Radio Station Website Cost in 2026: Real Numbers for Every Option
Disclosure: RadioSiteMaker is our own product, and so is RadioHost Studio. Method: prices checked on each vendor's own page on 5 November 2026; we list where competitors are the better fit.
"What is this website going to cost me?" depends on which path you choose, and on costs that are not on the sticker. This guide prices every major approach to building a radio station website using published prices where they exist, and tells you plainly where a price depends on quotes you have to get yourself. (Pricing the whole station — licensing, streaming, equipment? See our cost to start a radio station guide.)
The Quick Answer
| Option | What you pay (published) | What you add |
|---|---|---|
| RadioSiteMaker (managed radio platform) | $99/year + tax | Domain; storage add-ons only past 10 GB |
| Radio.co Website Builder | $12[1]/month add-on | Requires a Radio.co plan |
| RadioKing Radio Website | $468 / 408€ / £348[2]/year | Domain bought at a registrar |
| WordPress + Pro.Radio | $98[3] theme, $69[4]/year support renewal | Hosting, plugins, domain, your time |
| Wix or Squarespace | See each vendor's pricing page | Third-party radio player |
| Custom development | Quote-based | Hosting, maintenance contract |
Work Out Your Own Number
Your hosting quote, your plugin list and your hours are not ours to guess. Put them into the worksheet below; it compares the options over three years.
The full-page version with more options is the radio website cost calculator.
Option 1: Managed Radio Website Platform
A managed platform bundles hosting, software and radio features into one subscription.
| Expense | Annual cost |
|---|---|
| RadioSiteMaker subscription | $99 + tax |
| Domain (if you use a custom domain) | Registrar price; the .com registry fee alone is $10.97[5] |
| Extra storage (only past the included 10 GB) | From +10 GB for $29 up to +100 GB for $179 |
The subscription includes hosting, SSL, every feature (persistent live player, schedule, shows, DJ profiles, podcasts with RSS import, blog, events, charts, dedications, donation links, videos, sponsors, chat, polls), the dashboard, and platform updates. There is a 7-day free trial with no card.
Three years (our calculation): $297 + tax, plus your domain.
Time: the setup wizard, then content only. There is no software for you to update.
Option 2: Your Stream Host's Website Add-On
If you already stream with Radio.co or RadioKing, both sell a website.
| Radio.co Website Builder | RadioKing Radio Website | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $12/month | $44 / 39€ / £34[6]/month or $468 / 408€ / £348/year |
| Per year | $144 (our calculation, × 12) | $468 / 408€ / £348 |
| Three years (our calculation) | $432 | $1,404 |
| Built on | Powered by Weebly; two builder plans: Standard and Plus[7] | RadioKing's own website product |
| Includes | Radio.co player embed | Player bar on all pages; podcasts module; show grid (Shows & Hosts); 'What's this track?'; multiple admins; 100 GB monthly traffic; 5 GB storage; external streams allowed[8] |
These prices are for the website alone; the stream plan is separate in both cases. They make most sense if you will stay with that host. A standalone station site works with any host, so the website does not move when the stream does.
Option 3: WordPress DIY
WordPress gives you control at the price of upkeep.
Upfront
| Expense | Cost |
|---|---|
| Radio theme (Pro.Radio, single site) | $98, includes a year of support and updates |
| Pro.Radio, three sites | $196[9] |
| Premium plugins (SEO, security, forms, backup) | Each vendor's price; several have free versions |
| Domain | Registrar price |
Every year after
| Expense | Annual cost |
|---|---|
| Web hosting | Your host's plan |
| Pro.Radio support and updates renewal (optional) | $69 |
| Premium plugin renewals | Each vendor's price |
| Domain renewal | Registrar price |
Three years of theme costs (our calculation): $98 + 2 × $69 = $236, before hosting, plugins and domain.
The hidden cost: your time
The part most WordPress budgets leave out is the hours: initial setup (installing, replacing demo content, configuring the player, building pages, testing on phones), and then a recurring routine of core, theme and plugin updates, checking nothing broke, spam and security alerts. Put your own hourly value and your own hours into the worksheet above; that line often decides the comparison.
Option 4: Generic Builders (Wix, Squarespace)
Both include hosting and SSL on paid plans. Prices change often; check Wix and Squarespace directly. Neither includes a radio player, schedule or DJ profiles, so budget time to build those by hand. Squarespace does host podcasts natively (Supported (blog page + audio block + built-in RSS feed)[10]), with feeds up to 300 episodes[11].
Option 5: Custom Web Development
A developer or agency builds a bespoke site. There is no published price to cite: cost depends on scope, the developer's rate and how much is built from scratch. What drives it up is feature complexity: a custom CMS for shows and DJs, podcast hosting, events, listener interaction, an app.
How to compare quotes fairly:
- Ask for the build price and the yearly cost of hosting, maintenance and security updates.
- Ask who owns the code and the hosting account.
- Ask what a small change (a new DJ field, a schedule format change) costs after launch.
- Put the build price and the yearly cost into the worksheet above and compare three-year totals.
Custom development makes sense for commercial operations with a web budget, unique functionality, or in-house developers. For most independent, community and college stations, it is more than the job needs.
Hidden Costs People Forget
Security incidents. On a self-hosted site, cleaning up after a hack is your job or a paid one, and some hosts suspend the account until it is fixed. On a managed platform, security is part of the service.
Plugin conflicts. An update to one plugin can break the player or a form, without warning. A managed platform ships its features as one tested system.
Backups. Many site owners find out their backups do not restore only when they need one. Managed platforms include backups.
Downtime. Every hour the site is down costs listeners and credibility, and for stations funded by donations or sponsors, money.
