Pricing
Cheap Websites — When They Work and When They Don't
An honest guide for the 500-1,500 ₾ budget. What you actually get, what the risks are, and when spending more saves you long-term.
When the cheap version makes sense
A 500-1,500 ₾ site is a legitimate choice when:
- I'm just starting and need an MVP to test market interest (3-6 months)
- I only need 1-3 pages — landing/business card, contact, about
- I have no payments, bookings, or complex forms
- I'm prepared to rebuild a professional version in 12-18 months
When the cheap version is harmful
Don't go below 1,500 ₾ if:
- The site is your main sales channel — e-commerce, lead-gen, hotel bookings
- You need BoG / TBC / Stripe integration — proper setup costs 800-1,500 ₾
- You want AI visibility (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overview) — needs clean schema, which templates don't provide
- You need page-1 Google rankings — template sites can't compete
5 risks of 500-₾ websites
- 1
Hidden hosting / domain costs
The cheap price often comes with the catch that hosting and domain are your problem. Realistically — additional 250-500 ₾ per year. Freelancers often leave the site in their own hosting account — migration becomes hell.
- 2
Lighthouse score never exceeds 50
Template WordPress + 15 plugins = Lighthouse Performance 30-50. Core Web Vitals fail. Google ranks you poorly. The same money on a premium build delivers 95+.
- 3
Security hole — high probability of being hacked
WordPress + outdated plugins = #1 hack vector. 2024 stat — 90,000+ Georgian sites hacked via WordPress vulnerabilities. Recovery — 1,500-3,000 ₾ minimum.
- 4
Bad content management UX
Template themes give you the raw "WordPress admin" where one wrong button can break the site. Professional CMS (headless or custom) ships clean, error-proof UX.
- 5
Migration / pivot is impossible after 12-18 months
Cheap themes hardcode design + database + plugins. Migrating to Next.js / Shopify / another platform usually means rebuilding from scratch. Effectively — wasted money.
Cheap vs real cost — 6 factors
| Factor | 500-1,500 ₾ | 2,500-5,000 ₾ |
|---|---|---|
| Lighthouse Performance | 30-60 | 85-100 |
| Timeline | 1-2 weeks (theme install) | 3-6 weeks (custom) |
| Warranty | Usually — none | 1-12 months |
| Payment integration | Impossible / extra cost | BoG/TBC included |
| AI citation (GEO) | ❌ | ✅ Schema-first |
| 12-month total (with hidden cost) | 1,800-3,500 ₾ | 2,500-5,000 ₾ |
Our honest recommendation
If your budget genuinely is 500-1,500 ₾, be honest with yourself about what you need. A landing page for a small team testing the market for 6 months — fine. A business-critical site for 500 ₾ — always more expensive long-term. Our Starter package starts at 1,500 ₾ and includes everything you need for a clean first 3-6 months — you can upgrade later.
See Starter packageFAQ
The simplest 1-page landing on a template — 500-800 ₾, but this assumes you bring the content, your own photos, and don't need payments or complex functionality. Our Starter package at 1,500 ₾ includes all of that bundled.
Need advice?
30-minute free consultation — let's understand your budget and analyze what it actually costs.