$800 → $10,000
The price of a brochure site, according to 5 price guides by Québec agencies
Same kind of site, over 12 times more expensive from one end to the other: they do not price the same work. See the prices
Guide · updated September 27, 2026
Comparing 3 website quotes: the method and the free grid
Three quotes, three prices, and none describes quite the same project. Here is how to bring them to the same measure (taxes, 3-year fees, kind of price, 12 points), and a free grid that does the maths and prepares your questions, without sending anything.
- Free grid
- Nothing is sent
- Sourced Québec rules
- Reading time: 12 minutes
Why three quotes do not compare as they are
Two figures from the published prices we collected, then the four reasons.
$900 → $9,900
Published fees over 3 years, hosting and maintenance
From $300 a year to $275 a month among the agencies in our price guide. Enough to reverse a ranking.
They do not describe the same project
One agency starts from a theme, another draws a design; one counts 5 pages, another 12; one writes the copy, another asks you for it.
The price shown is not the price paid
Taxes added or not, options you will need, monthly fees after the launch: the real cost reads over 3 years.
They do not use the same kind of price
A fixed price does not move; an estimate can go up; an hourly rate has no total. Three figures, three levels of risk.
They stay silent on different points
What is not written is not promised. A short quote is not necessarily cheaper: it just says less.
Before comparing: have the same project priced
The same requirements for all
Goals, pages, features, Québec requirements, budget: the same document to each agency. Write mine
The same 12 points to specify
Design, phones, French, Law 25, hosting, domain name, code handover… With our request for quote, up to 3 agencies answer them on a private link, and the answers come back in a comparable table. Prepare my request
The same deadline, questions in writing
Give all of them the same time to answer, and ask your questions by e-mail: what is said on the phone cannot be compared.
Bringing prices to the same measure: 4 conversions
The grid below does them for you; here is what it calculates, and why.
Taxes: the same measure for all
In Québec, GST (5%) and QST (9.975%) add 14.975%. If your business is registered for the taxes, you generally recover them: compare before taxes. If not, they are part of the cost: compare taxes included. A “small supplier” freelancer may not charge them: this is only an advantage if you do not recover them.
Revenu Québec: GST of 5% and QST of 9.975%, i.e. 14.975% when both are calculated in one step. Read the text
Revenu Québec: a small supplier (at most $30,000 of taxable supplies in a quarter and over the 4 previous quarters) does not have to register or collect these taxes. If it goes over in a single quarter, it must collect them from the sale that takes it over. A registered business can claim credits for the taxes paid on purchases made for its taxable sales. Read the text
Recurring fees: count 36 months
Hosting, maintenance, licences: multiply by 36. Among the agencies in our price guide, published fees range from $300 a year (simple hosting) to $275 a month (maintenance and support), i.e. $900 to $9,900 over 3 years. That gap alone can reverse a ranking.
Options you will need: add them
An English version, a custom design or moving the old site as an option is not free: it is later. If you will need them, add their price to the quote.
Kind of price: fixed, estimate or hourly
At a fixed price, the agreed price does not change. On an estimate, the agency must justify any increase. By the hour, you can ask where the work and expenses stand. To compare, ask for a fixed price, or at least a written cap.
Civil Code, art. 2109: at a fixed price, neither the client nor the contractor can claim another price, even if the work took more or less effort, unless agreed otherwise. Art. 2107: if the price was an estimate, any increase must be justified, and the client pays it only if it results from work or expenses that were not foreseeable. Art. 2108: when the price depends on the value of the work, the client can ask for an account of progress and expenses. Read the text
The comparison grid
Enter your quotes one by one: totals are calculated on the same measure, the 12 points are set side by side, and the questions to ask each agency are written for you. Nothing is sent or kept.
Try with:
The comparison
| Quote 1 | Quote 2 | Quote 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project priceoptions included | — | — | — |
| Fees over 3 years | — | — | — |
| 3-year total | — | — | — |
| Kind of price | — | — | — |
| Deposit | — | — | — |
| Timeline | — | — | — |
| Points in writing | 0/12 | 0/12 | 0/12 |
| The site | |||
| Custom design | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| Phone-friendly layout | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| French version (and English if asked) | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| Basic SEO | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| Moving the old site’s content | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| Compliance | |||
| Law 25: privacy policy and cookie banner | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| Visit statistics, in your name | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| After the launch | |||
| First year of hosting | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| Maintenance after the launch | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| Bug-fix warranty | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| Ownership and handover | |||
| Domain name registered in your name | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| Code, files and admin access handed over | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
IncludedOptionalNot includedNot mentioned
Nothing is sent or kept. The grid does not choose for you: it shows what to ask before deciding.
A worked example (fictional)
A renovation business in Verdun, registered for the taxes, receives three quotes for a 6-page brochure site. The amounts are chosen inside the published ranges; no real agency is described.
On paper, the ranking looks obvious: freelancer C at $5,500, agency A at $6,900, agency B at $9,800. Run through the grid, the three quotes tell another story.
Agency A: $11,820 over 3 years
- $6,900, plus $1,500 for the custom design (optional, but wanted), plus $95 a month of mandatory hosting and maintenance.
