Quick answer
Website maintenance in Canada costs anywhere from nothing out of pocket if you do it yourself, to $100 to $300 a month on a typical agency retainer, to $297 a month on the BuildSites Website plan with no upfront build cost. The BuildSites plan includes hosting, SSL, uptime monitoring every minute, security updates within 24 hours, nightly backups kept 30 days and unlimited edits. Prices are in USD, plus applicable taxes.
TorontoFor small businesses in North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, East York, Downtown and the Beaches, keeping a site maintained is often the part that gets skipped after launch. We look after sites across Toronto, with monitoring running every minute and edits going live the same day. We work with you by video and on site where it helps.
What does website maintenance cost in Canada?
It depends on who does the work. DIY costs time rather than money. A freelancer or agency retainer runs from a few hundred to several hundred dollars a month.
The BuildSites Website plan is $297 a month with no upfront fee, and maintenance is included in that price.
Website maintenance covers hosting, security updates, backups, uptime monitoring and content edits, everything a site needs to stay online and current after launch.
What are the four main options for website upkeep?
Canadian small business owners typically choose one of four paths: do it themselves, hire a freelancer on demand, pay an agency retainer, or have it included in a monthly plan.
| Option | Typical monthly cost (USD) | Who does the work | What is covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY | $0 cash, your time | You | Whatever you remember to do |
| Freelancer | Varies, billed per task | Freelancer on request | Tasks you ask for, when you ask |
| Agency retainer | Typically $100 to $300 a month | Agency team | Defined scope per contract |
| BuildSites Website plan | $297 a month, $0 upfront | BuildSites | Hosting, SSL, monitoring every minute, security updates within 24 hours, nightly backups kept 30 days, unlimited edits |
The agency retainer range above is a typical Canadian market range. It does not include the upfront build cost, which typically runs $2,500 to $8,000 for a Toronto agency, bringing the first-year total to $5,200 to $11,600.
Is doing it yourself a realistic option?
It is realistic if you have the time and the technical comfort to log in regularly, apply updates and test that nothing broke.
The cost is not money but hours. Security patches, plugin updates and backup checks need attention on a schedule, not just when something looks wrong. A missed update is often how a site gets exploited or goes offline without warning.
DIY also means no one is watching the site at night. Uptime monitoring every minute is not something you can replicate by checking manually.
What does a BuildSites plan include each month?
Every plan includes hosting, SSL, uptime monitoring every minute, security updates within 24 hours, nightly backups kept 30 days and unlimited edits. There is no separate maintenance fee and no per-edit cost.
$0 upfront means the first payment is due the day the site goes live, with no design, build or setup fee.
The domain is about $20 a year and stays in your name. Text messaging for automations, if you add the Automation plan, is billed by the provider at typically $20 to $40 a month.
For a deeper look at what each of those items does day to day, see website care plans explained.
Compare plans for your site
Use the plan picker below to see which BuildSites option fits your budget and what is covered each month.
Pick a planHow do BuildSites plan costs compare over a full year?
The Website plan comes to $3,564 in the first year, with no upfront cost. A typical Toronto agency site costs $5,200 to $11,600 in the first year once you add the build fee and the monthly retainer.
| Plan | Monthly cost (USD, plus taxes) | First-year total |
|---|---|---|
| Website plan | $297 | $3,564 |
| Automation plan | $297 | Quoted separately |
| Website and automation combined | $445 | Saves $149 a month vs. separate plans |
Plans run on a 12-month term, then continue month to month. You can cancel with 30 days' notice after the term. Remaining months are due on early cancellation. Prices are in USD, plus applicable taxes.
See the full breakdown on the pricing page, or read how web design in Toronto is priced if you are still at the build stage.
What happens to a site with no maintenance plan?
Without regular updates, a site falls behind, and eventually a conflict, an exploit or an expired certificate takes it offline. The owner usually finds out from a customer, not from a monitoring alert.
Read why websites go down at 3 AM for a real example of what monitoring catches before customers do.
Next step
Talk through your maintenance costs
On a 20-minute call, a BuildSites advisor will walk through what your site currently costs to maintain, what is missing and which plan covers it.
Questions we get asked
Does website maintenance cost extra with BuildSites?
No. Every plan includes hosting, SSL, uptime monitoring every minute, security updates within 24 hours, nightly backups kept 30 days and unlimited edits. The $297-a-month Website plan covers all of it from day one.
Are prices in US dollars?
Yes. All BuildSites prices are in USD, plus applicable taxes. There is no USD pricing.
Can I cancel my plan if my needs change?
Plans run on a 12-month term. After that they continue month to month at the same price, and you can cancel with 30 days' notice. If you cancel during the 12-month term, the remaining months are due. The domain, content and your accounts are yours from day one.
What is not included in the monthly plan?
Online stores, customer portals and custom software are quoted separately after a call. Text messaging for automations is billed by the provider, typically $20 to $40 a month. Paid advertising budgets are yours.
Next step
Talk to us about your business
A 20-minute call. We'll tell you what we'd build, how long it takes and what it costs. Toronto, the GTA and Montréal.