What it costs, before you have to ask.
Most freelance sites make you enquire to find out whether you can afford them. Here are the actual ranges — in your currency — what is included at each level, what makes a price move, and the questions people are usually too polite to ask.
In detail
Websites and web apps are the main work. Video and motion are a second craft — useful when a site needs a hero loop, a promo or an animated logo.
Web development
I build the whole site — layout, copy structure, images, forms, the lot — and hand it over working, on your own domain, with Google able to find it.
Everything is built without a framework unless there is a reason for one. That keeps the site fast on mobile data, cheap to host, and free of dependencies that rot in eighteen months. It also means there is no admin panel to log into unless you asked for one.
- Design and build from scratch
- Works properly on phones first
- Set up for Google search
- Contact form straight to your inbox
- WhatsApp button wired to your number
- Your own domain connected
- Images compressed and sized
- Handover walkthrough on a call
What you get
Not included: Domain registration and hosting are paid directly by you to the provider — usually around $15 a year for a domain, and free on Netlify for a site this size. I set them up; I do not resell them or mark them up.
Web apps and backends
For when the site has to actually do something — take a booking, sell stock, log someone in, keep a record, or talk to another system.
Backends are serverless: small functions that run on demand, with storage alongside. No server to patch, nothing to pay while nobody is using it, and it scales on its own when they are. Every demo in my portfolio runs this way — you can book a table, place an order or run a security scan against a real API right now.
- A front end and the API behind it
- Bookings, orders or submissions that reach you
- Logins and a simple admin view
- Input validation and rate limiting
- Server-side pricing and stock
- Integrations (payments, email, sheets)
- Running costs shown before we start
- Handover and documentation
What you get
Not included: Payment-provider and email-service fees are billed to you by those providers. I set them up and show you what they cost; I do not mark them up.
Video and motion
My training is in video production, and I still take on editing and motion work — especially when it belongs with a site I am building: a hero loop, a product video, an animated logo.
Priced per piece, not per hour. You get a fixed number before I start.
- Promo and product videos
- Vertical cuts for Reels and TikTok
- Looping hero videos for websites
- Logo animation and titles
- Colour, sound and subtitles
- Two rounds of revisions
What you get
Not included: Filming, full character animation and long-form 3D. If that is what you need, I will say so rather than learn it on your budget.
Website packages
Real ranges, so you can decide before getting in touch. Whatever we agree is fixed in writing before any work starts — the number does not move afterwards unless you ask for something new.
Static / Landing
For a business that needs to exist online, look credible, and be findable.
- Up to 5 sections or pages
- Works properly on phones
- Set up for Google search
- Contact form to your inbox
- WhatsApp button
- Smooth, restrained animation
- Your domain connected
Rapid MVP
For when the site has to actually do something — take bookings, hold data, log people in.
- Everything in the tier before
- Database and backend
- Content you can edit yourself
- User accounts and logins
- Bookings, orders or submissions that reach you
- Email notifications
- Basic analytics
Full-Stack App
For a proper product — portals, integrations, heavy interaction.
- Complex application state
- API design and integration
- Third-party system integration
- 3D and WebGL where it earns its place
- B2B portal architecture
- Ongoing support arrangement
Video and motion work is quoted per project — send the details and you get one fixed number back, not a range. Prices in US dollars.
Build your quote
Tick what you need and see the real range straight away. It writes the WhatsApp message for you, so you are not staring at an empty chat wondering what to say.
What moves the price
So that a quote at the top of a range does not feel arbitrary when you get it.
How many pages
Five sections and twenty-five pages are different jobs. The tier ranges assume the smaller end; tell me roughly how much there is and the number firms up quickly.
Whether content exists
If you have the text and photographs ready, the build is quick. If I am writing copy and sourcing or shooting images, that is real work and it shows in the price.
Whether it has to store things
A site that shows information is straightforward. A site that takes bookings, holds accounts or processes payments needs a backend, and that is the jump between the first and second tier.
How fast you need it
A normal timeline costs what the range says. Compressing a month into a week means turning other work away, and that carries a premium — I will tell you the number rather than quietly rushing.
From first message to handover
Four steps. You always know what is happening and what is expected of you.
We talk, and you get a number
A WhatsApp message or a call. I ask what the business does, who it is for, and what you want someone to do when they land on the site. Then you get a fixed price and a timeline in writing.
Your part: Costs you nothing, and there is no obligation at this stage.
Deposit, then I build
Half up front, half on handover. I send you something to look at within the first week rather than disappearing for a month — you should never be wondering whether work is happening.
Your part: You send content, photos and your domain details.
You review, I revise
Two rounds of changes are included in every quote. Tell me what is wrong in plain words — "the top feels cold", "my phone number should be bigger" — and I will translate that into design.
Your part: Your honest reaction. Politeness here costs you a worse site.
Handover, and you can actually run it
The site goes live on your domain. Then I walk you through it on a call and record that call, so when you need to change something in six months you are not guessing.
Your part: You own everything. Files, domain, accounts — all in your name.
The ones people hesitate to ask
Answered plainly, including the ones where the honest answer is "you might not need me".
What if I do not like what you build?
Two rounds of revisions are in every quote, and I show you work early rather than at the end, so there is no single terrifying reveal.
If we get through the first look and it is genuinely not what you wanted, you can stop there and keep the deposit work — I will hand over what exists. I would rather part ways cleanly than argue someone into a site they dislike.
Do I own the site, or do you?
You do. Completely. The domain is registered in your name, the hosting account is yours, and the code is yours to take to another developer whenever you want.
Some agencies keep the domain or host in their own account so you cannot leave. I think that is a bad way to earn loyalty.
You teach during the day. What if you get too busy?
Fair question, and worth asking of any freelancer. The honest answer: I take on what I can finish, which is why the timelines above say weeks rather than days.
Because your site is yours and built on plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript with no exotic dependencies, any competent developer can pick it up if I am ever unavailable. That is deliberate. Nothing I build locks you to me.
Can I update it myself afterwards?
On the first tier, small text and image changes — yes, and I show you how on the handover call.
On the second tier and up, content you are expected to change regularly gets an editing interface, so you are not touching code at all.
If you would rather I just did it, small changes after handover are $12 – $35 depending on size, and I will tell you which it is before doing it.
What are the ongoing costs?
A domain is roughly $15 a year, paid by you directly to the registrar. Hosting for a site in the first tier is free on Netlify and stays free at normal traffic.
Sites with a database and logins have real running costs, which I will show you, in real numbers, before you commit — not after.
I do not charge a monthly fee unless you want a support arrangement, and I will not pretend you need one when you do not.
Can we work in Bahasa Melayu?
Yes. Talk to me in whichever language you prefer, and the site can be in Malay, English, or both.
I already have a Wix or Facebook page. Is that enough?
Sometimes it genuinely is, and I will say so. If you are a small operation whose customers all find you on Facebook and you are happy, you may not need to spend anything.
Where a proper site earns its money is when you want to be found on Google, when you want bookings without answering messages all evening, or when the platform is putting its branding and ads on top of your business.
How do I pay?
Bank transfer, half at the start and half when the site goes live. You get a proper invoice for both. No subscription, no lock-in, nothing that renews unless you ask for it.
Tell me what you need
What the business does, who it is for, and roughly when you need it. You will get a fixed price and a timeline back — no charge for the conversation.