Architecture firm website cost in Basel: local agencies vs Kolonell (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

In Basel, an architecture firm website built by a local agency costs, as a 2026 ballpark, between 14 000 and 50 000 CHF, a level pushed up by a city where architecture is a global calling card and design expectations are high. Kolonell builds the portfolio, the studio and partner pages and the enquiry journey for a fixed price of 2 700, 4 500 or 8 200 CHF, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks on Starter and Growth. The fair comparison weighs the 3-year total cost, the German copy (native at a Basel agency, supplied by you or quoted separately with Kolonell) and the value of having designers who can visit your studio and your sites.

What do Basel agencies, freelancers and Kolonell charge?

The ranges below are prudent ballparks, not official figures. They are drawn from public rate cards of agencies in north-western Switzerland, minimum project sizes listed on Clutch.co profiles, hourly rates commonly published by Swiss German studios (often 140 to 210 CHF per hour) and freelance rates visible on Malt and Upwork. Basel also has a deep pool of graphic designers trained in the Swiss typographic tradition, which pushes some studio quotes higher.

If your practice wants a bespoke typographic identity built in workshops in your studio, a Basel design studio is the better choice, and worth its price. Kolonell fits practices that need a clean, fast, well-written site without that process: a project manager in your time zone, Google Meet calls at your hour and a written update every week. The team is based in Senegal (GMT), one to two hours behind Basel depending on the season. Payment is by bank transfer or Wise, 50 % at kickoff and 50 % at delivery. See the tiers on our international website offer.

How do the two options compare over 36 months?

A studio site lives on after launch: hosting, maintenance, new project pages, the occasional redesign of a section. The table keeps one identical maintenance assumption on both sides, since Kolonell maintenance after the support period is quoted on request.

Treat the totals as a method, not a forecast. The same lines, filled in by each supplier, show where the real differences sit.

What does each Kolonell tier include for a Basel practice?

A client extranet for drawings or a project management portal is a custom application, quoted on request, as is ongoing search work.

What do Basel architecture practices need from a website?

Basel's architecture scene has an international audience: critics, competition juries and students follow the city's practices, and the art fair brings the design world to town every June. Locally, work comes from life sciences campuses and laboratory fit-outs, the conversion of former industrial areas such as Dreispitz and Klybeck, cooperative housing and cultural buildings, with clients and sites across the border in Germany and France. That means:

• Project pages that read well for juries: brief, role, phases, partners, photographer and model maker credits.
• German for local clients and authorities, English for life sciences clients and international hires, sometimes French for Alsace.
• Restrained, fast pages: large images compressed, no heavy effects that slow down mobile.
• Lab and technical projects described with care, since confidentiality agreements often limit what can be shown.
• An exhibitions and publications list, which matters in this city.

Compliance, facts only. In Switzerland only some cantons regulate the practice of architecture, so clients in Basel often look for a REG listing or SIA or BSA membership: show these only if held. Across the border, the German title Architekt is protected by the Länder architects' chambers, so a partner should use it only if registered there. Check that photographers' licences cover web use and respect client confidentiality on lab projects. Forms and analytics fall under the revised Federal Act on Data Protection (nLPD/revFADP), in force since 1 September 2023. This is not legal advice.

Which questions and red flags matter in quotes?

• Who designs the typography and layout, and how many design rounds are included?
• How many project pages can the firm add itself without paying hourly rates?
• Is the domain registered in the firm's name, with all access handed over?
• Who writes the German, English and French, and is it in the price?
• Are images compressed automatically for mobile?
• Is long-term maintenance mandatory, or can you change provider freely?

Mini case study

Illustrative example. Lukas W., partner in a 6-person studio in Kleinbasel working on laboratory fit-outs and residential conversions, compares two offers. A Basel design studio quotes 26 000 CHF with German and English copy, plus an optional 1 800 CHF photo day, in 12 weeks. Kolonell proposes Growth at 4 500 CHF in English, with a translator for German at 1 900 CHF and a local photographer at 1 800 CHF booked by the firm.

Build, language and photos: 27 800 CHF against 8 200 CHF, a 19 600 CHF gap. With the same maintenance assumption of 150 CHF a month over 33 months (4 950 CHF each side), the 3-year totals become 32 750 CHF and 13 150 CHF. Lukas notes that his lab clients read English first, which tips the choice; a practice whose identity relies on bespoke graphic design might reasonably stay with the studio.

FAQ

How much does an architecture firm website cost in Basel in 2026?

With a local agency or design studio, expect 14 000 to 50 000 CHF depending on scope, and 4 000 to 13 000 CHF with a freelancer. Kolonell charges a fixed 2 700, 4 500 or 8 200 CHF.

Do you write in German?

No. Kolonell writes native English and French; German copy is supplied by the firm or quoted separately. A translator for a 15 to 25 page site often costs 1 500 to 2 500 CHF.

Can we show confidential lab projects?

Only what your client agreements allow. Growth at 4 500 CHF can include project pages with limited details, such as type, size and year, without plans or interior images.

Can the site be in French for Alsace clients?

Yes. A bilingual FR/EN site is included in Premium at 8 200 CHF, and French is written natively.

How does payment work?

By bank transfer or Wise, 50 % at kickoff and 50 % at delivery. On Starter, that means two payments of 1 350 CHF.

Let's scope your project. Send us your project list, your images and the languages you need, and we come back with a fixed-price tier and a 3 to 4 week timeline. Request your free quote or see the international offer.