Ask five web designers in Dar es Salaam what a website costs and you will hear five different numbers. That is not because someone is cheating you. It is because “a website” can mean a one-page profile or an online shop connected to mobile money and your stock records. The price follows the work.
This guide explains what drives website cost in Tanzania, so you can compare quotes on what matters instead of on the total alone.
1. The number and type of pages
A simple company site (home, about, services, contact) takes far less time than a site with a page for every product, branch or service. Pages that share one layout are cheaper than pages that each need their own design. Before you ask for a quote, list the pages you think you need. A good developer will tell you which ones you can skip.
2. Features beyond plain pages
Every feature that does something adds design, build and testing time. Common examples:
- Contact or enquiry forms that send to email or WhatsApp
- Online booking or appointment requests
- An online shop with a cart and checkout
- Mobile money and card payments (see our guide to accepting M-Pesa, Mixx by Yas and Airtel Money online)
- A customer login area or portal
- Content in both English and Swahili
Two sites with the same number of pages can be priced very differently because of these.
3. Design: template or made for you
A ready-made template is cheaper, but you look like every other business using it, and you often pay later in workarounds. A custom design built around your brand costs more up front. Ask which one you are being quoted for, because “custom” is used loosely.
4. Who writes the words and takes the photos
Content is the most common cause of delays and surprise costs. If you supply finished text and good photos, the build moves quickly. If the developer has to write copy, translate it or arrange photography, that is real work and should appear on the quote as its own line.
5. Speed and mobile performance
Most of your visitors will arrive on a phone, often on a mobile data connection. A site built to load fast on those connections takes more care than one that only looks good on a desktop in an office. Ask how the site will be tested on phones, and on which screen sizes.
6. The costs that continue after launch
The build is a one-time cost. These continue every year, and a good quote names them:
- Domain name, such as yourcompany.co.tz (see .co.tz or .com?)
- Hosting, where the site lives
- Business email, if you want addresses at your own domain
- Payment gateway fees, if you take payments online
- Support and updates, if you want someone on call
How to compare two quotes
Put the quotes side by side and check that each one answers the same questions:
- Exactly which pages and features are included?
- Who supplies the text, photos and translations?
- How many rounds of design changes are included?
- What does the yearly cost cover after launch, and what does it not?
- Will the domain, hosting account and files be in your name?
- What is the timeline, and what happens if it slips?
The cheapest quote often leaves out half of this list. The most expensive one is not automatically better. The right quote is the one that answers every question in writing.
The short answer
A website costs whatever the work it needs costs, and that depends on pages, features, content and support. Decide what the site must do for your business first, then ask for a written quote against that list.
If you would like a quote, tell us what you need and we will send a written breakdown, line by line. You can also read more about our website design and development service.