What are the best web design agencies in the Netherlands?

There isn't one best web design agency in the Netherlands: the right agency depends on what your website needs to do, how big your organization is and what budget you have. According to Knab, freelance designers in the Netherlands charge €72 an hour on average in 2026, excluding VAT. Agencies usually work with a project price. So compare two or three agencies of the type that suits you, on the same scope.

In short

• Ten Dutch web design agencies, grouped by who they serve, not by score: larger organizations, growing brands and design-led studios.

• A beautiful portfolio says something about taste. Whether an agency suits you, you only hear when you ask what it does before design begins and who works on your project.

• Make sure your domain name, your website and your accounts are in your name, whoever you choose.

Not sure which kind of agency suits you? Bring your wishes or your quotes to a free call, and we'll tell you honestly which kind of agency fits your website.

Search for "best web design agency" and you'll mostly find lists written by agencies themselves, with the writer at the top. That's marketing, and that's fine. It just doesn't help you much when you're about to spend a real budget on a new website and want to know who really suits you.

That's why we made our own list, without scores and without a number one. I've seen €15,000 websites that don't convert, so a bigger budget or a better-known name isn't the answer in itself. What counts is whether an agency fits where you are now and what your website needs to do: build trust, bring in enquiries, sell products, or tell a story people remember.

Before you read on

We wrote this list. Design by Karina is on it too, so read it with that in mind. For each agency, we only wrote down what it shows on its own website, and every source is at the bottom, so you can check everything yourself.

What does a web design agency do in terms of graphic design?

A web design agency designs and builds websites for businesses and organizations. With a good agency, that doesn't start with colors and fonts, but with the question of what your website needs to do and for whom. Only then come the structure, the design and the build, because otherwise you make something beautiful that doesn't help anyone. Once that foundation is right, colors, typography and consistent styles do matter for readability, recognition and standing out from the competition. In our work, we first decide what a website needs to say, and only then how it looks.

What's in a project differs per agency, but these are the steps you'll almost always come across:

• Strategy and briefing. Who are your visitors, what do they want to know and what should they do? A good brief writes that down before anything is designed.

• Structure. A sitemap with the pages and a wireframe per page, a simple sketch of what goes where. This is where you see early on whether the order is right, and changing it is still cheap. So prepare the content before you start designing.

• Design. The visual side (UI) and how easily people find their way (UX): typography, color, images and a clear order on every page, mobile first. Responsive design makes sure a website works well on every device. Visual elements like illustrations support that story, as long as they fit the structure and ease of use. Clear call-to-action buttons, simplicity and white space help strengthen ease of use and effectiveness.

• Copy. Some agencies write it, others help you with it, and some expect you to supply it. Ask up front, because copy is often what a project ends up waiting for.

• Development. The build on a platform, like WordPress, Framer, Webflow, or Shopify for a webshop, with the basics for findability, speed and accessibility. Accessibility also matters here for users with different disabilities, and a fast loading time helps you keep visitors. Some website builders also offer built-in SEO tools, customizable meta tags per web page and server-side rendering.

• Launch and after. Testing, going live, teaching you how to edit copy yourself, and maintenance or further development if you want it.

Effective web design often relies on recurring design principles, and a fixed style guide helps you keep that line.

Web design and web development are often used interchangeably, but they're two sides of the same work: the design decides what you see and how it works, the development turns it into a working website, although you can also hire a web developer if you don't have that technical knowledge. Want to know more? Read What is website design?

How we chose these web design agencies

We only used criteria you can check yourself, because a list is only useful when you can see how it was made:

• Based in the Netherlands, with a Dutch address on their own website.

• Websites are a core part of the work, not only apps, campaigns or ads.

• Active in 2026, with a live website and work they show now.

• They show who they work for, with client names or projects on their own site.

What we didn't do: accept payment, honor requests for a spot, or score agencies on things we can't see, like how they run a project internally. We left out team sizes and review counts, because most figures online are estimates. Within each group, the agencies are in alphabetical order, and we're last in our group.

