Private or international school website cost in Montreux: local agencies vs Kolonell (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

In Montreux and along the Vaud Riviera, a private or international school website, often for a boarding school recruiting from dozens of countries, costs 15 000 to 45 000 CHF with a local agency as a 2026 order of magnitude, video and English version included. Kolonell delivers a bilingual FR/EN site for 8 200 CHF in Premium, or a single-language site for 2 700 or 4 500 CHF, with native copywriting and a fixed price, but no on-site filming. For a boarding school, the useful comparison is the total three-year cost and the quality of the admissions journey for families who may never visit the campus before enrolling.

This version is written for the English-speaking heads and admissions teams of private and international schools in Montreux; the French version is the reference, with the same figures.

How much does a Riviera school website cost by supplier?

These ranges are cautious orders of magnitude. They rely on public price lists from Riviera and Lausanne agencies, on minimum project sizes visible on Clutch.co, on hourly rates published by French-speaking Swiss agencies (commonly 120 to 200 CHF per hour) and on rates shown on Malt. High-end boarding schools often commission campus films, and that is where local quotes climb.

Kolonell is paid by bank transfer or Wise, 50 % at kickoff and 50 % on delivery. A project manager reachable in your time zone schedules Google Meet calls at the school's convenience and sends a written update every week; the team works from Senegal (GMT), one to two hours behind Montreux. Packages are detailed on our international offer page.

What budget should a boarding school plan over three years?

A boarding school updates its site every year: summer camps, new activities, the admissions calendar, job ads for houseparents and teachers. The table assumes identical maintenance on both sides over 30 months, since Kolonell maintenance after the 6 months of Premium support is quoted on request.

These amounts frame the discussion; they do not predict your invoice. Have every supplier fill in this table, film included.

What a Montreux school website has to cover

The Riviera is home to boarding schools, international day schools and hospitality schools, with a highly international clientele and families who often decide remotely. The site has to do the work of a first visit:

• School sections and boarding: ages, full-year or termly stays, evening and weekend supervision, rooms, catering.
• The programmes actually offered (IB, IGCSE and A-Levels, Swiss maturité, a bilingual track), without suggesting an accreditation the school does not hold; CIS, IB World School or NEASC should only appear once obtained.
• Fees, published or explained, with the extras (boarding, trips, uniforms).
• An admissions calendar handling the late-August start and January entries, plus summer camps, often the first step towards full-year enrolment.
• A virtual tour and a film, embedded by Kolonell but shot by a local provider.
• Other languages for families from Asia, the Gulf or Latin America: supplied by the school or quoted separately.

On compliance, the revised Swiss FADP (nLPD) has been in force since 1 September 2023. Boarding registration files quickly involve sensitive data (health, allergies): that belongs in the school's admissions tool, not in the first-contact form. Pupil photos require written parental consent and a withdrawal process. Families living in the European Union add the GDPR question. WCAG 2.1 AA is the technical reference. This is not legal advice.

Which questions should you ask before signing?

• Who writes the English, and is it written by a native speaker or translated word for word?
• Is the film included in the price, and are broadcast rights assigned to the school?
• Are the domain and hosting in the school's name?
• How does the site connect to the admissions software already in use?
• Can summer camp pages be updated without a full new quote?
• What happens at the end of the maintenance contract?

Mini case study

Illustrative example. Laurent M., admissions director at a 180-pupil boarding school above Montreux, compares two offers. The agency proposes 32 000 CHF for the bilingual site, plus 3 000 CHF for a film. With Kolonell Premium at 8 200 CHF, a Riviera videographer at 3 000 CHF and 1 600 CHF to translate a summary page into Chinese and Arabic, the total is 12 800 CHF against 35 000 CHF, a 22 200 CHF difference. Laurent keeps the coordination of filming and translations, which needs one point person for four to six weeks.

FAQ

Does Premium really cover both French and English?

Yes, the Premium package at 8 200 CHF includes a bilingual FR/EN site written by native speakers. Starter and Growth are single-language.

Can you film the campus?

No, Kolonell does not film on site. On the Riviera, budget roughly 2 000 to 6 000 CHF for a local videographer, whom we brief and whose footage we embed.

How do we handle summer camp registrations?

The site presents the camps and links to the registration tool chosen by the school, integrated from Growth at 4 500 CHF. A custom registration platform is an application quoted on request.

Should the site be translated into Chinese or Arabic?

Not necessarily in full: one summary page per language is often enough for first contact. These translations are supplied by the school or quoted separately.

What timeline for going live before January admissions?

Premium follows a written plan, usually 4 to 6 weeks. Starting in early October leaves time for filming and approvals.

Let's scope your project. Send us your school sections, languages and admissions calendar, and we will come back with a fixed-price package and a 3 to 6 week plan. Request your free quote or see the international offer.