The verdict in three sentences
For a corporate group headquartered in Dubai publishing in English, Arabic and French, a multilingual website costs roughly 90,000 to 280,000 AED excluding VAT in 2026, depending on the CMS and page count. Arabic right-to-left (RTL) adds 25 to 40 % to the budget, because it requires a mirrored interface, dedicated typography and specific testing. The architecture choice must come before design: poor language handling costs more to fix than to plan.
Three multilingual architectures compared
The first decision is how languages are stored and served. It drives SEO, editorial governance and maintenance cost.
| Architecture | Principle | Strengths | Limits | Budget (2026 estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress + WPML or Polylang | One database, translation plugins | Low entry cost, familiar to editors | Slow beyond 300 pages, plugins to maintain | 90,000 to 130,000 AED |
| Headless CMS (Sanity, Strapi) + Next.js | Structured content per language, separate front end | Performance, clean RTL, approval workflow | Heavier initial build | 150,000 to 280,000 AED |
| Subdomain per language | One site per language | Team autonomy | Triple maintenance, scattered SEO | 130,000 to 250,000 AED |
| Hreflang and /en /ar /fr URLs | Recommended in every option | Clear signal for Google | Must be set up from the start | Included |
For a group with subsidiaries and a central communications team, a headless CMS with per-language approval workflows is usually the best compromise over three years.
What Arabic RTL really costs
RTL is not just right-aligned text. Menus, navigation arrows, carousels, tables and forms must be mirrored, and numerals often stay in Western digits depending on editorial choices.
| RTL item | Detail | Indicative extra cost |
|---|---|---|
| Mirrored interface | Logical CSS, flipped components | 8 to 12 % of front-end budget |
| Arabic typography | Web font (IBM Plex Sans Arabic, Noto Kufi), line height | 3 to 5 % |
| Professional translation | 0.25 to 0.45 AED per word, proofreading included | Depends on volume |
| Visual adaptation | Banners and infographics with text | 5 to 8 % |
| RTL testing | Mobile, forms, PDFs | 4 to 6 % |
| Training Arabic-speaking editors | 1 to 2 sessions | 1 to 2 % |
On a 120-page site at 600 words per page, Arabic translation alone is about 72,000 words, or 18,000 to 32,400 AED. It is often the most underestimated item in briefs.
UAE PDPL compliance and timeline
Any form collecting personal data (contact, job application, newsletter) falls under the UAE Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law 45 of 2021), or the DIFC and ADGM regimes if the entity is registered in a free zone. The group must publish a privacy notice in each language and collect explicit consent for analytics cookies. A realistic timeline for a full project is 14 to 22 weeks: 3 weeks of scoping, 4 weeks of design, 6 to 10 weeks of development and translation in parallel, 2 weeks of testing.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Omar, head of corporate communications at a services group in Dubai (5 subsidiaries, 900 staff). The current site exists in English only. He plans 120 pages in three languages on a headless CMS.
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- English base, design and development: 160,000 AED.
- Arabic RTL extra at 30 %: 48,000 AED.
- Arabic and French translation (2 x 72,000 words at 0.35 AED): 50,400 AED.
- Total: 258,400 AED, within the upper range.
Omar phases the French version to the 70 strategic pages in year one, which cuts French translation to about 14,700 AED and the total to 247,900 AED, with the remaining pages added progressively.
FAQ
How much does a trilingual English, Arabic, French website cost in Dubai in 2026?
The order of magnitude is 90,000 to 280,000 AED excluding VAT, depending on the CMS and page count. Professional translation adds 0.25 to 0.45 AED per word.
Why does Arabic cost more than another left-to-right language?
Because right-to-left script requires a mirrored interface and dedicated testing. The extra cost is between 25 and 40 % of the development budget.
Which data protection law applies to the website?
Mainland entities fall under the UAE PDPL, while DIFC and ADGM entities follow their own data protection regulations. In all cases, a multilingual privacy notice and cookie consent are required before launch.
How long does a project like this take?
Plan for 14 to 22 weeks. Translating and approving Arabic content across subsidiaries often takes 4 to 6 weeks on its own.
Can we launch in two languages and add Arabic later?
Yes, if the architecture supports RTL from day one. Adding Arabic later to a site that was not prepared can cost 40 to 60 % of the initial budget.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your languages, page count and subsidiaries: we propose the right multilingual architecture, with a realistic scope and schedule. Detailed quote within 48 h via our form. 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.
