How much does a website cost in Dubai?
A website quote is the first invoice, not the total. What sets the build price, what Arabic and integrations add, and the running costs that follow launch.
The short answer
A website in Dubai costs whatever its scope costs, and the build is only the first invoice. Excluding VAT, Magnetic Keys' websites start from AED 35,000 for a full marketing site built in around eight weeks. Arabic, content, integrations and the number of page templates raise the price, and hosting, maintenance and changes keep costing after launch, so compare quotes over three years.
A website quote is the first invoice, not the total. Our own websites start from AED 35,000 for a full marketing site that takes around eight weeks, but what that buys, and what it costs to keep running, turns on a handful of decisions you can make before you ask anyone for a price.
Why do website quotes in Dubai vary so much?
The word 'website' covers several different jobs, and quotes often price different ones under the same word. Two choices set the base price, template or custom and one language or two, and a third, what the site has to do, sets the rest.
| Choice | What it means | What it adds to the price |
|---|---|---|
| Template site | A ready-made theme set up with your logo, colours and text | The lowest build cost, rising with every plugin and customisation you ask for |
| Custom site | Pages designed and built around your offer and your buyers | Design time, a page template for each type of page, and rounds of revisions |
| A second language | Arabic designed as a pair with English, with right-to-left layouts | Native Arabic writing, Arabic type and testing of every page twice |
| Store, booking or member area | The site takes payments, appointments or logins | Connections to payment, courier, calendar or CRM systems, each with its own set-up and upkeep |
A template suits a business whose site only needs to be found and to show services, a phone number and an address. It's less work to design and build, so it should cost less than our AED 35,000 starting price, and the difference is better spent on your Google Business Profile and reviews. A custom build suits one where the site is the main sales tool, and buying custom for what is really a brochure pays for flexibility nobody will use.
Four lines decide whether two website quotes compare
Four lines decide whether two quotes can be set side by side, and quotes disagree about all of them. Ask each supplier to state them separately.
- Arabic. A second language isn't a plugin. It needs Arabic copy written natively, Arabic type that sits well beside the Latin, layouts built right to left and every page tested twice. A quote that says 'Arabic version included' without saying who writes it hasn't priced the writing.
- Content. The words, photography and video are the part most quotes leave to you. A site waiting on content launches late, so ask who writes, who shoots and who chases you for approvals. Our Conversion Site Build gives structural guidance for the copy but excludes the writing, photography and video, and those are three lines to look for in any quote.
- Integrations. A CRM, WhatsApp, booking, payments and analytics are each a piece of work. Ask which connections the price covers and who keeps them working when the other company changes its system.
- Page templates. The price follows templates, not pages. Fifty pages from one template are cheaper to build than ten pages from ten templates, so ask how many different layouts the quote assumes.
If your buyers search or decide in Arabic, build it at launch. If they don't yet, ask for templates that are right-to-left ready, so Arabic can be added later without a redesign. The post on right-to-left design shows what breaks when it isn't.
Write a speed test into the contract as well. Google's web.dev says a good experience means the main content shows within 2.5 seconds, the page reacts to a tap within 200 milliseconds and the layout shifts by no more than 0.1 on Google's shift score, all measured at the 75th percentile of real page loads. Ask which pages will be tested, and with which tool, before the final payment. The Core Web Vitals entry explains each measure.
Seven costs that keep running after launch
Seven costs carry on after launch, and each should appear in the quote with a price and a name beside it.
| Cost | How often | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Domain name | Every year | Is it registered in your company's name? |
| Hosting | Monthly or yearly | Whose account is it in, and what happens if traffic spikes? |
| Software licences and plugins | Every year | Which are paid, and who renews them? |
| Maintenance and security updates | Monthly | What does it cover, and how quickly is a fault fixed? |
| Changes and new pages | As used | Is there an hourly rate or a monthly allowance? |
| Arabic for every English change | Every update | Who writes the Arabic when the English changes? |
| Tools your team logs into | Monthly | Who pays for the CRM, booking or chat seats, and whose name is the account in? |
One running cost is new. Meta's pricing page says the WhatsApp Business Platform has charged per delivered message since 1 July 2025. From 1 October 2026 service messages, the replies a business sends to customers who contacted it first, are charged again after 1,000 free ones per business number each month, and the change table shows a higher UAE rate for marketing messages from the same date. A button that opens a chat on your phone is one thing and automated replies sent through the platform are another, so check Meta's rate card before you design anything around them.
The cheaper quote can cost more by year three
Add the build to three years of running costs and the cheapest quote can change places. Take two made-up quotes.
| Made-up figures | Quote A | Quote B |
|---|---|---|
| Build | AED 25,000 | AED 38,000 |
| Running costs a year | AED 9,000 | AED 3,000 |
| Total over three years | AED 52,000 | AED 47,000 |
The higher quote wins by the third year, and the figures are invented. The habit is what matters: ask every supplier for the build price and the yearly running cost on one page, and treat a quote without the second number as unfinished. Our own sites come with code, domain and content in your name, which is worth asking every supplier about. The post on who owns your website lists the five checks.
Where our own website prices sit
Websites start from AED 35,000 for a full marketing site, built in Next.js or Webflow in around eight weeks. The site is bilingual in English and Arabic with right-to-left layouts built properly, the SEO structure is in from the start and your CRM and analytics are connected. See web design for the full scope.
The fixed-scope Conversion Site Build starts from AED 48,000 and writes the page templates, timeline and exclusions down in advance. It includes a redirect map, so existing rankings survive the move, and 30 days of support after launch. Hosting and maintenance aren't in the price, and both prices exclude VAT.
Write the one-page brief before you collect a single quote. The website brief template lists what suppliers need in order to price accurately, and a brief written once gets you answers you can set side by side.
Questions people ask
How much does a website cost in Dubai?
The price follows scope: template or custom, one language or two, and what the site must connect to. Excluding VAT, Magnetic Keys' websites start from AED 35,000 for a full marketing site built in around eight weeks. Ask any supplier for the build price and the yearly running cost on one page.
Why do some website quotes in Dubai cost far less than others?
Usually because they price a smaller job: a template instead of a custom design, one language instead of two, no content, no integrations and no hosting or maintenance. Ask what the quote leaves out, who writes the Arabic, and what the site will cost to run in year two before you compare.
Does a bilingual website cost more?
Yes, because Arabic needs native writing, Arabic typography, right-to-left layouts and a second round of testing on every page. That's more than a translation plugin. If you can't afford it at launch, ask for right-to-left-ready templates so Arabic can be added later without a redesign.
What are the ongoing costs of a website in the UAE?
Domain renewal, hosting, paid plugins or licences, maintenance and security updates, changes and new pages, Arabic for each English change, and any tools the site connects to. If you use the WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta also charges per delivered message. Get all of them in writing before you sign.
How long does it take to build a website in Dubai?
A full marketing site takes around eight weeks at Magnetic Keys: architecture first, then design and build in parallel, then content loading and launch checks. Late content is the delay you can control, so agree who supplies the words, photos and approvals, and by which date, before work starts.