Three kinds of web design agencies

The agencies on this list are all good at what they do, they just don't all do the same thing. That's why they're in three groups, based on who they say they serve. Differences between agencies aren't only in scale or sector, but also in how they handle navigation, white space and interactions on the site. Good web design also helps you stand out from the competition, not just come across as more attractive. Minimalism and enough white space improve the user experience, and a user-friendly website increases conversion rates.

• For larger organizations and complex platforms. Museums, media, government and well-known brands, with many pages, many stakeholders and often an app or platform alongside the website.

• For growing brands and businesses. Business owners and brands taking a next step: a first professional website, a new version, a webshop, or someone who keeps improving after launch.

• Design-led studios for brand and experience. For when the brand and the first impression matter most, and the website is allowed to stand out. More on that in What is bold web design? Experience mustn't come at the cost of usability, because clear navigation increases usability and also helps conversion. Subtle micro-interactions can bring a website more to life and make buttons more visible, as long as the design stays clear.

These aren't ranks. A large agency isn't better than a studio, it's made for a different kind of project.

At a glance

Sources: the agencies' own websites, checked in November 2026. Agencies change, so check their site before you call.

01. Fabrique

Best for: Larger organizations, culture and retail that want strategy, design and development under one roof

Who they are. A Dutch agency for "strategic digital design", since 1992, with its head office in Amsterdam and a studio in Rotterdam next to Centraal Station. Fabrique is part of Eidra, as is Q42.

What they show. Strategy, design, development, service design and ecommerce, for clients including the Rijksmuseum, Lowlands, Independer, the HEMA app, Sir Hotels and the Cultuurfonds.

Ask them. Which project is most like ours in size, and which of you would work on it?

02. Level Level

Best for: Charities, media, culture and public organizations with an accessible WordPress website

Who they are. A Rotterdam agency that calls itself a "digitally accessible WordPress agency". According to its own site, it builds every platform to WCAG 2.2 AA and hosts the websites itself on Dutch servers.

What they show. Websites for clients including IFFR, Museum Rotterdam, Cordaid, Erasmus Magazine, Zuid-Hollands Landschap and Speakers Academy, with a way of working in sprints of three to four weeks, each with a live demo.

Ask them. How do you test accessibility before launch, and what can we keep up ourselves afterwards?

03. Q42

Best for: Organizations for which the website is one part of a larger digital product, like an app

Who they are. A digital product studio with offices in Amsterdam and Rotterdam that, according to its own site, "conceives, builds and scales" digital products, from idea to launch. Q42, like Fabrique, is part of Eidra.

What they show. Apps, websites and more, for clients including the Rijksmuseum (website), HEMA, PostNL, Philips Hue, KLM and Secrid.

Ask them. Do you see our website as a separate project, or as part of a larger product?

04. Antum

Best for: Businesses and organizations that want a custom WordPress website or WooCommerce webshop

Who they are. A WordPress specialist in Krimpen aan den IJssel, in the Rotterdam region, for "strategic websites, webshops and portals".

What they show. Custom WordPress websites and WooCommerce webshops, accessible websites, UX research and usability tests, and maintenance. Projects for clients including Mooi Overkapt, Barge Master, Krimpen Sportief and AeroChamber2Go.

Ask them. What can we change ourselves after launch, and what goes through your maintenance?

05. WeAreBrain

Best for: Startups and scale-ups that want a Framer website, alongside software or a platform

Who they are. An agency with its head office in Amsterdam and an office in Valencia that, alongside software and data, also builds websites in Framer. On its own site, it calls itself one of the few Framer agencies in Amsterdam.

What they show. Framer websites and Contentful, for startups, scale-ups and established brands in Europe, like ELP, GAIN, 2Fair, Annacare and My Tiny Stars.

