Honest comparison

How we stack up against the alternatives.

DIY builders are cheap but leave you doing the work. Agencies are great but cost five figures and take weeks. Freelancers are hit-or-miss. We're the third path — and we built this page so you can decide for yourself.

DIY BuildersWix, Squarespace, etc.
yoursiteisdoneTailored & supported
FreelancerHit-or-miss
Upfront cost
$0 – $200
$25
$1,500 – $4,500
Recurring cost
$15 – $45/mo
$50 – $99/mo
Hosting only ($10–25/mo)
Year-1 total (typical)
$300 – $700
$625 – $1,213
$1,650 – $4,800
Time to live
Weekends of fighting
Same day
2–6 weeks
You build it?
Yes — that's the catch
No — we do
No — they do
Tailored to your brand
Theme + tweaks
100% custom
100% custom
Edits later
DIY only
Included, ongoing
Hourly billing or ghosted
Hosting + SSL
Bundled in plan
Included
Your problem
Backups
Automatic
Daily, retained 30 days
Your problem
If they disappear?
Big Co. doesn't disappear
You own your domain & content; everything portable
Risk — common
Cancel anytime
Yes
Yes — site comes down, fair
Project ends; you keep code
When each one is right

Honest tradeoffs.

Pick a DIY builder if…

You enjoy spending your weekend in a page editor, you don't mind the site looking like a theme, and you'd rather pay less than have someone do the work for you. Plenty of small businesses thrive on Squarespace.

Pick yoursiteisdone if…

You want a site that actually looks like your business, you don't want to learn a page builder, and you want someone on the hook for keeping it alive. The middle path between DIY and agency.

Pick a freelancer if…

You have a complex one-off (custom integrations, a specific developer in mind), you don't need ongoing edits, and you're fine quarterbacking the project yourself. Great when the relationship works.

Pick an agency if…

You're a larger business with a six-figure marketing budget, you need a discovery process, and you want a strategic partner — not just a website. They earn their fees when the scope is large.

Still not sure?

Start the intake form. We'll write back within a day with a recommendation — even if it's "you should hire someone else."

Start your site