A custom website starts at $500 for a straightforward informational site with a contact form, built in about 2 days. Add scroll-driven animation, a 3D or WebGL scene, or cinematic transitions, and the starting price moves to around $999, delivered in about 4 days. More complex builds — e-commerce, online booking, an AI chatbot, multiple integrations — run higher based on which features you add. Ongoing maintenance is separate: $50+/month for basic upkeep, or $500+/month with ongoing SEO work included.
The rest of this breaks down exactly what drives that number, and what "animated" or "cinematic" actually means beyond marketing language.
What actually drives the price
Every site starts from the same $500 base: informational pages, a contact or lead form, mobile responsive layout, and fast loading. From there, cost is driven entirely by which features you add on top.
- Cinematic animation (scroll-driven motion, 3D/WebGL scenes, cinematic transitions) — $499
- Online booking / appointments — $499
- Accept payments (one-time checkout) — $999
- Subscriptions / recurring billing — $1,499
- User login & accounts — $499
- AI chatbot — $999
- Search — $199
- News / blog section you can edit yourself — $199
- Multiple languages — $299
- Automatic email & SMS alerts — $499
- Maps / location — $199
- Connect other apps / services — $999
What "animated" and "cinematic" actually mean
These aren't vague marketing terms — they describe specific techniques: scroll-driven motion that reveals content as you move down the page, 3D or WebGL scenes rendered directly in the browser, and cinematic transitions between sections instead of a plain page load. Done well, it changes how a site feels to use, not just how it looks in a screenshot — which is why it costs more than a static page.
Typical price ranges by complexity
These are realistic ranges for a custom-built site — not a template.
- Simple informational site (no animation): $500, about 2 days
- Animated or cinematic site (scroll animation, 3D/WebGL): $999+, about 4 days
- Full-featured site (e-commerce, booking, chatbot, multiple integrations): $2,000+, timeline scales with what you add
The build cost is not the whole cost
A site needs updates, backups, and security after launch — a build-only quote that never mentions maintenance is incomplete. Budget $50+/month for basic upkeep, or $500+/month for a plan that also includes keyword optimization, ongoing SEO work, Google Analytics, and a monthly report. Features with real ongoing upkeep — payments, subscriptions, logins, connections to other services — add roughly $50/month each on top of either tier.
Common questions
How long does an animated website take to build?
A simple site takes about 2 days. Cinematic animation adds roughly 2 more days; other add-ons add about 1 day per $250 of feature cost. A full-featured site with several add-ons can take 1–2 weeks.
Does animation make a website slower?
Not when it's built correctly. Fast loading is part of the base $500 build regardless of animation — the two aren't in tension when the site is engineered for performance from the start.
What's included in the base price?
Informational pages, a contact or lead form, mobile responsive layout, and fast loading. Everything beyond that — animation, e-commerce, chatbots, logins, and so on — is priced as an add-on so you only pay for what you actually need.
Do I need SEO from day one?
Not necessarily, but a site with no SEO plan tends to stay invisible in search regardless of how it looks. If getting found in Google matters to your business, the maintenance plan with SEO included is the one to budget for — not an afterthought to add later.
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