Ask them. Who works on the website itself, and how does that fit with your other work for us? Still unsure whether Framer suits you? Read What is Framer?

06. Webfluencer

Best for: Brands that want branding, website, Shopify store and conversion from one agency

Who they are. A web design agency in Amsterdam, also in New York, for "multinationals, SMEs, the Dutch government and ambitious scale-ups".

What they show. Branding and positioning, websites, Shopify stores and conversion optimization, for clients including Red Wing, Balmain Hair, Filling Pieces, WOOOD, Lake Cycling and Canon Medical.

Ask them. Who leads the website design, and how does that connect to the branding?

07. Design by Karina

Best for: Business owners and brands who want strategy, UX and design worked out together, with the founder on the project

Who we are. A studio in Rotterdam that works with brands worldwide. We design and build Shopify stores for ambitious fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands, and Brand Sites in Framer for coaches, creative studios and service businesses. We decide what a website needs to say before we decide how it looks. We don't claim a partner tier.

What we show. Zourani: one store in Dutch, French and English, for two countries. VYOLA: size guidance and a considered ordering flow for made-to-measure body jewelry. Thereza Pedrosa Gallery: a store that works like a gallery, built around the artists. If you work with people instead of products, look at what a website for coaches needs.

Ask us. Who will I work with, and what do you decide before design begins?

08. Exo Ape

Best for: Brands in interiors, architecture and hospitality that want a website with a lot of experience

Who they are. A digital design studio in Roermond that works for brands worldwide and promises digital experiences with as much emotional impact as possible. Designers and developers work on a project together.

What they show. The studio works for brands in interior design and furniture, architecture and real estate, and hospitality and travel, and shows work for clients including Ottografie, Amaterasu, Cambium and Columbia Pictures.

Ask them. How do you keep a website with a lot of motion fast on a phone?

09. Momkai

Best for: Brands and organizations with a mission, where the story and the brand come first

Who they are. A strategic design agency in Amsterdam, for ambitious founders and organizations, as it describes itself.

What they show. Brands, platforms and online stores, like VanMoof's online flagship store, Bugaboo's digital flagship store, De Correspondent, Universiteit van Nederland and IDFA.

Ask them. Does a project with you start with the brand, or with the website?

10. Yummygum

Best for: Growing tech companies that want to align brand, website and platform

Who they are. An Amsterdam studio for growing tech companies, with design and development led by strategy, where brand, website and platform come together.

What they show. Brand strategy, creative direction, website design and motion, for clients including Treams, Studytube, Classroomscreen and Employes.

Ask them. How do you translate our product into a website a visitor understands in one go?

Web design agency, freelancer, or making a professional website yourself?

An agency isn't always the answer. What suits you depends on what your website needs to do and how much time you want to put in yourself. Even if you're considering making a website yourself, the barrier has come down: AI website builders can build a first version of a website within a few minutes and require no coding knowledge. Compared honestly:

JouwWeb claims you can make a website in 10 minutes or start from one sentence with its AI tool, while Canva says you can be live in under an hour. Wix also uses AI to create sites automatically and offers more than 900 free templates, while every JouwWeb site is automatically optimized for search engines. With builders like these, you can often make a first draft in a few clicks, fill different web pages and preview your site before you publish. Some builders offer a free domain or subdomain, but your own domain name usually looks more professional.

Many businesses do all three, at different moments. The question is which one fits the step you're at now.

What does a web design agency cost?

Most agencies don't publish prices, because every project is different. What you can find are freelancers' hourly rates, and they give you a good picture of what an hour of design or build work costs in the Netherlands:

Source: Knab, hourly rates of freelance designers and freelance web developers in 2026, based on the Knab freelancer hourly rate survey among more than 20,000 freelancers. Checked in November 2026.

