026
Homepage, website and site are used interchangeably, but the prices are the same whatever you call it. A template-based site from a hosting company costs NOK 0–15,000. A professionally built business website from an experienced provider costs NOK 50,000–150,000, and a website with integrations starts at NOK 150,000.
Compare the total cost of building and running the site over five years rather than the starting price alone. A cheap site without operations and maintenance often needs repairs after a few years, when outdated plugins and themes cause faults or security holes. That work can cost more than the whole price difference.
- Template from a web host
- NOK 0–15,000
- Professional business site
- NOK 50–150k
- With integrations
- from NOK 150,000
Compare building and running costs over three years, not just the starting price.
Hourly rates in the Norwegian market
Rates in Norway are above the international average. That's down to Norwegian salaries, integrations that only exist here (Vipps, BankID and Altinn, the government's portal for business reporting), privacy rules and clients who expect support in Norwegian.
A Norwegian WordPress developer typically charges NOK 1,500–2,000 an hour excluding VAT. Those who specialise in security or performance often charge more than NOK 2,000.
- Hourly rateNOK 1,500–2,000 excl. VAT
- Around 50 hoursFor project management, design, development, testing and training
- Often cutSecurity and code review
Ask how many of the quoted hours go to security.
Turn an NOK 80,000 website into hours and you get about 50. Project management, design, development, testing and training all have to fit into those hours, so something gets less attention. Security and code review are easy to cut, because the client can't see the difference until something goes wrong. So ask how many hours the quote sets aside for security and code review.
How to choose the right level
- Work out what the traffic to your website is worth per year. If it brings in NOK 500,000 in enquiries, NOK 100,000–200,000 on the site and maintenance is a good investment. If it brings in NOK 50,000, choose something simpler.
- Work out what downtime costs. A local electrician loses little from an hour without a website, while an online shop in Black Friday week can lose a large share of its sales.
- Consider how much you can run yourself. Some businesses have an IT manager who can look after the site. Most don't, and then a maintenance agreement should be in the budget from the start.
We're happy to go through your needs and recommend a level, including when it's one of the simpler ones.
What a WordPress website costs at PXL
Our prices are at the upper end of the market. The figures below are starting prices, and the final price depends on how much the site has to do. If you need something simpler, we can recommend other providers.
Professional business website
FromNOK 50,000
Custom theme, Gutenberg blocks and accessibility (WCAG)
Enterprise WordPress
FromNOK 150,000
Integrations, test environment, automatic publishing and a documented setup
Online shop (WooCommerce)
FromNOK 150,000
Vipps and Klarna, Bring shipping, product catalogue and servers sized for campaigns
Simple hosting
FromNOK 500/month
You handle updates yourself, and no SLA or operations are included
Maintenance and SLA
FromNOK 2,500/month
Tested updates, monitoring and an agreed response time
How we build WordPress websites
We don't use page builders such as Elementor, and we keep the number of plugins down. The setup is documented, so you can change provider without starting again.
If your business needs something simpler, we'll say so. We'll then recommend either a Sanity site or another provider who makes good template sites, so you don't pay for hours you don't need.
Read more about our WordPress services or contact us for a conversation about what your website needs.
- Custom themeNo page builder such as Elementor
- Few pluginsOnly the ones with a clear job
- Documented setupThe next provider doesn't start from scratch
- You own the codeAnd can change provider whenever you like
If you need something simpler, we'll tell you.
Frequently asked questions
What does a WordPress website cost?
In the market, a simple site based on a ready-made theme starts at around NOK 15,000. Large websites with integrations, automatic publishing and an operations agreement can cost NOK 300,000 and more. With us, a business website starts at NOK 50,000. The number of pages matters less to the price than integrations with Vipps or BankID, multiple languages and how much traffic the site has to handle.
Can you create a website for free with WordPress?
Yes, the software itself is free and open source. You pay for hosting (from about NOK 50 a month) and a domain (NOK 100–200 a year), and you do the setup yourself. The free plan on WordPress.com gives you a site, but with ads, limited features and an address ending in .wordpress.com. For a business it's rarely a real option.
How much does WordPress maintenance cost?
From NOK 1,000 to NOK 15,000 a month, depending on what the agreement covers. A simple agreement with monthly updates and backups starts at about NOK 1,000 a month. With us, maintenance with an SLA starts at NOK 2,500 a month. The main difference is whether updates are tested before they are published, and whether someone keeps an eye on the site all the time or only reacts once it has stopped working.
What is the difference between cheap and expensive WordPress?
The difference is in how the site is built and who looks after it afterwards. A cheap site is usually a ready-made theme with a page builder and lots of plugins. It gets online quickly, but often becomes slow and hard to keep updated. A more expensive site has its own theme, fewer plugins and a maintenance agreement. If it's connected to other systems, it also has version control and a test environment.
Is WordPress free?
The WordPress.org software is free to download and use. A website still needs hosting, a domain, security, backups and maintenance, and those are ongoing costs for as long as the site is live.
Do I need WordPress, or is there something simpler?
For many businesses there's a simpler option. For business websites without an online shop or heavy integrations, we can also build with Sanity and Next.js, from NOK 50,000 with maintenance from NOK 2,500 a month. You then have no plugins to keep updated. WordPress is the better fit when you need an online shop or integrations with Norwegian services, or when your traffic needs more than ordinary shared hosting can handle.
Get an estimate for your WordPress project
Write a few lines about the project and we'll send you an estimate, usually within a day or two.