How much does a classifieds website cost, line by line.
How much does a classifieds website cost? Less than most people expect to build, and more than most expect to run. This guide lists every cost line of a custom build, a script on your own server and a hosted platform, then three real budgets for year one. On Yclas the software, hosting and updates are one price, from $19 a month.
Free for 15 days · No credit card · Yclas takes no commission
How much a classifieds website costs depends on how you build it.
There are three ways to get a classifieds site, and they put the money in different places. A custom build costs most up front. A script is cheap to buy and costs time to run. A hosted platform is a monthly fee with the running costs inside it.
| Way to build | Up front | Every month | Your time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom build by an agency | The largest cost: design, development and testing, quoted per project | Hosting, plus a developer for fixes and changes | Briefing, reviews, testing |
| Script on your own server | Free or a one-off licence, plus a theme and plugins | Server hosting, plugin renewals | Installing, updating, backups, security |
| Hosted platform (Yclas) | Nothing: a 15-day free trial | From $19, hosting and updates included | Running the site itself |
Classified website price, line by line.
These are the costs a classifieds site has whichever way you build it. The script column uses Osclass, the best known free classifieds script, as the example.
| Cost line | Script on your own server | Yclas |
|---|---|---|
| Domain name | About $10 to $20 a year for a .com, from any registrar | The same: you buy your domain and connect it |
| Software licence | Osclass core: free | Included in the plan |
| Hosting and SSL | A server you rent and maintain; free SSL with some set-up | Included |
| Theme | Free themes, or paid premium themes | 109 looks included |
| Payments plugin | Osclass Pay, €27.99 | Included: Stripe, PayPal and about 20 more |
| Other plugins | Paid per plugin; keeping updates and support costs 35% of the price each year at OsclassPoint | Included: maps, messaging, reviews, SEO, moderation |
| Custom work | OsclassPoint custom work service from €2,099.99, or a freelancer | Optional: our custom design team, fixed quote |
| Payment fees | Your payment provider's fee, e.g. Stripe's standard US rate of 2.9% + 30¢ per card payment | The same provider fee; Yclas adds no commission |
| Moderation | Your time, plus anti-spam plugins | Your time, with AI moderation included |
| Marketing | Whatever you choose to spend | Whatever you choose to spend |
Third-party prices as listed by their sellers in October 2026. Your domain, payment fees and marketing are extra on every option, including Yclas.
Yclas and Osclass compared in full →Three year-one budgets for a classifieds site on Yclas.
Real prices for twelve months, paid monthly. The domain is an estimate; payment fees only apply to money you take in, so they come out of revenue.
| Budget | Who it suits | Plan for 12 months | Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lean | A local or niche site finding its first sellers; up to 5,000 listings | Starter: $19 × 12 = $228 | A domain, about $10 to $20 |
| Growing | Dealers or agents with memberships, a multilingual site, bookings; up to 100,000 listings | Professional: $99 × 12 = $1,188 | A domain, and a marketing budget of your choice |
| Marketplace | Buy now, escrow and your commission on each sale; up to 300,000 listings | Marketplace: $149 × 12 = $1,788 | A domain, and optional custom design from our team |
Plan prices are today's monthly prices from the pricing page. Every plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee; custom design work is not covered by it.
See every plan →Pay for a custom build only for what makes you different.
A custom classifieds site pays off when the way your market trades is unlike any other: an unusual checkout, a regulated process, a deep link to an internal system. For everything else (listings, search, accounts, messages, payments, moderation, SEO) you would be paying to rebuild what a platform already does.
A middle way is to start on a platform and pay only for the custom part: a design of your own, a new field type, an integration. Our team quotes that as a fixed price before work starts.
Custom design and development →
Five ways to keep the cost of a classifieds site down.
- Start on the smallest planStarter: up to 5,000 listings. Move up when you need to.
- Use what is includedTemplates, payments, maps and moderation before any custom work.
- Choose OpenStreetMapMaps with no API bill.
- Charge when there is trafficPaid extras pay the plan once buyers arrive.
- Market where sellers already areGroups, clubs and dealers cost less than ads.
How much does a classifieds website cost?
On a hosted platform like Yclas, from $19 a month ($228 for a year) plus your domain. With a free script, the software is free but hosting, premium plugins and your time are not. A custom build costs the most up front.
What does it cost to build a classifieds site from scratch?
A custom build is quoted per project and depends on how many features you need; listings, search, accounts, messaging, payments and moderation are each real work. Ask two or three agencies for fixed quotes and include a year of maintenance.
Is a free classifieds script really free?
The software is. You still pay for a server, a domain, often a premium theme and plugins with yearly renewals, and your time to install, update and back it up.
Does Yclas take a commission on my revenue?
No. You pay the plan price only. Payment providers such as Stripe and PayPal charge their own fees on payments you take.
Are there setup fees?
No. You can start with the 15-day free trial with no credit card, and the plan price is all you pay to Yclas unless you order custom design work.
What is extra on Yclas?
Your domain name, your payment provider's fees, a Google Maps key if you choose Google over OpenStreetMap, custom design if you want it, and your marketing.
Can I get a refund?
Yes. Every plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee. Custom design and development work is not covered.
Related pages.
The parts of Yclas this leans on.
Find out what your site costs by building it.
Fifteen days free, no credit card. If you choose a plan, the price on the pricing page is the price you pay.
Start my classifieds site
Photo credits
The screenshots show demo sites with made-up sellers. Their photos come from Wikimedia Commons, some cropped or with signs and plates blurred; these ones are under Creative Commons licences:
- Modern house exterior with red roof and landscaped garden under clear blue sky, CC BY 2.0
- Furnished apartment in Cambridge, December 2008, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Front lawn at Holehird - geograph.org.uk - 2046271, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Terraced houses on Walton Street - geograph.org.uk - 5233085, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Stone Cottage, Watnall, CC BY-SA 2.0
- View of the "Lost Dining Table and Chairs" in Eltham Palace - geograph.org.uk - 5797282, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Mountain's chalet in summer, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Monument, bench and flowers at Akureyri Botanical Gardens, CC BY 3.0
- Building plot - geograph.org.uk - 6532306, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Mid Devon , Countryside ^ Farmland - geograph.org.uk - 1953042, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Industrial unit on the Coppi Industrial Park - geograph.org.uk - 4974502, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Burnham Yacht Harbour Marina - geograph.org.uk - 7039536, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Office Chairs at Long Table conference, CC BY 2.0
- Toyota Prius (XW60) Plug-in Hybrid IMG 9905, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ford Mustang Mach-E GT IAA 2021 1X7A0176, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 1928 Alvis Front Wheel Drive (17355318404), CC BY 2.0
- Red Vespa scooter in front of Rocca Maggiore, Assisi, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Car alternator on a workbench surrounded by various auto parts in a garage setting, CC BY 2.0