Website cost calculator & pricing guide 2026
10 min read
November 27, 2025
Website design & development
Ognjen Marinkovic
8 min read
May 4, 2025
Why most SaaS startups overpay for their website
Quick Answer
Most SaaS founders burn $10,000-$50,000 on websites with features nobody uses. Agencies push extra pages, complex builds, and slow revision cycles that drain your budget. The fix: ship a lean landing page, iterate fast, and spend savings on growth. See typical website costs here.
SaaS website design hits most startup budgets hard. You know a quality site builds credibility and drives conversions. But spending more doesn't mean better results.
Most SaaS startups overpay for their website. They waste money on things that don't matter.
This post breaks down where the money goes and how to avoid the traps.
Why most SaaS startups overpay for their website
SaaS website design hits most startup budgets hard. You know a quality site builds credibility and drives conversions. But spending more doesn't mean better results.
Most SaaS startups overpay for their website. They waste money on things that don't matter.
This post breaks down where the money goes and how to avoid the traps.
Why overspending happens
Building a startup website should be simple. Yet costs spiral fast. A SaaS website can run a few thousand or hit six figures.
Why?
Four reasons:
- Bad process
- Bloated features
- Overengineering
- Slow agencies
Let's break each one down.
Mistake 1: Building too much, too soon
Founders often try to launch with everything: homepage, product pages, blog, docs, even a forum. They feel pressure to "look legit" from day one.
Where money gets wasted:
You might spend $20,000-$50,000 before you even have paying customers. Founders build fancy blogs nobody reads. More pages = more design, more dev, more cost.
A smarter approach:
Start with a focused landing page. One page that clearly explains your offer. This validates your idea and captures leads.
Add pages later when you see traction. That's how you avoid wasting money on stuff that will change anyway.
Lean MVP:
- Home (with product overview)
- Pricing
- Contact
- That's it.
Ship fast. Add more when users ask for it.
Mistake 2: Bloated features and overengineering
Some founders treat the marketing site like the product. They add custom calculators, complex sign-up flows, or heavy integrations.
Where money gets wasted:
A custom calculator sounds nice but rarely drives signups. Coding a custom CMS theme for a 5-page site? Waste. You'll pay $10,000+ upfront and more when it breaks.
A smarter approach:
Keep it simple. Your site should:
- Explain what your SaaS does
- Help people sign up or book a demo
That's it.
Use Webflow or WordPress instead of hiring devs to hand-code your marketing site. Focus developer time on your actual product.
By cutting the bloat, you save $5,000-$15,000 and ship 3x faster.
Mistake 3: A slow, clunky design process
Even a small site gets expensive when the process is slow. This happens when agencies add layers: account managers, project managers, strategists.
Each layer costs you time and money. You pay for the bloat, not just the work.
Where money gets wasted:
You pay an agency $15,000 fixed price. Then every change costs extra. Or the timeline drags from 4 weeks to 4 months because of endless revisions.
Agency bloat:
- 2-week "discovery phase" (workshops you don't need)
- Account manager (middleman who slows communication)
- 6-round revision cycles (because they didn't get it right the first time)
A smarter approach:
Be clear from the start:
- Define your pages
- Define your goals
- Gather your content
Work fast:
- Design sprints, not 6-month projects
- Quick feedback loops
- Direct communication (no managers)
Consider retainer services:
Retainer-based services offer unlimited revisions with no added fees. For example, Designow's monthly retainer delivers updates every 48 hours at $2,999/month.
No account managers. No workshops. Just fast execution. You work directly with the founder.
Move quickly. Give fast feedback. Trust your designer. That's how you stay on budget.
What a smarter SaaS website approach looks like
Start small and focus
Launch only what you need. One great landing page or a simple 4-page site:
- Home
- Features
- Pricing
- Contact
Add more later when you see traction.
Invest in content and clarity
If your copy is weak, even the most beautiful site won't convert. Good messaging beats fancy design.
Explain:
- What your product does
- Why someone should care
- What to do next
Clear CTAs convert. Design just makes them look good.
Use the right tools
Builders like Webflow cut dev time by 70%. You don't need a full engineering team to get SEO, responsive design, and easy edits.
Work with people who know startups
Skip agencies that treat your site like a corporate rebrand. Find someone who:
- Works fast
- Understands SaaS
- Won't upsell extras you don't need
We ship in 2-4 weeks, not 2 months. No account managers. No 6-month discovery. Just execution.
Improve as you go
Launch. See what works. Adjust.
Because you started lean, you still have budget to improve based on real user feedback. That's smarter than building everything upfront and hoping it works.
Spend smart, not big
Most SaaS founders overpay because they don't know a better way. Now you do.
The traps:
❌ Building too many pages too soon
❌ Adding features nobody needs
❌ Paying agencies for bloat
The fix:
✅ Build lean
✅ Focus on results
✅ Ship fast, iterate faster
Want a high-impact site without draining your budget? Book a free call with Designow. We'll show you how to get a conversion-focused site for $1,499-$2,499 (one-time) or $2,999/month (unlimited).
Let's ship it.
Summary
Most SaaS startups waste $20,000+ on agencies with bloat and slow timelines. Smarter approach: start lean with a landing page ($1,499-$2,499), validate fast, iterate. For ongoing needs, retainer at $2,999/mo. Book a call to launch in 2-4 weeks.
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FAQs
Why do SaaS startups overspend on websites?
They build too many pages early, add features they don't need, and pay for slow agency processes with account managers and endless revisions.
What's the lean alternative to a full site launch?
Start with a single landing page or simple 4-page site. Add pages after you validate and see traction.
How do bloated features waste money?
Custom calculators, heavy integrations, and complex CMS setups raise upfront cost to $10,000-$20,000 and break later, adding repair fees.
Why does a slow design process cost extra?
Long agency timelines and endless change requests add billable hours. A 4-week project becomes 4 months.
How much should a SaaS website cost?*
A lean MVP site: $1,000-$5,000. Full site: $3,000-$10,000. Agency builds: $10,000-$50,000+.
