How much does a campaign website cost?
Anywhere from nothing to several thousand dollars, depending on who does the work. Here is what each option really costs through Election Day, including the parts nobody puts on the pricing page.
When a first-time candidate asks what a website costs, the honest answer is "it depends who is doing the work." The software is cheap. The time it takes to write a bio, shoot decent photos, set up a donate button and keep the events page current through a long fall is not.
Below are the five ways local candidates usually get a site, what each one costs, and what each one asks of you. We sell one of these options, so we will show our prices plainly and let you compare.
Free website builders
Several website builders offer a free tier. You can have a page up in an afternoon without spending a dollar.
The catches are predictable. Free plans usually show the builder's name or ads on your site, and they usually give you an address like yourname.builder-site.com instead of your own domain. Some limit the number of pages or the features you can use, such as forms. For a candidate who wants to look serious on a mailer, that web address is the biggest problem.
Best for: testing the waters before you file, or a race so small that a Facebook page and a one-page site cover it. Our guide on a campaign website vs. a Facebook page covers when that is enough.
General builders like Squarespace and Wix
Squarespace, Wix and similar builders sell monthly or annual plans that remove their branding, connect your own domain, and add forms and better templates. Plan prices change often, so check each company's current pricing page rather than trusting a number you read in an article, including this one.
The software cost is modest. The real cost is your time. You choose the template, write every page, crop the photos, connect the domain, build the forms and set up the donate link. A capable volunteer can do it in a few weekends. A candidate who is also working full time and knocking doors in the evening often finds the site half-finished in August.
Campaign-specific DIY builders
Some companies build tools just for candidates, with templates already laid out for a bio, issues, endorsements and a donate button. Some of these run around $29 a month, and some donation platforms offer their own website builders as well. They save you design decisions, and the templates are usually mobile-friendly.
You still write and maintain everything yourself. If you are comfortable with that and have a steady hand on a keyboard, this is a solid middle option.
Done-for-you packages
A done-for-you service builds the site for you, writes or places the content, connects your own donation page and keeps it updated for a monthly fee. You trade some money for most of the time. This is the category CandidateLaunch is in.
Here are our three packages, with the total cost if you launch eight months before Election Day and keep the site live through the election:
| Package | Setup | Monthly | What you get | Total for 8 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launch | $399 | $29 | 5-page site from our template, domain chosen and registered, your text and photos placed, donate and volunteer links, live in 7 days | $399 + 8 × $29 = $631 |
| Campaign | $799 | $39 | Everything in Launch, plus a written bio and 3 issue pages from a 30-minute interview, endorsements page, events calendar and voter-deadline page | $799 + 8 × $39 = $1,111 |
| Full Season | $1,499 | $59 | Everything in Campaign, plus monthly updates through Election Day (new posts, hearing alerts, endorsements) and a matching Facebook header and graphics | $1,499 + 8 × $59 = $1,971 |
A few public ways to lower that total, the same for everyone:
- First-time candidates take $100 off setup.
- Prepaying hosting gets you 12 months for the price of 10.
- Add-ons are priced separately: an extra issue page is $75, a logo is $150, a Spanish version is $200, and a post-election thank-you page is free.
Every discount is published on our fair pricing policy. We do not negotiate private deals, because a private discount to a campaign could count as an in-kind contribution. If you are not sure which package fits your race, the package finder asks a few questions and suggests one.
Freelancers and agencies
A freelance designer or a political agency can build something fully custom. Pricing varies widely, from a friend of a friend who charges a few hundred dollars to firms whose campaign sites can run into the thousands, before monthly hosting and update fees.
Custom work makes sense for a large district, a well-funded race, or a campaign that needs heavy integration with voter files and texting tools. For a county council or school board seat, ask yourself whether voters will notice the difference between a custom design and a clean, fast template with good writing. Usually they notice the writing.
The hidden costs most candidates forget
Your domain name
A .com domain is an annual cost, small but real, and it renews every year whether the race is on or not. Register it in your name or your committee's name. Our domain name guide explains why.
Photos
Your photo is the first thing voters see. A professional session costs money; a friend with a good phone and an hour of evening light costs a thank-you dinner. Either way, plan for it. See campaign photos on a budget.
Your own time
This is the big one. Every hour you spend fighting a template is an hour you are not knocking doors, calling donors or sitting in a planning commission meeting. Put a rough value on your evenings before you decide that the free option is actually free.
Donation processing
Donation platforms charge fees on each contribution. Those fees vary by platform and change over time, so check each platform's current pricing page.
How to decide
Write down three numbers: how many months until Election Day, how many hours a week you can give to the website, and what you have raised so far. Then:
- If you have time and a tight budget, a builder plus your own writing works.
- If you have little time and a modest budget, a done-for-you package usually costs less than the hours it saves.
- If the race is large and well funded, get quotes from agencies and compare what they include after launch.
Whatever you choose, launch earlier than feels comfortable. A simple site that is live in spring does more than a perfect one that goes up in October. You can see exactly what our packages include on the packages page, or start with how it works.
Common questions
What is the cheapest way to get a campaign website?
A free website builder costs nothing up front, but usually shows the builder's branding and does not let you use your own domain name on the free tier. Most candidates end up paying for at least a domain and a basic plan.
How much should a local candidate budget for a website?
Add up the setup fee and the monthly cost for every month until Election Day, then add a domain and photos. For a done-for-you local campaign site, a total in the high hundreds to low thousands of dollars is a realistic range.
Does a campaign website count as a campaign expense?
Yes. Website costs are normally reported as campaign expenditures. Check your state's reporting rules for how to list them.
Do CandidateLaunch prices change for different candidates?
No. Every price and discount is public and the same for every customer, because a private discount could count as an in-kind contribution.