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

The verdict in three sentences

In Taipei, an architecture firm website built by a local agency costs, as a 2026 ballpark, between 150 000 and 800 000 TWD (roughly 4 700 to 25 000 USD), while a good local freelancer often charges 40 000 to 150 000 TWD (roughly 1 250 to 4 700 USD), which can be less than Kolonell. Kolonell builds the project portfolio, competition entries, team and studio pages for a fixed price of 2 900, 4 900 or 8 900 USD, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks on Starter and Growth. What tips the balance is the 3-year total cost, who writes the English copy aimed at international clients and juries, and who handles the photography of your buildings (a Taipei agency can organise it on site, Kolonell cannot).

What do Taipei agencies, freelancers and Kolonell charge?

The ranges below are prudent ballparks, not official figures. They draw on public rate cards of Taiwanese digital agencies, minimum project sizes listed on Clutch.co profiles of agencies in Taipei, hourly rates published by local studios (often 1 500 to 3 000 TWD per hour, roughly 47 to 94 USD) and rates visible on Upwork and Fiverr for Taiwan-based designers. Amounts are converted at about 32 TWD to the dollar and vary with the number of projects, languages and the level of animation.

Let us be straightforward: if your site only needs to exist in Traditional Chinese for local developers, a competent Taipei freelancer will often be the cheapest option, and a local agency will be closer to your clients. Kolonell is worth considering when English matters (international competitions, foreign developers, partners in Japan, Singapore or Hong Kong), when you want a single project manager and a fixed price, and when you want every access in your name. Payment is by bank transfer or Wise, 50 % at kickoff and 50 % at delivery. The team is based in Senegal (GMT), eight hours behind Taipei, so calls usually happen in your late afternoon or early evening, with a written update every week. Details are on our international website offer.

Which 3-year total cost should you compare?

A practice also pays for hosting, maintenance and new project pages as buildings are completed. The table assumes the same maintenance budget for each option, since Kolonell maintenance after the support period is quoted on request.

On this assumption, the freelancer and Kolonell end up close; the agency costs nearly twice as much. These figures structure a comparison, they do not predict your invoice.

What does each Kolonell tier include for an architecture firm?

An extranet for sharing drawings with clients, or a custom project database, is a custom application quoted on request. Ongoing search work is also quoted on request.

What does a Taipei architecture practice need online?

Taipei practices work on urban renewal schemes, residential towers for local developers, social housing programmes, interiors and, for some, competitions across East and Southeast Asia. Developers and foreign partners judge the practice on its images and on how clearly each project is explained:

• Project pages with facts: location (Da'an, Xinyi, Neihu, Beitou...), programme, floor area, status, role of the firm, credits for partners.
• Image rights checked: architectural photographers usually grant a licence; confirm it covers web use and social media before publishing.
• Exact qualifications: the architect profession is regulated in Taiwan under the Architect Act, so licences and titles should appear exactly as held, without overstating the role of non-licensed staff.
• Two languages kept in sync: Traditional Chinese for local clients, English for international ones. Kolonell writes the English; the Chinese is supplied by your team or quoted separately.
• Fast mobile pages, because many first contacts come from LINE or Instagram links opened on a phone.

On data, contact forms collect personal data covered by Taiwan's Personal Data Protection Act: keep the form short and state how enquiries are used. WCAG 2.1 AA remains a sound technical reference for accessibility. This is not legal advice.

Which red flags should you watch in quotes?

• A price with no list of pages and projects to be uploaded.
• A domain or hosting account in the supplier's name.
• English produced by machine translation with no review, on a site meant for international juries.
• Photos used without checking the photographer's licence.
• A maintenance contract you cannot leave, or no export of your content.

Mini case study

Illustrative example. Kevin L., partner at an eight-person practice in Da'an working on urban renewal and competitions in Japan and Singapore, compares three offers. A Taipei agency quotes 480 000 TWD (about 15 000 USD) for a bilingual site in 10 weeks. A freelancer quotes 120 000 TWD (about 3 750 USD) for a Chinese-only site, and an English copywriter would add about 1 500 USD. Kolonell proposes Growth at 4 900 USD with native English copy, and Kevin's team translates the Chinese pages in house, an internal cost he estimates at 1 000 USD.

Totals: 15 000 USD with the agency, 5 250 USD with the freelancer and copywriter, 5 900 USD with Kolonell. The gap with the freelancer is 650 USD. Kevin chooses Kolonell for the single point of contact and the English written for juries, and keeps the agency option for a future multi-site group site.

FAQ

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

As a ballpark, 150 000 to 800 000 TWD with a local agency (about 4 700 to 25 000 USD) and 40 000 to 150 000 TWD with a freelancer. Kolonell charges a fixed 2 900, 4 900 or 8 900 USD.

Is Kolonell cheaper than a Taipei freelancer?

Not always. For a Chinese-only site, a freelancer at around 100 000 TWD is often cheaper; Kolonell becomes competitive when you add native English copy, which freelancers often bill at 1 000 to 1 500 USD.

Can you build the Traditional Chinese version?

The Chinese texts are supplied by your firm or quoted separately. Kolonell integrates them in the same structure as the English pages, and the bilingual FR/EN option starts at Premium, 8 900 USD.

How does the time difference work?

Taipei is eight hours ahead of the team. Calls are scheduled at a time that suits you, often around 16:00 to 19:00 in Taipei, and a written update arrives every week during the 3 to 4 week project.

How does payment work?

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

Let's scope your project. Send us your list of projects, the languages you need and your image library, 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.