A business owner in Dubai looking for a website will receive quotes ranging from 2,000 AED to 500,000 AED. Same brief, wildly different numbers. The confusion exists because 'a website' has no fixed definition. A static brochure site, a multi-language e-commerce platform, and an AI-powered operator console are all websites. Understanding what drives cost — and what value you actually get — is the first step to a decision that does not haunt you in six months.
The 2026 cost tiers in the UAE market
A portfolio brochure site — five to eight pages, bilingual, no integrations — ranges from 4,000 to 15,000 AED. This is the domain of template sites and mid-market agencies. A custom-built brochure with proper design, performance optimization, and Arabic SEO sits around 20,000 to 35,000 AED and takes 2 to 4 weeks. A system — an e-commerce catalogue, a booking engine, a property-listings portal — costs 40,000 to 150,000 AED depending on complexity and integrations. A full-custom application (an operator console, a supply-chain dashboard, a multi-tenant SaaS) starts at 150,000 AED and scales upward.
What drives the cost gap
The variable is not the number of pages or even the design beauty. It is the presence of a data model, integrations, and ongoing operations. A 20,000 AED brochure is static HTML, CSS, and imagery. A 100,000 AED system has a database, admin workflows, a role-based permission layer, backup and recovery procedures, and a support team standing by. The cost is engineering, not decoration. A cheap site often fails six months in, not because the design fades, but because the host is unreliable, the form submissions vanish, or the Arabic rendering breaks on certain phones. Spending 30,000 AED instead of 5,000 AED buys reliability, bilingual correctness, and a development team you can call when things break.
- Template + setup: 2,000–8,000 AED; expect ongoing maintenance headaches
- Custom brochure: 20,000–35,000 AED; stable, bilingual, performance-tested
- E-commerce or booking system: 50,000–120,000 AED; includes training and 30-day support
- Custom application: 150,000+ AED; dedicated support team and 6-month SLA
Hidden costs to ask about
A fixed quote for 25,000 AED should clarify what is not included. Most do not. Ask whether the price covers photography, copywriting, third-party integrations (Stripe, WhatsApp API, Google Workspace sync), migration from an old site, SSL certificates, CDN, or ongoing hosting. A quote that omits these is leaving room to bill you later. We include hosting, SSL, and a 30-day refinement window in our standard fixed price. We quote separately for photography, copywriting, and integrations discovered after the scope is signed. Transparency prevents surprises.
Written by Umair Nawaz
Co-founder — Lirevon Studio, Lahore
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