The learning curve. Learning WordPress well enough to run a station site takes time that could go into programming.
Making the Right Choice
Choose custom development if you have a real web budget, need functionality no platform provides, and have ongoing developer support.
Choose WordPress if you have the skills and enjoy the work, need a specific plugin, or must host your own code.
Choose your stream host's website if you will stay with that host and its feature list covers you.
Choose a managed radio platform if you want to focus on radio, have a limited budget and no technical staff.
Whichever you pick, check your stream plays reliably on the web with the radio stream tester, and see how players connect to each host on our integrations page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is $99/year really all-inclusive, or are there hidden fees?
The plan is $99 a year + tax and includes hosting, SSL, every feature and platform updates. Two things can add to it: a custom domain, which you register yourself, and storage add-ons if you go past the included 10 GB (from +10 GB for $29 up to +100 GB for $179 a year). There are no feature tiers.
What does a radio station website cost on Radio.co or RadioKing?
Radio.co's Website Builder is a $12-a-month add-on to a Radio.co plan, which is $144 a year by our calculation. RadioKing's Radio Website is $468 / 408€ / £348 a year. Both are on top of the streaming plan.
What if I already have a WordPress radio site — is switching worth the cost?
Add up what you spend each year on hosting, plugin renewals and theme support, then add your maintenance hours at whatever your time is worth. If that is more than $99 a year, switching saves money; if you enjoy running WordPress and the total is low, it may not. The move itself means copying your content across by hand (podcasts can be imported from RSS).
Can a $99/year platform compete with a custom website?
For core radio features — live player, schedule, show and DJ pages, podcasts — yes, because they are built for that job. A custom site wins on unique functionality: deep integration with proprietary station software, or a completely novel design.
Does RadioSiteMaker offer a free trial?
Yes: 7 days, with no credit card. You can go through the setup wizard and preview your site on a free subdomain (yourstation.radiositemaker.com) before paying.
Sources and verification
Competitor prices and limits change often. Each figure above was checked on the date shown against the vendor's own page. Prices exclude tax unless stated.
- Radio.co · All plans: Website Builder add-on price — $12 (monthly). Source, checked 2026-11-05. Shown as +$12/month on all four plans.
- RadioKing · Add-on (all plans): Radio Website add-on annual price — $468 / 408€ / £348 (annual). Source, checked 2026-11-05
- QantumThemes · 1 Website License: Pro.Radio single-site licence price — $98 (one-time). Source, checked 2026-11-05. Sold directly on pro.radio (not found in the QantumThemes ThemeForest portfolio page fetched today, which lists OnAir2 and Sonik). 'Prices including tax.' 14-day money-back. Includes required plugins, 55+ demo sites, 60+ Elementor widgets.
- QantumThemes · Support & updates extension: Support & updates renewal — $69 (annual). Source, checked 2026-11-05
- Verisign · n/a: .com wholesale registry fee — $10.97 (annual). Source, checked 2026-11-05. Verisign Q3 2026 Form 10-Q (read via WebFetch; curl got 403). Previous: $10.26 from Sept 1, 2024. ICANN per-domain fee is extra and was not verified on an ICANN page today.
- RadioKing · Add-on (all plans): Radio Website add-on monthly price — $44 / 39€ / £34 (monthly). Source, checked 2026-11-05. Same figures on /pricing comparison table ('Radio Website Add-on available Additional €39/month $44/month £34/month'). Page footer: 'Pricing in effect on 10/03/2023.'
- Radio.co · All plans: Website Builder is Weebly-powered; Standard and Plus tiers — Powered by Weebly; two builder plans: Standard and Plus. Source, checked 2026-11-05. Article dated July 11, 2024. Standard: unlimited pages, embed Radio.co web player, sell up to 10 products. Plus: embed HD audio/video, password-protected pages, site search, 25 products, 5 sub-accounts. 1 free domain (.com/.net/.org) - Radio.co retains ownership; buy-out $30. Builder Plus price not stated in the article.
- RadioKing · Add-on: Radio Website features — Player bar on all pages; podcasts module; show grid (Shows & Hosts); 'What's this track?'; multiple admins; 100 GB monthly traffic; 5 GB storage; external streams allowed. Source, checked 2026-11-05. Also: 'Can I add an external stream? Yes'. Custom domain must be bought at a registrar. White label option: €15/$18/£12 per month incl. VAT (FAQ) - comparison block shows €15/£15/$15 /month; the two figures conflict on the same page.
- QantumThemes · 3-Websites License: Pro.Radio 3-site licence price — $196 (one-time). Source, checked 2026-11-05
- Squarespace · Paid sites: Native podcast hosting via blog page + audio blocks — Supported (blog page + audio block + built-in RSS feed). Source, checked 2026-11-05. Article 'Last updated July 01, 2026'. Trial sites can't submit to Apple Podcasts; audio-only (no video podcasts).
- Squarespace · All: Podcast feed episode limit — 300 episodes. Source, checked 2026-11-05
Build the website around the stream you already have
Persistent player, schedule, DJ pages, podcasts and events on your own domain. Keep your current stream host. $99 a year + tax.
The other line in the budget: staying on air
Every figure on this page prices the website. Keeping the station playing is a separate bill — usually a stream host plus automation software on a PC that never switches off. RadioHost Studio covers both in the browser, with the stream and listeners included, for $25 a month or $199 a year + tax. It is a separate subscription from the website.
Founder of RadioSiteMaker. Passionate about making professional radio station websites accessible to every broadcaster. Builds and runs the RadioSiteMaker website platform and RadioHost Studio, the browser-based 24/7 automation suite, and writes these guides from that day-to-day work with independent stations.
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