Guides · · 6 min read
How much does a website cost in Albania? There is no single figure, because the price depends on what the site has to do: how many pages it has, whether it sells online, how many languages it’s in, who prepares the copy and photos, which systems it has to connect to, and who looks after it once it’s live. A brochure site for a law office in Tirana and a bilingual store with online payments are two completely different projects. This article explains every factor that affects the price, the costs that come back every year, and how to compare quotes.
Why quotes for the same website vary so much
Many business owners ask for three quotes and get three prices that have nothing to do with each other. Usually nobody is cheating. The reason is that each supplier understood something different by the word “website”.
One priced a ready-made template with copy you send them. Another priced a custom design, copy written from scratch and an English version. The third added a year of hosting and maintenance. All three say “website”, but they aren’t offering the same thing. So the first question isn’t “how much?” but “what’s included?”.
The factors that set the cost of a website
- Number of pages and structure. A single brochure page takes less work than a site with a page per service, a blog and a contact page. But separate pages are what get found on Google, as we explain in SEO and AI search.
- Design: template or custom. A ready-made template is quicker and cheaper. A design built for your business follows your visual identity and doesn’t look like your neighbour’s site.
- Content. Copy and photos are often the most underestimated part. If you have them ready, the cost drops. If they need writing and shooting, that’s separate work, which our content service can take on.
- Selling online. An online store adds products, stock, orders, delivery and online payments. Each piece has its own work and its own testing.
- Languages. An English version isn’t a translate button. Each language needs its own pages, copy and addresses. You’ll find the reasons in a bilingual website for tourism and the diaspora.
- Connections to other systems. Bookings, invoicing software, a CRM or an internal system. The more systems, the more work. For larger systems see business apps and management systems.
- Technical foundation. Mobile speed, accessibility, structured data for Google and security. You can’t see these at first glance, but they separate a site that works from one that only looks nice.
The costs that come back every year
A website isn’t paid for only once. Before comparing quotes, ask about these too:
- Domain. The site’s address, such as .al or .com, is paid yearly. .al domains are administered by AKEP, Albania’s Electronic and Postal Communications Authority, and sold through registrars. Make sure the domain is registered in your business’s name, not the developer’s.
- Hosting. The server where the site “lives”. A simple site needs little. A busy store has other needs.
- Security certificate (HTTPS). These days it’s often included free with hosting, but check.
- Maintenance. Updates, backups, monitoring and small changes. Ask what’s included and what’s billed separately.
- Third-party services. Online payments, email sending, bookings or maps may carry their own fees, set by the provider, not by whoever builds the site.
The same website, a year after launch
Before
- The quote had one line: “website”
- The domain was registered in the developer’s name
- No backups, no updates
- Every small change is billed and takes weeks
- The site doesn’t show up on Google, because nobody thought about it
After
- The written quote listed every part, the price and the deadline
- The domain and accounts are in the business’s name
- Regular backups and updates
- Small changes are covered by maintenance
- Every page has a title, a description and data for Google
The legal obligations to factor in
If the site collects data, even just a contact form with a name and phone number, Law No. 124/2024 on Personal Data Protection applies. It is aligned with the EU’s GDPR. That means at least a clear privacy policy and care about where the data is stored.
If you sell online, invoices follow Law No. 87/2019 on invoices and the turnover monitoring system, in other words fiscalisation. Talk to your accountant about how the store will connect to your invoicing before you start. These aren’t big costs, but they are work that should be in the quote.
Questions to ask every supplier
- What exactly does the price include? How many pages, languages and features?
- Who writes the copy and who takes the photos?
- Is the design custom or a template?
- In whose name are the domain, hosting and accounts registered?
- What does it cost each year after launch, and what does that include?
- How is it paid: all upfront or by stages?
- What happens if the project changes along the way?
- What’s the delivery date, and is it written in the quote?
- Can I change the text and photos myself after launch?
A good quote answers these questions before you ask them. If you have to drag the answers out, that tells you something about how the work will go later.
How we work out the price
We don’t have a price list, because every project is different. Tell us what your business does and what you need, we ask the questions that are missing, and we send you a written quote with the price, the work it covers and the deadline. The quote is free and without obligation, whether it’s for a website or an online store. We explain the process step by step on our website pricing page.
If you’re not ready for a website yet, that’s fine. You can start with a free Google Maps profile and a tidy Instagram, and come back when sales or bookings ask for more. To spot when that moment comes, read from Instagram to an online store and a business before and after a website.
- Can you give me a rough price without a quote?
- In conversation we can talk about ranges. In writing we give a fixed price, because only that is useful for your decision.
- Why does a template site cost less?
- Because the design and structure already exist. The trade-off is that the site looks like many others and is harder to adapt as the business grows.
- Is a website paid once or every year?
- The build is paid once. Domain, hosting and maintenance are paid regularly. A clear quote shows both.
- Do I need a .al or a .com domain?
- If your customers are mostly in Albania, .al says so clearly. If you work a lot with foreigners or the diaspora, .com is recognised everywhere. Many businesses register both.
- Can I build the site myself?
- Yes, with ready-made platforms. The main cost becomes your time. If the site needs to sell, take bookings or be found on Google, an experienced team saves months of trial and error.
What a website costs: Tell us what you need and get a written quote: the price, the work included and the deadline. Free and without obligation.