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

The verdict in three sentences

In Doha, a website for an architecture firm built by a local agency costs, as a 2026 order of magnitude, about QAR 30,000 to 150,000, or roughly 8,200 to 41,000 USD, especially once an English and Arabic version is included, while a Doha freelancer typically charges QAR 7,000 to 30,000 (roughly 1,900 to 8,200 USD). Kolonell builds project pages, a practice profile and a client brief form at a fixed price of 2 900, 4 900 or 8 900 USD, which is well below most agencies and level with a good freelancer over three years. Two points decide the comparison: who produces the Arabic version (supplied by you or quoted separately at Kolonell) and who organises photography of your buildings, which Kolonell does not do.

What do Doha agencies, freelancers and Kolonell charge?

These are cautious orders of magnitude, not official figures. They draw on prices published by Doha and wider Gulf agencies, minimum project sizes on Clutch.co profiles, hourly rates commonly quoted by Qatari studios (often QAR 300 to 700 an hour) and developer rates on Upwork and Fiverr. The riyal is pegged at about 3.64 QAR to the dollar.

A Doha agency is worth its fee when you want Arabic and English handled under one roof, a crew filming your projects at Lusail or Msheireb, and meetings in your office. Kolonell suits practices that need sharp English (or French and English on Premium), a written fixed scope and fast delivery. Kolonell has delivered a trilingual French, English and Arabic site for Orven Properties (orvenproperties.com), an off-plan real estate advisory in Dubai, so right-to-left layout is familiar ground. Payment by bank transfer or Wise, 50% at kickoff and 50% at delivery. Your project manager holds Google Meet calls at your hour, Sunday to Thursday, with a written update each week; the team is in Senegal (GMT), three hours behind Doha. See our international website offer.

What should the three-year comparison include?

The table assumes an English and Arabic site and the same maintenance budget for every option over 33 months, since Kolonell maintenance after the support period is quoted on request.

Kolonell comes out about 12,000 USD below a mid-range Doha agency and close to a good freelancer. Against the freelancer, the extra 800 USD or so pays for native English copy, a project manager and a supplier that does not depend on one person's availability.

What does each Kolonell plan include for a Doha practice?

A client extranet for drawings, a tender document portal or ongoing SEO work is quoted on request.

What does an architecture firm website in Doha need?

Doha practices work across villas and compounds, hospitality and residential towers at Lusail and The Pearl, workplace fit-outs in West Bay, cultural and education buildings, and regeneration such as Msheireb. Many partners are expatriates and many clients are public entities, foundations, developers and private families who expect both English and Arabic. The site should offer:

• Project pages that state your role exactly (design architect, architect of record, interior designer, local partner), since joint ventures with international firms are common.
• Exact qualifications and licensing: engineering and architecture offices in Qatar operate under a licensing system; show the firm's status and each person's professional registration exactly as held, without borrowing titles.
• Accurate sustainability claims: mention GSAS certification only for projects that obtained it, and distinguish target from achieved ratings.
• A careful Arabic version with right-to-left layout, written or reviewed by a qualified translator.
• Photo licences covering web use, which matters with drone and night photography.

On compliance: Qatar's Law No. 13 of 2016 on personal data protection applies to personal information collected through brief, contact and careers forms, so a privacy notice and a stated purpose per form are expected. This is not legal advice.

Which red flags should you watch in Doha quotes?

• Arabic left vague: who writes it, who reviews it, and whether layout is mirrored properly.
• Domain or hosting in the agency's name.
• No copywriting line for English project texts.
• Heavy renders uploaded uncompressed, making pages slow on mobile.
• Photo and drone rights not discussed.
• Maintenance lock-in without a handover clause.

Mini case study

Illustrative example. Omar H., partner in a fifteen-person Doha practice focused on villas and hospitality interiors at Lusail and The Pearl, needs an English and Arabic site. A Doha agency quotes QAR 85,000 (about 23,350 USD) in 12 weeks, Arabic included. Kolonell quotes Growth at 4 900 USD in 4 weeks, with English copy included; Omar's certified translator charges QAR 9,000 (about 2,470 USD) for the Arabic texts, and Kolonell quotes the Arabic layout at an assumed 1,200 USD.

Kolonell route: about 8,570 USD, roughly 14,800 USD less than the agency. Omar keeps a Doha videographer for site footage at about QAR 6,000 (1,650 USD) per day, since Kolonell does not film.

FAQ

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

As an order of magnitude, QAR 30,000 to 150,000 (about 8,200 to 41,000 USD) with an agency and QAR 7,000 to 30,000 (about 1,900 to 8,200 USD) with a freelancer. Kolonell charges a fixed 2 900, 4 900 or 8 900 USD.

Does Kolonell write the Arabic version?

No, the Arabic texts are supplied by the practice or quoted separately, along with the right-to-left layout. Certified translation in Doha often runs a few thousand riyals for a 20 to 30 page site.

Can you film or photograph our projects?

No. You book a Doha photographer or videographer, often QAR 4,000 to 8,000 per shoot according to published rates, and we integrate the images.

How does scheduling work with the Qatari week?

Calls are set Sunday to Thursday at your hour; the team is three hours behind Doha. A written update arrives every week over the 3 to 6 week project.

How is payment made?

By bank transfer or Wise, 50% at kickoff and 50% at delivery. For Growth, two payments of 2 450 USD.

Let's scope your project. Send us your project list, your languages and who will supply the Arabic texts, and we will return a fixed-price plan with a 3 to 6 week timeline. Request your free quote or see the international offer.