The verdict in three sentences
In Brussels, a venture-funded startup's marketing website costs, as a 2026 ballpark, 10 000 to 45 000 EUR excluding VAT at an agency and 3 000 to 10 000 EUR with a freelancer, while Kolonell delivers a fixed scope for 2 700 EUR, 4 500 EUR or 8 200 EUR. After a funding round, the site serves three audiences at once: customers, candidates and investors for the next round; compare quotes on those three journeys, not on the homepage animation. Kolonell builds the marketing site; the product platform or app is a separate project, quoted on request.
This version is written for the English-speaking founders of funded startups in Brussels; the figures and tables are the same as in the French version.
What do Brussels agencies, freelancers and Kolonell charge?
The ranges are prudent 2026 orders of magnitude, based on public rate cards of Brussels agencies, minimum project sizes shown on Clutch.co profiles, hourly rates published by Belgian agencies (often 75 to 130 EUR per hour excluding VAT) and rates visible on Malt and Upwork.
| Criterion | Brussels agency | Brussels freelancer | Kolonell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build cost, 2026 ballpark | 10 000 to 45 000 EUR excl. VAT | 3 000 to 10 000 EUR | 2 700 EUR / 4 500 EUR / 8 200 EUR, fixed |
| Hour outside scope | Often 75 to 130 EUR | Often 45 to 85 EUR | Quoted before any work |
| Usual timeline | 8 to 14 weeks | 4 to 10 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks, Premium usually 4 to 6 |
| Product page copywriting | Often extra | Rarely | Native French or English, included |
| Languages | FR, NL, EN often offered | Varies | Bilingual FR/EN in Premium, Dutch supplied or quoted separately |
| Team photo shoot | Often offered | Sometimes | No: your images or a local photographer |
| Domain and access ownership | Check the contract | Check | Domain in your name, all access handed over |
To be honest: a good Brussels freelancer can deliver a site with one product page and one careers page for the price of our Starter tier, or less. What Kolonell adds: a project manager reachable at your hour, native copywriting that turns your deck into clear pages, a fixed price and a handover of all access. The team is based in Senegal (GMT), which means 1 hour of difference in winter and 2 hours in summer: Google Meet calls happen at your hour, with a written update every week. Details are on our international offer.
What is the total cost over three years?
Kolonell maintenance after the support period is quoted on request, so we use the same maintenance assumption on both sides.
| Item over 36 months | Brussels agency (mid range) | Kolonell Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Website build | 22 000 EUR excl. VAT | 4 500 EUR |
| Product and use case copywriting | Often extra, 2 500 EUR | Included |
| Maintenance (same assumption) | 130 EUR per month over 33 months, 4 290 EUR | 4 290 EUR, quoted on request |
| 3 pages added after the next round | 10 hours at 100 EUR, 1 000 EUR | Quoted beforehand, assumption 900 EUR |
| Founder portraits | 600 EUR | Local photographer booked separately, 600 EUR |
| Indicative total | about 30 390 EUR | about 10 290 EUR |
These figures support the comparison of quotes; they do not predict your invoice.
What does a funded startup in Brussels need online?
The Brussels ecosystem has its own features. Some young companies work close to the European institutions (regulatory technology, tools for public policy), others in fintech, digital health, climate or B2B software. Many hire international profiles and publish in English first, while their first Belgian customers expect French or Dutch. Regional players such as hub.brussels or Innoviris support or fund some projects under their own criteria: your site should mention public support only if it is real and authorised.
| Item | Starter 2 700 EUR | Growth 4 500 EUR | Premium 8 200 EUR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product pages | Value proposition and one product page | One page per key feature and use case | Full structure by customer segment |
| Investor page | Team block and contact | Dedicated page: team, market, press | Dedicated page with downloadable media kit |
| Careers page | One page | Page with openings and team culture | Openings, culture and hiring journey |
| Pricing of the offer (if SaaS) | Simple table | Plan comparison table | Comparison table and FAQ per plan |
| Demo request | Link to your tool (Calendly or similar) | Form sorted by company size | Journey by segment and language |
| Bilingual FR/EN site | No | No | Included |
| Support after launch | 3 months | 3 months | 6 months |
Dutch and German are supplied by you or quoted separately. A customer dashboard, the app or a private investor area are custom applications, quoted on request, as is ongoing search engine work.
Compliance, factually. GDPR applies, supervised in Belgium by the Data Protection Authority: minimal forms, a privacy policy, cookie consent without pre-ticked boxes. Belgian law requires online service providers to display company identification details, including the company number: check the list with your adviser. The European Accessibility Act, applicable since 28 June 2025, targets certain consumer-facing services, with an exemption for service microenterprises; if your product is aimed at the general public, check your position. WCAG 2.1 AA remains the technical reference. Display no round amount, investor name or metric without written approval. This is not legal advice.
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Which red flags should you spot in a quote?
- The quote mixes marketing site and product without separating the two budgets.
- Your team cannot publish a job opening or an article without going back to the agency.
- The domain or hosting is in the agency's name.
- Growth figures are suggested without validation by founders and investors.
- No line on translations while you target Brussels and Flanders.
- A 12-week timeline while your next round or trade fair is approaching.
Mini case study
Illustrative example. Élodie V. is co-founder and CEO of a 9-person B2B startup in Ixelles that sells emissions tracking software to SMEs. After a seed round, she must hire 4 people and prepare the next round. A Brussels agency quotes a trilingual FR/NL/EN site at 28 000 EUR excluding VAT over 12 weeks. She compares it with Kolonell Premium at 8 200 EUR, bilingual FR/EN included, and hands Dutch to a freelance translator for 1 200 EUR. With the same maintenance assumption of 4 200 EUR over 30 months on both sides, the indicative total is about 32 200 EUR for the agency and 13 600 EUR for Kolonell, a gap of about 18 600 EUR, the equivalent of several months of a first junior sales hire's salary according to public pay scales. The site is delivered in 4 to 6 weeks, before her investor meetings.
FAQ
Can Kolonell also build our product?
The tiers at 2 700, 4 500 and 8 200 EUR cover the marketing site. An app, a customer dashboard or a platform are custom projects, quoted on request after a scoping call.
Do we need a Dutch version in Brussels?
It depends on your customers: if you sell in Flanders, yes. Bilingual FR/EN is included in Premium; Dutch is supplied by you or quoted separately, often 800 to 1 500 EUR of translation for a 10-page site as a ballpark.
Can we publish job openings ourselves?
The quote defines which sections your team edits on its own, job openings and articles first. 3 months of support are included, 6 in Premium.
How fast can we be live before a funding round?
3 to 4 weeks in Starter and Growth, 4 to 6 weeks in Premium with a written schedule at kickoff. The clock starts when your core content arrives.
How does payment work?
By bank transfer or Wise, 50% at kickoff and 50% at delivery. The domain stays in your name and all access is handed over.
Let's scope your project. Send us your deck, your open roles and your target languages: we reply with a fixed-price tier and delivery in 3 to 4 weeks. Request your free quote or see the international offer.
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.