Web Development in Spain 2025: Real Costs, Real Timelines, Real Results

"How much does a website cost?" It's like asking "how much does a car cost?". It can be €5,000 or €50,000, it completely depends on what you need. But unlike the automotive industry, web development is full of confusing information, unrealistic promises, and prices that vary 10x without apparent reason.

This article is different. We'll talk about real numbers from the Spanish market in 2025, what those prices include, what they don't include, and how to make an informed decision without being scammed or falling short.

The Spanish Market Landscape

Spain has a mature but fragmented web development market. Coexisting are:

• Freelancers: From students doing first projects to seniors with 15+ years of experience
• Small agencies: 2-10 people, specialized or generalist
• Medium/large agencies: 10-100+ people, structured processes
• Boutique studios: Small but premium teams, focused on quality

Each has its place, but understanding the differences is critical to not compare apples to oranges.

Cost Structure: What Are You Really Paying For?

Before looking at prices, let's understand what makes up the cost:

1. Development Time (70-80% of cost)

The main cost is the time of qualified people working on your project:

• Junior developer: €25-40/hour
• Mid-level developer: €40-60/hour
• Senior developer: €60-90/hour
• Tech lead/architect: €80-120/hour

These rates include not only the professional's salary, but also:

• Social Security (30-35% in Spain)
• Overhead (office, tools, management)
• Company margin

A developer charging €40/hour probably costs the company €55-60/hour, and the company invoices €70-80/hour.

2. Design and UX (15-20% of cost)

It's not just "making it look pretty":

• User research
• Wireframes and prototyping
• Visual design
• Responsive design (mobile, tablet, desktop)
• Design system/style guide

Designer rate: €35-80/hour depending on experience.

3. Project Management and Testing (10-15% of cost)

Someone must coordinate, plan, test:

• Project management
• Functional testing
• Testing on different browsers/devices
• Bug fixing

PM rate: €40-70/hour.

4. Hosting, Domains, Licenses

Generally lower but recurring costs:

• Domain: €10-20/year
• Shared hosting: €50-150/year
• Dedicated/cloud hosting: €300-2,000/year
• Software/plugin licenses: €0-500/year

Types of Web Projects and Their Real Costs

Now yes, concrete numbers by project type:

Simple Landing Page

What it is: 1 page, clear message, contact form, optimized for conversion.

Examples: Landing for ads campaign, single product page, coming soon.

Spain 2025 cost:

• Junior freelancer: €500-1,200
• Senior freelancer/small agency: €1,500-3,500
• Medium agency: €3,000-6,000

Timeline: 1-3 weeks

What it includes (mid-high range):

• Custom responsive design
• Mobile optimization
• Form with validation
• Email/CRM integration
• Basic SEO
• Analytics

What it does NOT include:

• Copywriting
• Professional photography
• Videos
• Ad campaigns
• Post-launch maintenance

Red flags: If they offer you a professional landing for €200, probably:

• They use a template without customization
• They don't include revisions
• Support is non-existent
• Quality will be questionable

Corporate Website (5-10 pages)

What it is: Showcase site for company, with services, about us, contact, optional blog.

Examples: Consulting site, service company, product showroom.

Spain 2025 cost:

• Freelancer with template: €1,500-3,000
• Senior freelancer custom design: €3,500-7,000
• Small agency: €5,000-12,000
• Medium agency: €10,000-20,000

Timeline: 4-8 weeks

What it includes (mid range):

• 5-10 content pages
• Custom responsive design
• CMS to manage content (WordPress or similar)
• Basic blog
• Contact forms
• Basic on-page SEO
• 2-3 rounds of revisions
• 1 month post-launch support

What it does NOT include:

• Professional content writing
• Photo session
• Complex integrations with external systems
• E-commerce
• Advanced custom functionalities

Why the price varies so much:

• Template vs complete custom design
• WordPress vs custom platform (React, Next.js)
• Level of customization
• Number of revisions included
• Code quality and optimization

Small-Medium E-commerce (< 100 products)

What it is: Online store with catalog, cart, checkout, order management.

Examples: Clothing store, handcrafted products, gadgets.

