Price guide, updated September 2026
How much does a website cost in Dubai?
A basic website in Dubai starts at around AED 3,500. Most small business sites land between AED 7,000 and 55,000, online stores between AED 8,000 and 110,000, and booking systems or custom web apps start at about AED 18,000 and run well into six figures. Here is why the range is so wide, what you keep paying after launch, and what I charge.
Prices at a glance
These ranges come from the prices Dubai agencies and freelancers publish for 2025 and 2026. My prices are in US dollars, shown here in dirhams at the fixed rate of 3.6725.
| What you are buying | Typical price in Dubai | My price |
|---|---|---|
| A basic website | AED 3,500 to 8,000 | From $1,200 (from about AED 4,400) |
| A small business website | AED 7,000 to 55,000 | From $1,200 (from about AED 4,400) |
| An online store | AED 8,000 to 110,000 | From $2,000 (from about AED 7,350) |
| A booking system, dashboard or custom web app | AED 18,000 to 275,000 and up | From $5,000 (from about AED 18,400) |
| Care and maintenance | Agency retainers from about AED 2,000 a month | From $99 a month (from about AED 365) |
| Agency hourly rates | AED 200 to 550 an hour | A fixed price per project |
Why the same website can cost AED 5,000 or AED 50,000
Most of the gap is not the website. A Dubai agency carries Dubai costs: office rent, trade licences, staff visas, account managers. Those are in every quote. A small studio or a freelancer carries fewer of them, and a remote freelancer carries almost none.
The rest of the gap is real work: a custom design instead of a template, features instead of pages, and testing on every device. Two quotes are only comparable when you know what each one includes.
What changes the price
- Arabic and English. Most Dubai businesses need both. The second language doubles the content work, and Arabic needs a right-to-left layout.
- Taking payments. Selling or taking bookings online means connecting a payment provider, which needs your trade licence to set up.
- Features. Bookings, customer accounts, dashboards and integrations with WhatsApp, delivery apps or a CRM are where most of the cost goes.
- Design. A template is cheaper to start with. A custom design is built around your brand and usually costs more.
- Content. If the text and photos are ready, the build is faster and cheaper.
What you pay after launch
- Domain and hosting: from a few hundred dirhams a year for a simple site, more for a busy store or web app.
- Business email: a few dollars per person per month, with Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace.
- Payment fees, if you sell online: a percentage of each sale, set by the payment provider.
- Care and maintenance: agency retainers start around AED 2,000 a month. Mine starts at $99 a month, about AED 365, and covers updates, backups and fixes, plus managing your email, domain and hosting.
- VAT: check whether each quote includes the 5% UAE VAT.
Agency, local freelancer or remote freelancer?
- An agency gives you a team and in-person meetings, at the highest price. It makes sense for large projects that need many people at once.
- A Dubai freelancer gives you one person you can meet, with some Dubai costs in the price.
- A remote freelancer gives you one person without those costs. Check two things: Dubai work you can open and use, and that every account ends up in your company's name.
I work remotely from Lebanon, one or two hours behind Dubai. My Dubai work includes Savant's booking platform in Al Quoz and Salmon Guru's site in Business Bay. For the full comparison, website builders included, read freelancer, agency or website builder?
How I price a project
- A twenty minute call, where you tell me what the site needs to do.
- A written plan with a fixed price and a timeline, before any work starts.
- The build, with the domain, hosting and every account registered in your company's name.
- After launch, care and maintenance from $99 a month if you want it. It is optional.
My prices are starting points: more pages or features cost more, and you know the exact number before anything starts.
More about working with me from Dubai is on the web developer for Dubai businesses page.
Before you ask anyone for a quote
- What the site must let people do: book, buy, enquire, or just find you.
- Which languages it needs.
- Two or three websites you like.
- Whether your text and photos are ready.
- Your budget range and your deadline.
Questions people ask
Is a AED 1,500 website worth it?
Sometimes, for a single page that only needs to exist. Ask who owns the domain and the hosting, and what changes will cost later. Very cheap sites are often rebuilt within a year or two, which makes them the expensive option in the end.
Do Dubai website prices include VAT?
Not always. UAE businesses registered for VAT add 5% to their invoices, and some quotes show the price before it. Check before you compare two quotes.
How long does a website take to build?
A business website usually takes a few weeks. Online stores and booking systems take longer, because there is more to build and test. With me, you get the timeline in writing together with the price.
Can a developer outside the UAE build a site for a Dubai business?
Yes, and it is common. What matters is that every account is registered in your company’s name, and that the developer has Dubai work you can check. Mine includes Savant in Al Quoz and Salmon Guru in Business Bay, both live.