The verdict in three sentences
For a group with 3 subsidiaries, an Arabic and English corporate website costs about AED 66,000 to 155,000 (USD 18,000 to 42,000) in 2026, delivered in 12 to 18 weeks. Arabic is not just a translation: RTL layout adds 15 to 25% to design and front-end budgets, because every component has to be mirrored and tested. The structural decision is a headless CMS with an approval workflow, which stops a subsidiary from publishing a press release that group communications has not reviewed.
Where the price gaps come from
Quotes received by a group in Abu Dhabi often range from single to double. The gap comes from five items: number of sites (group portal only or group plus subsidiaries), volume of content to translate, RTL quality, editorial governance and integrations (investor area, careers, newsletter).
| Item | 2026 range (AED, excl. VAT) | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping, sitemap, subsidiary workshops | 5,500 to 13,000 | 3 to 5 workshops, content matrix per language |
| Bidirectional UX/UI design LTR + RTL | 13,000 to 29,500 | Mirrored mockups, dedicated Arabic typography |
| Front-end development and headless CMS | 26,000 to 63,000 | Group portal + 3 subsidiary microsites |
| RTL surcharge (integration and QA) | + 15 to 25% of design and development | Mirrored components, forms, tables, PDFs |
| Translation EN to AR (or AR to EN) | About AED 0.45 per word | 30,000 words ≈ AED 13,300 per language |
| Multi-level approval workflow | 3,700 to 11,000 | Subsidiary editor, reviewer, group sign-off |
| Careers area and job listings | 3,000 to 7,400 | Online applications, sorted by subsidiary |
| CDN hosting and monitoring | 900 to 2,200 per year | CDN, SSL certificate, 99.9% uptime |
For 30,000 source words translated professionally, budget around AED 13,300 (USD 3,600) per target language, proofreading included. This is the line most often underestimated in internal budgets.
RTL: what really happens in the code
A well built Arabic site reverses the reading direction of the whole interface: menus, breadcrumbs, direction icons, carousels, financial tables, forms. Numbers stay left to right inside an Arabic sentence, which creates edge cases for amounts and dates. Typography matters too: a poorly chosen Arabic font makes a corporate site look amateur.
| Element | Translated site without true RTL | Native RTL site |
|---|---|---|
| Menu and breadcrumb direction | Unchanged, inconsistent | Mirrored automatically |
| Arrow icons and carousels | Wrong direction | Reversed |
| Key figure tables | Misaligned columns | Controlled alignment, readable numbers |
| Arabic font | Default system font | Dedicated font (for example IBM Plex Sans Arabic, Noto Kufi) |
| Forms and validation | Error messages in English | Localised Arabic messages |
| QA time | 1 to 2 days | 5 to 8 days |
| Perception by an Arabic reader | Low credibility | Serious group website |
The headless CMS (Sanity, Strapi or Contentful) stores each piece of content in both languages with a status per language. Group communications can see at a glance that a page exists in English but is still awaiting its approved Arabic version.
Typical 12 to 18 week schedule
| Phase | Duration | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping and workshops | 2 to 3 weeks | Sitemap, content matrix |
| English design then RTL adaptation | 3 to 4 weeks | Mockups approved in both directions |
| Development and CMS | 4 to 6 weeks | Site on staging |
| Translation and content entry | 2 to 3 weeks (in parallel) | EN and AR content loaded |
| Bilingual QA and launch | 1 to 2 weeks | Site in production, team training |
Mini case study
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Karim, communications director of an Abu Dhabi group active in distribution, logistics and real estate, consults three agencies. His chosen budget: AED 107,000 excl. VAT for the group portal and 3 subsidiary microsites, including AED 26,600 of translation and AED 16,600 of RTL surcharge. Previously each subsidiary paid for its own site, 3 × AED 22,000 every 4 years plus 3 separate hosting plans at AED 1,500 a year. The new shared platform costs AED 1,850 a year in CDN hosting instead of 4,500, and the approval workflow removes about 6 hours a month of email back and forth. Over 4 years the group saves around AED 10,600 in hosting and gains a consistent Arabic site for its regional partners.
FAQ
Do we need to translate the whole site into Arabic?
For a UAE group, Arabic is expected on institutional, governance and careers pages at minimum, often 60 to 100% of content. Translating 60% instead of 100% saves about AED 5,000 per 30,000 source words.
Is machine translation enough?
It can serve as a first draft, but for a listed group or one dealing with investors and government entities, human review remains essential. Review costs about AED 0.15 to 0.22 per word when the first draft is machine generated.
How much does a headless CMS cost compared with WordPress?
Development is 20 to 30% more expensive, but multi-subsidiary approval workflows and performance are much better. Some headless CMS platforms charge USD 0 to 1,000 per month depending on volume.
Which hosting suits a site read in the UAE and internationally?
Hosting with a global CDN (Vercel, Cloudflare) keeps load times under 2 seconds in Abu Dhabi as well as in London or Paris. Cost stays between AED 900 and 2,200 a year for a corporate site.
Does the site need to comply with UAE data protection law?
Yes, as soon as it collects personal data (forms, job applications), it must follow the UAE Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law 45 of 2021), plus ADGM rules if the entity sits there. Cookie banner, notices and processing records are planned during scoping.
Let's scope your project. A bilingual Arabic and English group portal with native RTL and a per-subsidiary approval workflow: indicative budget of AED 75,000 to 150,000 (USD 20,000 to 41,000), live in 12 to 18 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
