The short answer
A freelancer in Kenya charges about Sh 20,000 to Sh 50,000 for a business website of five to seven pages, and Sh 60,000 to Sh 150,000 for an online store with M-Pesa, going by rates published in 2026. A studio costs more. At Anza Studios in Nairobi a one-page site starts at Sh 35,000, a six-page site at Sh 75,000 and an online store at Sh 165,000, and the price is fixed in writing before work starts.
Website prices in Kenya at a glance
The freelancer column is taken from rate guides published by Kenyan developers and hosts this year. The Anza column is our own price list. Every Anza price is a starting price, and the quote you get is the number you pay.
| What you need | Freelancer, published rates | Anza Studios, from | Live in |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-page website | No published rate | Sh 35,000 | 5 days |
| Business website, five to seven pages | Sh 20,000 to Sh 50,000 1 | Sh 75,000 | 10 days |
| Online store with M-Pesa checkout | Sh 60,000 to Sh 150,000 1 | Sh 165,000 | 3 weeks |
| Custom software or web app | Sh 100,000 to Sh 300,000 1 | Sh 250,000 | 6 to 12 weeks |
A second source puts a web designer's fee for a five-page site at Sh 15,000 to Sh 80,000 2. That is a wide range for the same thing, and the next section explains why.
Why quotes for the same website differ so much
Two quotes for "a business website" can be Sh 20,000 and Sh 80,000 and both be fair. Five things account for most of the gap.
- How many pages. One scrolling page is days of work. Six pages with a gallery and a team page is closer to two weeks.
- Who supplies the words and photos. If you bring them ready, the price stays down. If the designer has to write and source them, it goes up.
- Whether you can edit it yourself. A site with a dashboard for changing text and photos costs more to build and saves you a call to a developer every time a price changes.
- Whether it takes payments. M-Pesa checkout, stock that updates and an orders screen are what turn a website into an online store, and they are most of the difference between Sh 50,000 and Sh 150,000.
- Template or designed for you. A bought theme with your logo on it is quicker and cheaper than a design drawn for your business.
What you keep paying after launch
The build is a one-time cost. These come back every year or every month, and a quote that leaves them out is not the full price.
| Cost | Typical in Kenya | With Anza Studios |
|---|---|---|
| Domain name ending .co.ke | About Sh 1,200 a year 2 | We set it up. You own it. |
| Hosting | Shared hosting from about Sh 899 a year 2 | Part of the care plan, from Sh 7,500 a month |
| Upkeep and small changes | Sh 5,000 to Sh 15,000 a month on a freelancer's retainer 1 | 30 days of free edits, then the same care plan |
Build it yourself, hire a freelancer or hire a studio
| Route | What it costs | Good when | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | About Sh 2,099 for the first year of a domain and hosting, plus your own time 2 | You are starting out and have more time than money | It usually looks like a template, and nobody is there when it breaks |
| Freelancer | Sh 20,000 to Sh 50,000 for a business site 1 | You know exactly what you want and can manage the project | Ask what happens if they get a job or stop answering |
| Studio | From Sh 35,000 at Anza Studios | The website has to bring in customers and you want one team answerable for it | Make sure the price is fixed and you own everything at the end |
Five questions to ask before you pay a deposit
Whoever you hire, get these answered in writing first. Our own answers are beside each one.
- Is the price fixed? Ours is. You get a fixed quote within 48 hours of the first call, and that is the number you pay.
- What is not included? Our price list shows what each package leaves out as well as what it includes.
- Who owns the site? You do: the site, the code and the domain.
- How is payment split? With us, 50% to start and 50% on launch, by M-Pesa, bank transfer or card.
- What happens after launch? With us, thirty days of free edits, then the care plan if you want it.
The full list of what each Anza package includes is on the pricing page, and the two website packages are set out under web design in Nairobi. Most websites live in under two weeks.
Sources
- McTaba Labs, "Freelance developer rates in Kenya", updated 20 July 2026. mctaba.com
- Hostiko, "How much does a website cost in Kenya in 2026", 16 April 2026. hostiko.co.ke
Third-party figures were read on 8 October 2026 and are those publishers' own numbers. Anza Studios prices are our current starting prices.