If you’re a marketing or branding agency being asked for web design work you don’t have the in-house team to deliver, white labeling is usually cheaper and faster than hiring — but the pricing structures aren’t always transparent. Here’s what agencies actually pay, and what should be included at each price point.
How White Label Pricing Works
Most white label web design partners price one of three ways:
- Per-project, wholesale pricing. You get a fixed price per website build, marked up to your client at whatever rate you choose. This is the most common structure and the easiest to budget against.
- Retainer/ongoing. A fixed monthly fee for a set volume of work — makes sense if you’re delivering web projects consistently rather than occasionally.
- Revenue share. Less common for web design specifically, more typical for hosting/maintenance add-ons.
For most agencies, per-project wholesale pricing is the simplest starting point.
Typical Wholesale Pricing by Project Type
Project Type | Typical Wholesale Cost |
Brochure site (5–8 pages, custom design) | $3,500–$6,500 |
Mid-complexity site (booking, lead forms, CMS) | $6,500–$12,000 |
E-commerce build | $9,000–$18,000+ |
Enterprise / custom integrations | $18,000+ |
Agencies typically mark these up 30–50% to their end client, which is where the “40% margins” figure commonly cited in white-label partnerships comes from — a healthy, sustainable markup that still leaves room to be competitive against agencies building in-house.
What Should Be Included at Any Price Point
- NDA-backed confidentiality — your white label partner should never be discoverable by your client. Confirm this is contractual, not just a verbal assurance.
- Client-ready communication — your partner should be able to produce reports, documentation, and updates formatted for you to pass straight to your client, or to join calls under your brand if needed.
- Clear ownership — confirm who owns the code, hosting, and domain once the project is delivered. This should be spelled out before the first project starts, not negotiated after.
- Realistic timelines — a partner quoting dramatically faster turnaround than the market average on a complex build is a red flag, not a selling point.
Red Flags When Evaluating a White Label Partner
- No written NDA, or an NDA that isn’t specific about non-disclosure to your clients
- Pricing that seems too good to be true relative to the table above — usually means corners get cut on QA or design customization
- No clear escalation path if a project runs into technical problems
- Vague answers about who actually does the work (your own agency’s reputation is on the line with every delivery)
What This Looks Like With Allusive Digital
We work with 50+ agencies across the USA, Canada, and Australia under NDA-protected, white-labeled delivery — you keep the client relationship and the brand, we handle design, development, and SEO delivery to your standard. Request our capability deck →
How much does white label web design cost?
Wholesale pricing typically ranges from $3,500 for a simple brochure site to $18,000+ for enterprise or e-commerce builds, before your agency’s markup to the end client.
What margin do agencies typically make on white label web design?
Most agencies mark up wholesale pricing 30–50%, commonly landing around 40% margin once overhead is accounted for.
Is my client confidentiality actually protected?
It should be — confirm your white label partner offers a written NDA specifically covering non-disclosure to your clients, not just a general confidentiality clause.
Do I need a retainer, or can I pay per project?
Most agencies starting out use per-project pricing. A retainer only makes sense once you have consistent, predictable project volume.