Most owners start by comparing Wix and Squarespace, then wonder whether paying someone is worth it. The honest answer is that each option suits a different owner. This guide compares them on what actually matters: cost over time, how long it takes, search visibility and how much of the work lands on you.
Wix and Squarespace in plain terms
Both are do-it-yourself website builders. You pick a template, drag in your content, connect a domain and publish. Plans typically run somewhere around $15–$50 a month depending on features, and online stores cost more. They are quick to start and fine for a simple site, but you are the designer, writer, tester and maintenance person.
Hiring a web designer
A designer or studio plans the pages, designs them around your business, writes or edits the copy, builds the site and sets up search basics. The cost is higher at the start, but you are not the one doing the work. Prices vary widely: freelancers often charge $1,000–$5,000 and agencies $5,000–$15,000 or more for the build, with hosting and later changes billed on top. Our own model is different: $1,950 a year covers design, hosting, SSL, backups, SEO basics and unlimited updates (fair use).
Side-by-side comparison
- Up-front cost: builders are lowest; a designer costs more on day one.
- Your time: a builder can take many evenings and weekends. A designer needs your input but does the building.
- Design quality: templates look tidy but similar to thousands of other sites. A designer fits the design to your offer and customer.
- SEO and speed: builders cover basics. A designer can control page structure, speed, schema and content strategy.
- Ongoing changes: on a builder you edit everything yourself. With a managed plan you send the change and it is done.
- Flexibility: builders have rules about layout and features. Custom work has fewer limits.
The three-year view
A builder at $30 a month is about $1,080 over three years, before premium add-ons, a logo, stock images and the value of your own hours. If setup and upkeep take you 40 hours in the first year and your time is worth $50 an hour, that is another $2,000. A managed yearly price looks different once your time is counted. Compare totals, not monthly sticker prices.
When a builder is the right call
- You need a simple one- to five-page site and enjoy learning the tool.
- The website is not your main source of customers.
- Budget is the only limit and you can invest the hours.
When to hire a designer
- You want the website to generate leads, bookings or sales.
- You compete with established businesses and need to look credible.
- You would rather spend your hours on customers than on a drag-and-drop editor.
- You want search optimization, copy and design handled together.
Not sure which fits? See how our process works, read what a small business website really costs, or start with $49, which counts toward the yearly price.