You've probably come across the option to get a WordPress website for a tenth of a typical agency's price. Even in 2026, browsing marketplaces you can find offers starting from €150. Naturally the question comes up - what's the real difference between a €200 website and a €1000 one?
The logic of a €200 website
These days there are plenty of ways to build a website. Each has its pros and cons. But when we're talking about a €200 budget, there's really one main goal - spend as little time as possible, and avoid extra costs.
Licenses and security
Licenses practically don't exist at this price level. They typically cost around €50-100/year, so at this budget they're not even considered. In most cases pirated plugins are used, which open the door to various malware on your website. In practice this means one simple thing - sooner or later you'll get hacked, and you'll have to pay for cleaning the website roughly the same amount the website itself cost.
The niche-theme approach
Next - a niche theme is used (don't confuse this with a template! You can read more about the difference here). This is a theme that already comes with ready-made layouts, page structures, design, even sample copy. The whole website runs as one system, and the text and images are swapped fairly easily.
How the build actually happens
Essentially, once such a theme is used, the website is already "built". What's left:
- swap the text
- add the images
- hand it off to the client
And that's it. The project can be finished in a few hours. No extra integrations, no complex functionality, no custom solutions.
When this makes sense
This option is a good choice if a company has never had a website before, or needed one "yesterday". But if you're planning to keep growing the website, expand it, or integrate additional functionality - that's where problems begin.
The main downsides
Using a niche theme means you get:
- Limited flexibility
You can't do whatever you want. You're "boxed in" by the theme's logic. - Harder long-term maintenance
Updates, plugin conflicts, harder fixes. The more add-ons, the harder everything is to control. - Lack of uniqueness
High chance the website will look like dozens of others.
The bottom line
This kind of website usually isn't built for growth. It's built so that "at least something exists" - as a temporary solution.
What makes up a ~€1000 website
A flexible system
First - a universal theme is used, one without rigid constraints that allows functionality to be freely expanded. The design uses templates built on the "template kit" principle - these are separate design pieces assembled according to the project's needs, rather than one fixed template.
Tools and licenses
Website development uses Elementor Pro, with a legal, paid license. That's an important difference. Beyond security, it also means stability and updates.
This tool lets you edit content conveniently, while also bringing along needed features - for example, contact forms. So there's no need to install a bunch of extra plugins that just add bloat to the site.
Technical setup
The technical side is also handled:
- the website is made GDPR-compliant
- protection against spam and hacking is installed
- email is connected via SMTP so messages reliably reach recipients
SEO fundamentals
Baseline SEO optimization is also done:
- keywords
- H headings
- meta titles and descriptions
The website is deployed to a live environment, connected to Google Search Console and Google Analytics, so it gets indexed as fast as possible and starts collecting data.
DevGuru's approach
At DevGuru we don't work with niche themes and only use universal solutions. The goal - a website or online store that's used for years and can grow together with the business. That's why we always build things so that technical choices don't become a bottleneck later.
Want to know what your website would actually cost?
We'll evaluate your project individually and respond within 3 hrs on business days.