Web Development
How much does a website cost in Egypt? What sets the price
The five things that decide what a website costs in Egypt, template vs custom-built, the yearly costs people forget, and the questions to ask before you sign a quote.
Abdelrahman Afifi Founder & CEO, Ad Holic
Why do website quotes in Egypt vary so much?
Because "a website" covers very different products. A one-page site that collects leads, a bilingual company site, an online store and a booking system are four different jobs that happen to share a word. Two quotes that look far apart are often for different things — so the first step is to make sure everyone is pricing the same site.
The five things that set the price
| Factor | Costs less when… | Costs more when… |
|---|---|---|
| What it has to do | It shows information and collects enquiries | It sells, books, takes payments or runs part of the business |
| Size | One landing page or a handful of pages | Dozens of pages, or pages generated from a catalogue |
| Languages | One language | English and Arabic, with right-to-left done properly |
| Content | Your text and photos are ready | Copy has to be written and products photographed |
| Connections | Nothing to connect | Payment gateway, CRM, WhatsApp, shipping, ERP or an existing system |
The build method sits on top of all five: a ready-made template is quicker and cheaper; a custom design and build costs more and gives you something faster, lighter and yours.
Template, website builder or custom-built?
| Template (e.g. a WordPress theme) | Website builder (e.g. Wix, Shopify) | Custom-built | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Low | Low | Higher |
| Ongoing cost | Hosting, plugin licences, updates | Monthly subscription | Hosting and occasional changes |
| Speed of the site | Often slow — loads code it never uses | Good | The fastest, when built well |
| Arabic and RTL | Depends on the theme | Usually workable | Built in from the start |
| Ownership | Yours, but tied to the theme | Tied to the platform | Yours entirely |
| Best for | Simple sites on a tight budget | Shops and simple sites you manage yourself | Brands that compete on trust and speed, or need custom features |
There is no wrong answer here, only a wrong match. A new business testing an idea does not need a custom build; a brand spending heavily on ads usually does, because a slow or clumsy page wastes part of every pound spent sending people to it.
The costs people forget
The quote is rarely the whole bill. Ask about:
- Domain name — renewed every year.
- Hosting — renewed every year; cheap hosting is often why a site is slow.
- Business email on your own domain.
- Content — copywriting, photography, product shots, video.
- Licences — paid themes, plugins and fonts often renew yearly.
- Maintenance — updates, backups, security fixes and small changes after launch.
- The Arabic version — translation alone is not enough; Arabic copy should be written for the audience.
Red flags in a website quote
- The domain or hosting will be registered in the agency's name, not yours.
- No list of pages or features — just a single price.
- You will not get the source files, logins or admin access.
- "Unlimited revisions" with no timeline: it usually means neither is planned.
- No mention of speed, mobile, or how the site will be found on Google.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Exactly which pages and features does this price include?
- Will the domain, hosting and every account be in my name?
- Can my team edit the content without calling you? Which parts?
- Is the Arabic version built right-to-left from the start, or added later?
- What happens after launch — who fixes things, and what does it cost?
- Can I see three sites you built that are live today?
That last question matters most. A live site you can open on your phone tells you more about speed, design and care than any portfolio screenshot. You can open every site we have built from our web development page.
How long does a website take?
It depends far more on content and decisions than on code. As a rough guide from projects like ours: a landing page takes one to two weeks, a bilingual company site three to six weeks, and a store or custom system longer. The most common delay is not the build — it is waiting for text, photos and approvals.
Common questions
Is a cheap website a false economy?
Not always. If the site only has to exist, a simple template is fine. It becomes expensive when you pay to send people to it — through ads, for example — and the site loses them because it is slow, confusing or broken on a phone.
Do I need an Arabic version?
If your customers search or read in Arabic, yes. In Egypt and the Gulf that is most of them. Build both from the start: adding Arabic later usually means redoing the layout.
Where can I see your prices?
Our guide prices for websites, landing pages and the rest are on the pricing page.