A 40-hour project with an average freelance designer comes to about €2,880. Agencies usually work with a project price instead of hours, and that isn't automatically more expensive. What counts is what's in it: a strategy session, the copy, the number of pages, the feedback rounds and what happens after launch. So compare quotes on those points, not only on the amount: the size of the website, the number of pages, the structure, the type and the features have a big effect on the price. Some providers run a temporary offer, but mainly look at the standard rate after it ends and the payment terms. Monthly costs also count, like a domain name, hosting, a Framer subscription or a professional email address. So your own, unique domain name doesn't just cost money, it also makes your website more credible. We list everything in What does it cost to have a website made?

How do you choose the right web design agency?

First write down for yourself what your website needs to do, who your visitors are, which pages you think you need, what your budget is and which criteria decide whether the site really succeeds later. With that list, you can compare agencies on the same question, and you'll hear sooner who really understands you. These questions help in the first conversation, with any agency, on this list or not:

1. What do you do before design begins? Is there a brief, a sitemap, a plan for the copy? It helps to set concrete goals up front that you want to achieve.

2. Who will I work with? Who's on my project day to day, and who do I call when something goes wrong?

3. What exactly is in the quote? Which pages, how many feedback rounds, who writes the copy?

4. Which platform do you build on, and why that platform for us? An agency that always picks the same platform isn't choosing for you. Also discuss what they take into account around ease of use, clear navigation and loading speed, because a user-friendly website increases conversion rates and faster loading times improve the chance of conversion and customer satisfaction.

5. What can I change myself afterwards? Copy, photos, a new page?

6. Who owns the domain name, the website and the accounts? And what do I get if we stop working together?

7. What happens after launch? What does maintenance cost, and what's included?

8. Can I talk to a client with a project like mine?

These points make it easier to judge the effectiveness of the website later.

Red flags with a web design agency

None of these points mean an agency does bad work. They do mean you ask more questions before you sign:

• Your domain name isn't in your name. According to SIDN, which manages the .nl domains, only the registered holder may move a domain name to another provider. So have the domain name registered in your business's name, even if the agency arranges it for you.

• The website isn't in your account. Whether you choose WordPress, Framer or Shopify: ask whether the project is in your name, or whether you get full admin access and can take it over later.

• There's no written scope. If it isn't on paper which pages, rounds and copy are included, you're comparing quotes for different projects.

• Nobody can say who works on your project.

• A guarantee of the top spot on Google. Nobody decides the search results except Google itself.

• Hosting and maintenance can only go through the agency, without you knowing what you take with you if you ever want to switch.

Good to know in the Netherlands

KVK. Look the agency up in the trade register of the KVK, the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, so you know who you're signing an agreement with. The other way round, your own KVK number has to be on your website, as well as on your quotes and invoices. If you sell online, your VAT ID, your address and your contact details belong on the site too.

VAT. Web design falls under the standard Dutch VAT (btw) rate of 21%. Check for every quote whether the price is excluding or including VAT, so you compare the amounts fairly.

Terms and conditions. An agency has to give you its general terms and conditions before you sign the agreement, otherwise they probably don't apply. Read especially what they say about ownership of the design and the code, about payment and about cancelling.

GDPR (AVG). If the agency hosts or maintains your website, and personal data comes in there, for example through a contact form, then according to the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, the Dutch data protection authority, the agency is a processor. Then a data processing agreement (verwerkersovereenkomst) is needed. If you use tracking cookies, you need your visitors' consent beforehand, and refusing has to be just as easy.

In Belgium: there, you look a business up in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (KBO) instead of the KVK. If you work for Belgian customers, also ask whether the agency can make a website in Dutch and French.

Who we are and what we do

We're Design by Karina, a boutique Shopify agency in Rotterdam. We design and build strategy-led Shopify stores for ambitious fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands. Combining brand strategy, UX and thoughtful design, we create shopping experiences that turn what makes you different into a reason to choose you.

Ecommerce strategy

Who are your customers, what do they want to know, and what helps them choose your brand? We define the positioning, the customer journey and the structure of your store before design begins.

