How to Price a Website Project (Filipino Developer Guide)

# How to Price a Website Project (Filipino Developer Guide)

Pricing is the hardest part of freelance web development. Underprice and you burn out for peanuts. Overprice without justification and you lose the deal. This guide gives you real 2026 pricing benchmarks + a framework to quote confidently.

The Pricing Brackets

Landing Page (1 page)

• PH clients: ₱15,000-50,000
• International: $500-2,500

Business Website (5-10 pages)

• PH clients: ₱40,000-150,000
• International: $1,500-8,000

E-commerce Store (Shopify/WooCommerce)

• PH clients: ₱80,000-400,000
• International: $3,000-20,000

Web Application (custom functionality)

• PH clients: ₱200,000-2,000,000+
• International: $10,000-100,000+

The same project earns 2-4x more from international clients. Always charge USD for international work.

Price by Value, Not Hours

The mistake: "This takes 40 hours × ₱1,500 = ₱60,000."

The better approach: "This website will help the client generate ₱X in revenue. What's it worth to them?"

A restaurant website that brings 20 reservations/month is worth far more than 40 hours of your time. Price accordingly.

Value-based pricing factors:

• Business impact (revenue the site enables)
• Complexity (custom features vs templates)
• Client budget (enterprise vs small business)
• Your expertise (senior vs junior)
• Timeline (rush jobs cost more)

Always Quote Tiers, Not Single Numbers

Offer 3 options to anchor pricing:

Example: Business Website

• **Essential** (₱40,000): 5 pages, template-based, mobile-responsive, contact form
• **Professional** (₱80,000): 8 pages, custom design, CMS, blog, SEO setup, 3 revisions
• **Premium** (₱150,000): 12 pages, fully custom, animations, integrations, copywriting, 6 months support

Most clients pick the middle. Premium makes Professional look reasonable.

What to Include in Every Quote

Be specific to prevent scope creep:

```

Website Development — Professional Package

₱80,000

Included:

• Up to 8 pages

• Custom responsive design

• CMS setup (WordPress/Next.js)

• Contact form + Google Maps

• Basic SEO setup

• 3 rounds of revisions

• 1 month post-launch support

Timeline: 3-4 weeks

Payment: 50% deposit, 50% on launch

NOT included (available as add-ons):

• Copywriting: +₱15,000

• Logo design: +₱8,000

• E-commerce: +₱40,000

• Ongoing maintenance: ₱5,000/month

```

Use [our AI Quotation Generator](/tools/ai-quotation-generator) to produce professional quotes like this.

Always Require a Deposit

Non-negotiable: 30-50% deposit before starting.

Why:

• Filters serious clients from tire-kickers
• Covers your time if they bail
• Standard practice (clients expect it)

Structure:

• 50% deposit before work begins
• 50% on launch (before final files transfer)

For larger projects, milestone payments:

• 30% deposit
• 30% at design approval
• 40% on launch

Add Recurring Revenue

One-off projects = feast or famine. Add recurring:

Hosting + Maintenance Retainer

• ₱3,000-15,000/month per site
• Includes: hosting, updates, backups, small changes, security monitoring

If you build 10 sites/year and put each on a ₱5,000/month maintenance retainer, that's ₱50,000/month recurring on top of project income.

WordPress vs Custom: Pricing Difference

WordPress/No-Code (Faster, Lower Price)

• Landing page: ₱15-30k
• Business site: ₱40-80k
• Pros: fast, client can edit, cheaper
• Best for: small businesses, tight budgets

Custom (Next.js/React) (Premium)

• Landing page: ₱30-50k
• Business site: ₱80-150k
• Web app: ₱200k+
• Pros: performance, scalability, unique
• Best for: startups, performance-critical, complex needs

Match the tech to the client's actual needs + budget. Don't over-engineer a brochure site.

How to Justify Higher Prices

When clients push back:

"Why so expensive? Others charge less."

> "Different developers deliver different quality + outcomes. My sites are [specific differentiators: faster load times, better SEO, custom design, ongoing support]. If budget is the only criterion, I can point you to cheaper options — but if you want a site that actually drives business results, here's why my pricing makes sense..."

Then show a portfolio piece with results.

Common Web Dev Pricing Mistakes

1. Charging hourly — caps your income, penalizes efficiency

2. Single-number quotes — no anchoring, easier to negotiate down

3. No deposit — you do work, client vanishes

4. No maintenance retainer — leaving recurring revenue on the table

5. Underpricing international clients — charging PH rates to USD clients

6. Vague scope — invites endless "small changes"

International Client Pricing

For US/EU/AU clients, always charge USD:

• Landing page: $500-2,500
• Business site: $1,500-8,000
• E-commerce: $3,000-20,000
• Web app: $10,000-100,000

The same skill earns 2-4x more in USD. See our [USD vs PHP guide](/blog/charge-usd-vs-php-filipino).

Tools That Help

• [AI Quotation Generator](/tools/ai-quotation-generator) — professional project quotes with tiers
• [AI Invoice Generator](/tools/ai-invoice-generator) — milestone + deposit billing
• Related: [Freelance Contract Template](/blog/freelance-contract-template-philippines) — protect web projects legally

→ [Try all 6 free AI tools](/tools).

Action Step

This week:

1. Define your 3-tier pricing for your most common project type

2. Build a quote template with clear inclusions + exclusions

3. Add a maintenance retainer option (₱5,000/month)

4. On your next inquiry, send a tiered quote + require 50% deposit

Most Filipino web developers underprice by 30-50%. Switching to value-based tiered pricing + requiring deposits transforms both income + client quality.

Related Reading

• [Filipino Freelancer Rates Guide](/blog/filipino-freelancer-rates-2026-pricing-guide)
• [Should You Charge USD or PHP?](/blog/charge-usd-vs-php-filipino)
• [Build Recurring Revenue with Retainers](/blog/build-recurring-revenue-retainers-freelance)