Website Cost Saudi Arabia: What a Fair SAR Quote Looks Like

Website cost in Saudi Arabia ranges from roughly SAR 1,200 for a simple company site to SAR 80,000 or more for a bilingual corporate site or portal, according to prices that Saudi web agencies publish. The gap is wide because quotes cover different things: pages, languages, features, template or custom design, and who owns and renews the hosting. A fair quote is one that lists exactly what you get.

One caution first. Every range below comes from a vendor's marketing page, not from neutral market data. Use them to spot a quote that is far out of line, not as a price list.

What website cost in Saudi Arabia should you expect?

Published ranges from Saudi agencies differ by ten times or more, and they overlap very little. The table shows what four vendors say on their own pages. These are claims by sellers.

Notice that "custom e-commerce" at SAR 3,400–7,500 on one page sits below "agency setup" at SAR 10,000–40,000 on another. The labels mean different things to different sellers. That is why you compare deliverables, not names.

What drives the price up or down?

Five things move a Saudi website quote the most: number of pages, languages, features, template versus custom design, and ongoing support. The table below shows how each one affects the bill.

Why Arabic costs more than "just translating"

A real Arabic version is not a copy of the English pages. Text runs right to left, so menus, forms, images and spacing must be laid out again. Arabic copy should also be written or checked by a native speaker. If a quote says "bilingual" without mentioning RTL layout and who writes the Arabic, ask.

Online stores add integration work

Saudi shoppers expect local payment methods such as mada, and many still choose cash on delivery (COD). A store also needs courier connections, for example to SMSA or Aramex, plus a way to issue invoices. Each integration is either built into a platform or priced as a separate app. Salla's app store shows how this works: apps are priced individually, and the page states that prices do not include 15% VAT.

Template platform or custom build: which is fair?

For most small Saudi businesses, a ready platform or template is the fair starting point. Custom builds make sense when you need workflows a platform cannot handle.

• Salla and Zid are Saudi store platforms. You pay a monthly plan, plus apps, and possibly transaction fees. Plan prices have been reported differently across third-party pages and change over time, so confirm the current figures on each platform's own pricing page before you decide.
• WooCommerce or other open-source builds cost more upfront because an agency configures them. Ashwab's published range for WooCommerce is SAR 25,000–70,000, which is a vendor claim.
• Fully custom builds suit marketplaces or unusual logistics and booking flows. Vendors list these from SAR 80,000 upward.

If you sell on a platform, ask how it handles ZATCA e-invoicing. Do not rely on a sales promise. Ask to see it working, and read the current requirements on zatca.gov.sa.

What running costs come after launch?

Budget for a domain, hosting and maintenance every year, because the build price is only the first payment. Vendor pages give these rough figures, all of them seller claims:

• Domain: SAR 50–250 a year.
• Hosting: SAR 300–3,000 a year.
• Maintenance: 10–20% of the build cost a year (Ashwab).

Here is a hypothetical example. Say a Jeddah trading company pays SAR 10,000 for a site. Using the vendor figures, maintenance alone could be SAR 1,000–2,000 a year. Add a domain and hosting, and year two will not be free.

If you want a .sa domain, read the Saudi Domain Names Registration Regulations first. They set out who can register under .sa. Confirm that your company, not the agency, is the registrant.

How do you compare two SAR quotes fairly?

Put both quotes into the same checklist, and ask each vendor to fill the gaps in writing. Follow these steps:

1. Ask for a line-by-line scope. Number of pages, languages, templates, revisions and delivery date.
2. Confirm ownership. The domain and hosting account should be in your company's name, with the login details handed to you.
3. Check Arabic and English. Is Arabic RTL included? Who writes or reviews the Arabic text?
4. Check integrations. Which payment methods (mada, cards, COD), which couriers, and which invoicing tools are included, and which are extra?
5. Ask whether VAT is included. Saudi platforms such as Salla show prices excluding 15% VAT. Make sure both quotes use the same basis.
6. Get renewal prices in writing. Domain, hosting, SSL certificate and maintenance, for year two and year three.
7. Check the legal pages. Ask for a privacy policy and terms page. Saudi PDPL applies to personal data you collect through forms and checkouts, so confirm who writes these pages and who is responsible for them.
8. Ask about support. Who fixes a broken checkout, how fast, and at what hourly or monthly rate?

Common mistakes when buying a website in Saudi Arabia

• Choosing the lowest number. A very low quote often leaves out Arabic, integrations or renewals.
• Letting the agency own the domain. If the relationship ends, you may lose your web address.
• Paying everything upfront. Split payment across milestones: design approved, site built, site live.
• Ignoring mobile. Check the site on a phone before you sign off.
• Forgetting content. Photos, product descriptions and Arabic text take time, and are sometimes billed separately.

Is there a lower-cost option for a simple site?

Yes, if your needs are a standard business site. Subscription pricing spreads the cost monthly instead of charging a large build fee. Quickship, a software company in Dubai serving the GCC, offers business websites from AED 49 a month, or AED 99 a month with hosting and a domain. Check the page for what each plan includes, and use the checklist above to test any offer, ours included. For a custom portal or app, the software development service is quoted individually.