Articles & guides

Costs & Comparisons

Before you pay for a website, compare the real numbers: builder plans and their renewals, hidden fees, one-time vs monthly pricing, freelancer vs agency, and who should own your domain and site. Each guide says when the cheaper option is the right one.

15 articles in this section

All Costs & Comparisons articles

Wix vs a Custom-Built Website for a Small Business: 2026 Prices, Limits, Ownership and a 3-Year Cost Comparison

Wix is the better choice if you need a simple site this week, have no budget for a developer and are happy to rent you...

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Squarespace vs a Custom Website in 2026: Design, Online Booking, Selling and the Real 3-Year Cost for Salons, Photographers, Restaurants and Contractors

Squarespace is the better choice for a design-led brand that wants a beautiful site fast and is happy inside its templ...

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WordPress vs a Custom-Coded Website for Small Business: Security, Speed and the Real Yearly Cost

For most small service businesses that need a fast site, a booking form and a few pages they can edit, a custom-coded...

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GoDaddy Website Builder (Airo) vs a Custom Website: 2026 Prices, Renewals, Limits and 3-Year Cost

GoDaddy's website builder, now powered by Airo AI, is fine for a very simple one-page presence you set up yourself in...

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Website Builder Hidden Costs: What Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy and Shopify Really Cost After Year One

The hidden costs of a website builder are rarely in the headline plan price. They show up as renewal rates after an in...

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Freelancer vs Web Design Agency vs Small Studio: Which Should a Small Business Hire in 2026?

Hire a freelancer when your site is simple, your budget is under around $5,000 and you can manage the project yourself...

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One-Time vs Monthly Website Fees: Which Costs Less Over 3 and 5 Years, and What Do You Actually Own?

Paying once almost always costs less over three to five years, as long as you own the finished site and can move it. M...

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Who Should Own My Website and Domain? What to Control, How to Check It, and What to Do If Your Designer Won't Let Go

You, the business, should own every account your website depends on: the domain, the hosting account, the website file...

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How to Switch Web Designers Without Losing Your Website, Email or Google Rankings

To switch web designers safely, take control of your accounts before you announce the change: the domain registrar log...

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Web Design Contract Red Flags: What to Check Before You Sign, and What a Fair Contract Looks Like

The biggest web design contract red flags are clauses that leave the designer owning your domain or code, a vague scop...

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Questions to Ask a Web Designer Before You Hire: 30 Questions, Good Answers and Red Flags

The best questions to ask a web designer cover eight things: their past work and process, who owns the site and domain...

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How Long Does It Take to Build a Website? Realistic Timelines by Type, Phase and What Slows It Down

A simple small business website usually takes 2 to 6 weeks from kickoff to launch, a service business site with online...

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15 DIY Website Mistakes That Stop Small Business Sites From Bringing In Customers (and How to Fix Each One)

Most DIY small business websites do not fail because of the platform. They fail because visitors cannot tell in five s...

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Do I Need a Website If I Have a Facebook Page? An Honest Comparison for Small Businesses

For most small businesses, yes: a Facebook or Instagram page is a good place to talk to existing fans, but it is a wea...

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How Much Does Website Maintenance Cost in 2026? A Line-by-Line Breakdown for Small Businesses

For most small businesses, website maintenance costs between about $10 and $500 a month in 2026, or roughly $120 to $6...

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