Spain 2025 cost:

• WooCommerce with template: €3,000-6,000
• Customized WooCommerce: €6,000-15,000
• Customized Shopify: €5,000-12,000
• Custom platform: €15,000-40,000

Timeline: 6-12 weeks

What it includes (WooCommerce/Shopify mid):

• Complete store setup
• Responsive design
• Product catalog (you upload products)
• Cart and checkout
• Payment gateway integration (Stripe, Redsys)
• Shipping management
• Transactional emails
• Admin panel
• Basic SEO
• Usage training

What it does NOT include:

• Bulk product upload
• Product photography
• Description writing
• Marketing and ads
• Complex ERP/CRM integrations
• Development of complex custom modules

Attention: A "cheap" e-commerce can be very expensive if:

• Payment gateway doesn't work correctly
• Security is deficient
• Performance is slow (product page taking 5 seconds = lost sales)
• Doesn't comply with GDPR

Web Application / SaaS (MVP)

What it is: Web application with specific functionalities, users, database, business logic.

Examples: Simple CRM, management tool, booking platform, custom dashboard.

Spain 2025 cost:

• Senior freelancer: €10,000-25,000
• Small agency: €15,000-40,000
• Medium agency: €30,000-80,000

Timeline: 8-16 weeks (for MVP)

What it includes (mid range):

• Application architecture
• UX/UI design
• Frontend development
• Backend development
• Database
• Authentication system
• Admin panel
• Testing
• Deploy and initial setup
• Basic documentation

What it does NOT include:

• Features beyond MVP
• Complex integrations
• Scaling for millions of users
• Native mobile app
• Marketing
• Continuous maintenance

Important reality: An MVP is rarely the final product. Budget 30-50% additional for post-launch iterations based on real feedback.

Price Differences: Madrid/Barcelona vs Rest of Spain

Madrid and Barcelona: Generally 20-40% more expensive due to:

• Higher cost of living
• Greater demand
• More companies with high budget
• Concentration of senior talent

Typical rates Madrid/Barcelona:

• Freelancer: €50-80/hour
• Agency: €70-120/hour

Medium cities (Valencia, Sevilla, Bilbao, etc.):

• Freelancer: €35-60/hour
• Agency: €50-90/hour

Remote work: It's leveling prices. A good developer in Murcia can charge rates similar to Madrid if working for international clients.

Pricing Models: Fixed vs Hourly vs Retainer

Fixed Price

How it works: "Your website: €8,000"

Advantages:

• You know exactly how much you'll pay
• Clear budget
• Provider assumes project extension risk

Disadvantages:

• Less flexible to changes
• Providers may inflate price to cover themselves
• Additional changes are usually expensive

Ideal for: Projects with very defined scope, clients with fixed budget.

Hourly

How it works: "€40/hour, we estimate 150-200 hours"

Advantages:

• Total flexibility
• You pay only for real work
• Easy to add/remove functionalities

Disadvantages:

• You don't know exact final cost
• Risk that project extends
• Requires more management and tracking

Ideal for: Projects with not totally defined scope, clients who value flexibility.

Monthly Retainer

How it works: "€1,500/month for X hours of development/maintenance"

Advantages:

• Predictable monthly cost
• Provider continuously available
• Ideal for continuously evolving projects

Disadvantages:

• You pay even if you don't use all hours some months
• Medium-term commitment

Ideal for: Companies with continuous development/maintenance needs.

What to Look for in a Provider (Beyond Price)

1. Relevant Portfolio

Don't be impressed by pretty sites. Ask:

• "Have you done projects similar to mine?"
• "Can I talk to previous clients?"
• "What results did they achieve?" (traffic, conversions, etc.)

2. Clear Work Process

A good provider will explain:

• Project phases
• What they need from you and when
• How changes are handled
• What happens if there are delays

Red flag: "We'll start now and see as we go" = disaster assured.

3. Detailed Proposal

Must include:

• Specific functional scope (not generalities)
• Realistic timeline
• Itemized price
• What it includes and what it does NOT include
• Payment terms
• Code/design ownership

4. Communication

If pre-sales communication is bad, the project will be worse. Observe:

• Do they respond in reasonable time?
• Do they ask intelligent questions?
• Do they understand your business or just think about technology?
• Do they educate or just sell?

5. Appropriate Technology

Not all websites need React and Node.js. Sometimes WordPress is perfect. Sometimes Next.js is essential.