Shopify design

A store should feel unmistakably yours and work intuitively. We design Shopify stores around your brand, from the homepage to the product pages, and always mobile first.

Shopify development and migration

From a custom Shopify theme to migrating an existing store. Coming from WooCommerce or another platform? We help you with a clear plan for your store, your content and your customers' experience.

Conversion and retention

What customers need to see, understand and feel before they choose, from product pages to the emails after the sale.

Growth after launch

We look at how real visitors use your store, and also look at traffic and behavior to prioritize, step by step, what brings in the most, and we then follow performance, so you see which improvements have an effect on traffic and behavior.

Brand Sites

For coaches, creative studios and service businesses with something to say.

Why business owners choose us

• Strategy before pixels. Before we open a design file, we want to understand who buys from you and what those people need to see first.

• A background in product design. Before starting Design by Karina, I worked in product design at Uber, where I helped shape payment experiences for drivers.

• Fewer projects, more care. We work on a limited number of projects at a time, so I'm closely involved in every project.

• We say it straight. If another agency on this list, a freelancer or building it yourself suits you better right now, we'll tell you.

• Launch is the starting line. After launch, we keep improving your store based on what real visitors do.

More about how we make websites for service businesses is on our page about website design.

What does web design cost with us?

We build Brand Sites in Framer.

If you're moving your website or store from another platform, the migration comes as an add-on in your quote.

The short version

There's no best web design agency for everyone, only an agency that fits your website and the step you're at now: a larger agency for complex platforms, an agency for growing brands when you're taking a next step, a design-led studio when the brand and the experience come first. Whoever you choose: compare on the same scope, ask who does the work, and make sure your domain name and your website are in your name.

What we see with clients

When business owners come to us for a new website, the conversation almost always starts with how it should look. It soon turns to something else: what does someone need to understand before they get in touch or buy something? That answer often isn't written down anywhere yet, and that's where the first part of our work goes. It also helps if you look at other agencies too, because then three quotes show how each answers the same question.

Sources

• Fabrique, fabrique.nl, fabrique.nl/cases and fabrique.nl/contact, checked in November 2026

• Level Level, level-level.com and level-level.com/wordpress, checked in November 2026

• Q42, q42.nl, checked in November 2026

• Antum, antum.nl, checked in November 2026

• WeAreBrain, wearebrain.com and wearebrain.com/framer-agency, checked in November 2026

• Webfluencer, webfluencer.nl, checked in November 2026

• Exo Ape, exoape.com and exoape.com/studio, checked in November 2026

• Momkai, momkai.com and momkai.com/work, checked in November 2026

• Yummygum, yummygum.com and yummygum.com/services, checked in November 2026

• Knab, hourly rate of freelance designers 2026, bieb.knab.nl/ondernemen/wat-verdient-een-designer-zzp-bekijk-uurtarief-en-winst, checked in November 2026

• Knab, hourly rate of freelance web developers 2026, bieb.knab.nl/ondernemen/wat-verdient-een-web-developer-zzp-bekijk-uurtarief-en-winst, checked in November 2026

• KVK, the KVK number: good to know, kvk.nl/over-het-handelsregister/kvk-nummer-alles-wat-je-moet-weten, checked in November 2026

• KVK Ondernemersplein, rules for selling online, ondernemersplein.kvk.nl/regels-voor-online-verkoop, checked in November 2026

• KVK Ondernemersplein, general terms and conditions, ondernemersplein.kvk.nl/algemene-voorwaarden, checked in November 2026

• Belastingdienst, VAT rates and exemptions, belastingdienst.nl, checked in November 2026

• Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, controller and processor, autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/nl/onderwerpen/algemene-informatie-avg/verantwoordelijke-en-verwerker, checked in November 2026

• Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, Cookies, autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/en/themes/internet-and-smart-devices/cookies, checked in November 2026

• SIDN, Registering a domain name, sidn.nl/en/nl-domain-name/registering-a-domain-name, checked in November 2026