One of the most common questions charity trustees and comms leads ask before starting a website project is also the hardest to get a straight answer to: how much should this actually cost?
Part of the difficulty is that “a charity website” can mean wildly different things – a five-page informational site is a different project entirely from a full donation platform with Gift Aid processing, event ticketing, and a volunteer portal. This guide breaks down realistic UK pricing by project size, so you can budget with your eyes open rather than guessing or over/under-shooting.
Why Charity Website Pricing Varies So Much
Three factors drive most of the cost difference between a £1,000 project and a £15,000 one:
- Platform choice – a WordPress build using established plugins is inherently cheaper than a fully custom-coded site (see our WordPress vs custom build guide for the trade-offs)
- Donation complexity – a simple “Donate” button linking to a third-party platform (like a JustGiving page) is far cheaper to implement than a fully integrated, Gift-Aid-aware, on-site donation flow
- Content volume and design customisation – a template-based site with your existing content is quicker to build than one requiring original copywriting, custom illustrations, or bespoke design work
Realistic Price Tiers (UK, 2026)
Starter: £800 – £2,500
Best for small charities needing an informational presence rather than a full donation platform.
- WordPress build on a proven, lightweight theme
- 5-8 core pages (Home, About, What We Do, Get Involved, Contact, News/Blog)
- Basic contact form
- Donate button linking to an external platform (JustGiving, Enthuse, etc.) rather than on-site processing
- Mobile-responsive, basic on-page SEO setup
This tier suits charities in early stages or those testing whether a fuller platform is worth the investment later.
Standard: £2,500 – £6,000
The most common tier for established small-to-medium charities.
- Everything in Starter, plus:
- On-site donation form with Gift Aid capture (see our Gift Aid integration guide for what this actually requires technically)
- Email newsletter integration (Mailchimp, Brevo, etc.)
- Basic accessibility audit and fixes to WCAG 2.2 AA standard
- Event or campaign landing page templates
- Content migration from an existing site, if applicable
Advanced: £6,000 – £15,000+
For larger charities or those with specific operational needs.
- Everything in Standard, plus:
- Custom donor/volunteer portal functionality
- CRM integration (Salesforce, Donorfy, Beacon, etc.)
- Multi-currency or international donation handling
- Custom design work rather than a theme-based build
- Advanced reporting dashboards for donation/campaign tracking
- Ongoing maintenance and support retainer
What’s Often Missing From Quotes – Ask About These
A cheap quote can look attractive until you realise what it doesn’t include. Before signing off on any proposal, confirm whether the price covers:
- Hosting and domain costs – often billed separately, annually
- SSL certificate – should be standard and free (Let’s Encrypt), but worth confirming it’s included, not an upsell
- Ongoing maintenance – WordPress core, theme, and plugin updates need regular attention; a one-off build with no maintenance plan can become a security liability within a year
- Post-launch support window – how many weeks of free bug fixes/tweaks are included after launch before hourly rates kick in
- Content writing – many quotes assume you’re supplying your own copy; if you need a developer to also write your About page and appeal copy, that’s often a separate cost
- Training – will someone show your team how to actually update the site, add a blog post, or edit a donation page after handover?
A Note on “Free” Website Builders
Platforms like Wix or Squarespace can look like the cheapest option, and for a very small, low-traffic charity they can be a reasonable starting point. But they come with real trade-offs for charities specifically: limited or costly Gift Aid integration options, less control over accessibility implementation, and migration difficulty later if you outgrow the platform. Factor in the cost of a future migration if you expect to grow.
How to Budget Sensibly
If you’re planning a website project and don’t yet have quotes in hand, a reasonable starting assumption for most small-to-medium UK charities is the Standard tier (£2,500-£6,000) – it covers the functionality that actually matters (proper donation handling, Gift Aid, accessibility) without paying for custom development you likely don’t need.
Get quotes from at least two or three developers, and use the “what’s missing” checklist above to compare like-for-like rather than just comparing the bottom-line number.
Planning a charity website project and want an honest read on what tier fits your needs and budget? Get in touch – happy to give a straight answer, even if that answer is “you don’t need as much as you think.”