A good provider recommends technology appropriate for your case, not their favorite technology.

6. Post-Launch

Key questions:

• "What happens if there's a bug after launch?"
• "Do you include training?"
• "What maintenance options do you offer?"
• "Can I take the site to another provider if I want?"

Giant Red Flags

🚩 Price Too Good To Be True

"Complete professional website for €500" = probably:

• Template without customization
• Work done in 5 hours
• Poor code quality
• No support
• Ghosting after payment

🚩 Impossible Promises

• "You'll be first on Google immediately"
• "Your site will attract thousands of customers automatically"
• "We'll do it in 3 days" (for complex project)

🚩 They Don't Sign Contract

Always, ALWAYS there must be a written contract. Doesn't matter if it's a freelancer or large agency.

🚩 They Ask 100% Upfront

Typical and reasonable payment structure:

• 30-50% start
• 30-40% project midpoint
• 20-30% final delivery

Asking 100% before starting = high risk.

🚩 They Don't Show Previous Work

If they don't have visible portfolio, probably they don't have real experience or projects were disastrous.

🚩 They Don't Want to Talk About Potential Problems

Good providers are honest about:

• Project risks
• Technical limitations
• Decisions with trade-offs

Providers who only say "yes" to everything are lying or don't understand.

Hidden Costs You Should Consider

1. Content

Development doesn't include creating content. You need:

• Text for all pages
• Quality images
• Videos (if applicable)

Options:

• You do it: €0 but considerable time
• Professional copywriter: €80-150 per page
• Photographer: €300-1,000 per session

2. Maintenance

A website is not "build and forget":

• Security updates
• Plugin/library updates
• Backups
• Monitoring
• Small modifications

Typical cost: €50-300/month depending on complexity.

3. Marketing

Having a pretty website without traffic = wasted money.

Budget for:

• Continuous SEO
• Google Ads / Social Ads
• Email marketing
• Content marketing

Hard reality: You'll probably spend more on marketing than development.

4. Post-Launch Iterations

The first launch is rarely perfect. Real users will reveal problems you didn't anticipate.

Budget 20-30% additional of initial cost for refinements in the first 3-6 months.

How to Get the Best Value (Not Necessarily the Lowest Price)

1. Clearly Define What You Need

Before talking to providers:

• What is the site's goal? (sales, leads, information, etc.)
• What should the user be able to do?
• What do you need to be able to do (update content, etc.)?
• What is your realistic budget?

The clearer you are, the better proposals you'll receive.

2. Start with MVP, Iterate Later

Don't try to build everything immediately. Launch with core functionality, validate with real users, then expand.

It's better to spend €10,000 on working MVP than €30,000 on complete site that doesn't meet expectations.

3. Invest in Quality Where It Matters

Not all aspects require the same level of quality:

• Critical: Performance, security, core UX
• Important: Design, SEO, mobile experience
• Minor: Fancy animations, "nice to have" functionalities

Prioritize budget on the critical.

4. Build Relationship, Not Just Transaction

A provider who understands your business is more valuable than one 20% cheaper.

The ongoing relationship for maintenance and future improvements is worth more than saving €1,000 on the initial project.

5. Don't Negotiate Only Price

If budget is limited, negotiate scope:

• Fewer pages initially
• Simpler design
• Fewer rounds of revision
• Launch with basic functionality and add later

Bad: "Do all this for me but for half" = half quality.
Good: "Let's do half well, and the other half in phase 2".

Conclusion

Web development in Spain in 2025 has broad ranges:

• Landing page: €500-6,000
• Corporate site: €3,000-20,000
• E-commerce: €5,000-40,000
• Web application: €15,000-80,000+

The variation is not arbitrary. It reflects:

• Real technical complexity
• Level of customization
• Provider experience
• Process and result quality

Don't look for the cheapest. Look for the best value/price ratio for your specific needs.

A well-done €5,000 site is a better investment than a poorly executed €15,000 one. But trying to do something worth €15,000 with a €3,000 budget always ends badly.

Be clear about your budget, honest about your needs, and demanding about quality. The right provider will appreciate this and give you the best possible result.

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Need help understanding what option makes sense for your project? The numbers in this article are real from the Spanish market and reflect projects executed in 2024-2025.