Short answer: A DIY builder costs the least in cash: Wix, Squarespace and GoDaddy plans start between $9.99 and $19 a month billed yearly, but you do the work. Upwork’s guide puts a freelancer-built business site at $1,500 to $5,000. An agency like AP Visible handles everything for $450 to start plus $199 a month.
Three ways to get a website, and what each one really costs you
Every small shop ends up choosing between the same three options: build it yourself on a website builder, pay a freelancer to build it, or hire an agency to build and run it. The cash price is only part of the answer. The other part is whose time goes into it, before launch and every month after.
We’re an agency, so read this knowing that. We’ve tried to be fair, and there are plenty of shops for whom the cheapest option is the right one.
1. A do-it-yourself website builder
You pay a monthly fee for the software and hosting, and you do the writing, photos and setup yourself. Prices on the builders’ own US pricing pages, checked October 28, 2026:
- Wix: Light $17 a month, Core $29, Business $39 and Business Elite $159, for yearly subscriptions paid in full. Wix also has a free plan, and says a paid plan lets you connect your own domain and remove Wix branding. Scheduling starts on the Core plan.
- Squarespace: Basic $19 a month billed yearly or $25 billed monthly, and Core $29 yearly or $39 monthly. The Basic plan charges a 2% fee on online store sales; Core has none.
- GoDaddy’s website builder: Starter $9.99 a month and Professional $24.99 a month, both billed annually. GoDaddy describes Professional as its plan for local businesses, with appointment bookings and online payments.
All three list a free custom domain with paid plans, with conditions; Wix says its domain voucher covers the first year. Prices shown can change and don’t include taxes, so check the total at checkout and again at renewal.
DIY is the better choice when: you’re just starting out or testing an idea, your budget is tight, your shop needs a simple site with hours, services and a phone number, and you or someone on your team will actually keep it updated. For a lot of new shops, that’s the honest answer.
Watch for: your own hours. Writing, photos, phone layout, connecting your Google Business Profile and changing holiday hours all land on you.
2. A freelance web designer
You pay one person to build the site, usually as a project. Upwork’s hiring guide for web designers, checked October 28, 2026, says hiring a web designer generally costs $15 to $30 an hour. It lists typical project prices on Upwork of $300 to $1,500 for a landing page and $1,500 to $5,000 for a 5 to 10 page business website, and says a full business website typically takes four to eight weeks.
A freelancer is the better choice when: you want a custom design, you want to own the site from day one, and you have a plan for hosting and updates, whether that’s you, your staff or the freelancer on an agreed rate.
Watch for: what happens after launch. Ask who hosts the site, who renews the domain and in whose name, what small edits cost, and what you get at handoff. Upwork’s own guide lists a missing portfolio, vague timelines and reluctance to sign a contract as red flags.
3. An agency that builds and runs it
An agency handles the work for you, usually for a setup fee plus a monthly price. Here is what AP Visible charges, as printed on apvisible.com:
- $450 to start plus $199 a month. That covers the website, hosting, security, edits and a managed Google Business Profile, with a plain-English monthly report and a review at month six. It’s a twelve-month partnership, then month-to-month.
- Your first year costs $450 + (12 × $199) = $2,838.
- Own it outright: $1,250, printed in the agreement. Your $450 counts as credit from the six-month review on.
- Before you pay: a free audit and a demo site you approve. Your Google listing is in your name from day one.
An agency is the better choice when: you don’t have the hours, you want your Google profile looked after too, and you’d rather have one number to call when something needs changing.
Watch for: long contracts, prices you can’t see before a sales call, and who owns the domain and the Google listing if you leave. Ask any agency, including us.
The first year, side by side
- DIY builder, entry plan billed yearly: about $120 (GoDaddy Starter), $204 (Wix Light) or $228 (Squarespace Basic), plus your time.
- Freelancer: $1,500 to $5,000 for a business site, per Upwork’s guide, plus hosting, the domain and any later edits.
- AP Visible: $2,838, with hosting, edits and Google profile management included.
These are sticker prices from public pages on October 28, 2026, before taxes, transaction fees and promotions. To see what your own mix of pages, booking and Spanish would cost each way, try our website cost calculator. For the wider market, see what a small-shop website costs in 2026. Deciding between paying monthly and owning the site? See monthly website plan vs. one-time build.
Four questions that settle it
- How many hours a month can you honestly give your website and Google profile?
- Do you need booking, ordering or Spanish now, or just a clean page with your hours and phone number?
- Who will change your holiday hours in December?
- If you stop paying, what do you keep: the domain, the site, the Google listing?
Frequently asked questions
Is a DIY website builder good enough for a small shop?
Often, yes. If your needs are simple and you have a few hours a month to keep hours, photos and prices current, a builder plan is the cheapest way to get a real website. The software is the easy part; the time is the real cost.
How much does a freelance web designer cost?
Upwork’s hiring guide, checked October 28, 2026, says hiring a web designer generally costs $15 to $30 an hour, and lists $1,500 to $5,000 for a 5 to 10 page business website. Hosting, the domain and later edits are usually separate.
What does an agency do that a builder doesn’t?
A builder gives you the tools. An agency does the work: writing, photos, layout, hosting, edits and, at AP Visible, managing your Google Business Profile every month. You pay more in cash and spend less of your own time.
How does AP Visible’s first year compare with a DIY builder?
AP Visible’s first year is $2,838: $450 to start plus 12 payments of $199. The entry builder plans we checked come to about $120 to $228 for a year billed yearly, before your own time, a domain after any free first year, and transaction fees.
Can I start with a builder and switch later?
Yes. Keep your domain registered in your own name and you can point it at a new site later. Save your text and photos somewhere you control, so moving doesn’t mean starting over.
Sources
- Wix, Plans and pricing (US), checked Oct 28, 2026: https://www.wix.com/plans
- Squarespace, Pricing (US, yearly and monthly billing), checked Oct 28, 2026: https://www.squarespace.com/pricing
- GoDaddy, Website Builder plans (US), checked Oct 28, 2026: https://www.godaddy.com/websites/website-builder
- Upwork, “Hire Web Designers” cost guide (published by a freelance marketplace), checked Oct 28, 2026: https://www.upwork.com/hire/web-designers/
- AP Visible pricing: apvisible.com/#pricing