- Silent on 5 of the 12 points, including code handover; keeps the domain name in its own name.
- 50% deposit at signing.
Agency B: $11,240 over 3 years
- $9,800, plus $40 a month of hosting: $580 less than A over 3 years, despite a displayed price $2,900 higher.
- Answers the 12 points; maintenance is optional.
- 30% deposit.
Freelancer C: $6,400 over 3 years
- $5,500 with no taxes (small supplier), plus $25 a month of hosting.
- But it is an estimate: the total can go up. Ask for a written cap.
- Law 25 is not included; SEO and statistics are not mentioned.
If the business were not registered for the taxes, A would rise to $13,590 and B to $12,923; C would stay at $6,400, since it charges no taxes.
None of the three is “the right one” by default. The grid does not choose for you: it shows what to ask each one before deciding. To redo the example, click “the fictional example” in the grid. Go to the grid
8 warning signs in a quote
None condemns an agency on its own; each calls for a question, in writing.
A single amount, with no detail
Impossible to know what is included, so to compare.
To ask: The breakdown by deliverable: design, pages, features, launch.
“From” in a quote
A starting price is an advertising price, not a commitment on your project.
To ask: A fixed price for your project, or an estimate with a written cap.
Taxes are not stated
A possible 14.975% gap depending on whether they are added.
To ask: The amount before taxes, and whether GST and QST are added.
Mandatory monthly fees, with no list
Over 3 years, they often weigh as much as the build.
To ask: What they cover, the minimum term, and how to stop.
The domain or hosting in the agency’s name
If the relationship goes wrong, your web address is in its hands.
To ask: Registration in your name from the start.
Code and access handed over “on request” or for a fee
Without them, you cannot change agencies.
To ask: Handover of the code, files and admin access at final payment, included in the price.
More than half the price before any deliverable
By default, the Civil Code provides that the client does not pay before receiving the work (art. 2111). A deposit exists because the quote provides for it: it can be negotiated. Read the text
To ask: Staged payments: design approved, site in testing, launch.
An offer “valid for 48 hours”
An offer with a deadline cannot be withdrawn before it expires (art. 1390): a reasonable deadline protects you; a very short one mostly serves to rush you. Read the text
To ask: 30 days to compare.
Deciding and negotiating
Before choosing, check
- Each quote answers the 12 points in writing, or you have asked the questions.
- You compare 3-year totals, with the same tax measure.
- The price is fixed, or the estimate has a written cap.
- The domain, accounts and code will be yours.
- You have seen 2 sites the agency built and talked to a former client.
Negotiating without losing quality
- Reduce the project rather than the rate: launch the must-haves, keep the rest for a second phase.
- Negotiate the payment schedule, not only the amount.
- Do not forward one agency’s quote to another: it is its work. Share your needs and budget instead.
- Always ask for the revised quote in writing.
Read the contract before signing
Price, deliverables, ownership, warranty, termination: the 12 clauses to check. The contract guide
Have the chosen quote analysed
The grid compares what you see; our analysis reads the whole document and spots what remains unclear. The first one is free. Check a quote
Frequently asked questions
How many quotes should I ask for a website?
Two or three. Beyond that, comparing takes a lot of time for little gain. Send the same request to each, with the same deadline.
Why are quotes so different?
Because they do not price the same project: theme or custom design, number of pages, copy provided or not, monthly fees. For a brochure site, price guides published by 5 Québec agencies range from $800 to $10,000. A requirements document and the 12 points make the answers comparable.
Is the agency bound by its quote?
A proposal containing all the essential elements of the contract and showing the will to be bound is an offer to contract (Civil Code, art. 1388). If it sets a deadline for acceptance, it cannot be withdrawn before it expires (art. 1390). (This is not legal advice.)
Estimate or fixed price: what is the difference?
At a fixed price, the agreed price does not change, unless agreed otherwise (art. 2109). On an estimate, the agency must justify any increase, and you only pay the part caused by unforeseeable work or expenses (art. 2107). To compare with peace of mind, ask for a fixed price or a written cap.
Should I compare before or after taxes?
If your business is registered for GST and QST, you generally recover the taxes paid: compare before taxes. If not, compare taxes included (14.975% more). Check your situation with your accountant.
Can a quote be negotiated?
Yes. Reduce the project rather than the rate: launch the must-haves, keep the rest for a second phase. Negotiate the payment schedule too. Always ask for the revised quote in writing.
Does the grid keep my data?
No. Everything is calculated in your browser; nothing is sent or kept. Download the comparison before closing the page.
Sources
- Québec Civil Code, arts. 1388 and 1390 (offer to contract)
- Québec Civil Code, arts. 2107, 2108 and 2109 (estimate, price by value of work, fixed price)
- Québec Civil Code, art. 2111 (payment and acceptance of the work)
- Revenu Québec: calculating GST and QST
- Revenu Québec: the small supplier
- Our published-price survey (September 26, 2026)
Texts read on September 27, 2026. The example is fictional: no real agency or quote is described. This guide gives general information, not legal or tax advice.
What now?
Guide written by the AgencyVerity team, Montréal. Updated September 27, 2026. Back to contents · All our guides