Agency, freelancer or a website builder: an honest comparison
A website builder can be the right answer. If you write your own copy, you have your own photos, and the job of the site is to say who you are and how to reach you, build it yourself and spend the money somewhere else. The moment the site has to do something, take bookings, sell, log people in, talk to another system, the comparison changes, and that is where our own prices start: EUR 600 to 900 for a single page, EUR 1,500 to 3,500 for a four to seven page business site, and EUR 3,500 to 7,500 once there is a login, a dashboard, an API, a CRM or payments, all excluding VAT.
Below is the version of this comparison that includes the cases where we lose, because that is the only way the rest is worth reading.
The three options side by side
| What you are comparing | Website builder | Freelancer | Studio |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you pay | A subscription, plus your own hours | A day rate or a project price | A project price per scope: EUR 600 to 900 up to EUR 3,500 to 7,500, or from EUR 7,500 for a platform |
| Who does the design | A template, adjusted by you | One person, strong in design or in code | Design and engineering as one process |
| Speed | As fast as your own evenings allow | Depends on one person's calendar | 1 to 2 weeks for a single page, up to 6 to 12 for a web app |
| When it breaks | You, plus a support chat | The person, if they are available | A maintenance agreement with agreed hours, EUR 100 to 300 per month |
| The ceiling | Whatever the platform allows | Whatever that one person knows | Custom code, so the ceiling is budget, not tooling |
When a website builder is genuinely the right call
Builders got good. If all of the following are true, do not hire anyone.
- The site is one to three pages and the content will barely change.
- You have your own text and photos, or you are happy with stock.
- Nobody needs an account, and you are not taking payments beyond a simple link.
- One language.
- You have the time, and you actually enjoy fiddling with it.
Where it stops working is predictable. A template forces your content into its shape, so your offer ends up described the way the template wants. Anything beyond the platform's own features means a plugin, and plugins are how a builder site becomes slow and fragile. Multiple languages, a custom booking flow, a connection to your accounting or CRM, and a design that looks like your brand rather than the template's are the four walls people hit.
When a freelancer is the right call
A good freelancer is excellent value for a small, well-defined project when you can describe what you want and decide quickly. One person, one conversation, no account manager in between.
Two things before you commit. First, design, front-end code, copy and SEO are four different jobs, so ask which of the four they actually do and who covers the rest. Second, a single person is a single point of failure. Ask what happens if they are ill or booked out the week you need a fix, and ask before signing.
Ask what you would ask any supplier: the pages by name, the number of revision rounds, the hourly rate for anything outside scope, and who owns the domain, the code and the repository. If that last answer is anything other than you, walk.
When a studio earns the difference
The gap is not "more polish". It is the work that has state: accounts, roles, payments, data that stays correct when two people do the wrong thing at once. That is the EUR 3,500 to 7,500 band, and it is where the hours go into things you never see: permissions, error handling, testing, what happens when a payment fails halfway.
It is also continuity. A site is not finished at launch, it is launched. Somebody has to apply updates, watch that the forms still send, keep backups, and fix the small things. We price that at EUR 100 to 300 per month so you can see what it is and what it is not: no redesigns and no new features hidden inside a maintenance fee.
How the design and engineering sides work together is on design and engineering, and the stack behind the heavier builds is on our Next.js page. The full ladder is on packages.
What actually moves the price
Four things, in this order.
- How much already exists. Usable copy, real photos and a brand you already have will take a project down a band. Starting from nothing takes it up one.
- Whether it needs accounts and payments. This is the single biggest jump on the ladder, from a business site at EUR 1,500 to 3,500 to an advanced site or web app at EUR 3,500 to 7,500.
- How many languages. Every language multiplies content, review rounds and testing, not just translation.
- What happens after launch. Maintenance at EUR 100 to 300 per month, a one-off SEO foundation at EUR 450 to 750, and ongoing SEO at EUR 500 to 800 per month are three separate decisions, and you can say no to all three.
A fixed quote always follows scoping. Anyone who names a firm number before knowing the page count, the languages and the integrations is guessing, or planning to charge you for the difference later.
How long each route takes
Our week ranges start from the moment content is available, not from the day the contract is signed: 1 to 2 weeks for a single page, 2 to 3 for a mini-site, 3 to 6 for a business site, 6 to 12 for an advanced site or web app, and a plan after discovery for a custom platform.
A builder is faster in calendar time and slower in your time. A freelancer sits in between and depends on how booked they are.
When not to spend more
- Do not buy a business website for a one-page job. With one offer and one call to action, the EUR 600 to 900 band is the finished answer, not the starter version.
- Do not commission a web app because a login sounds professional. Accounts are worth it when what each person sees is genuinely different.
- Do not start monthly SEO before there is anything to optimise. Take the one-off foundation at EUR 450 to 750, work through the three to six month plan, then decide.
- Do not pay for maintenance on a static page with no forms, no payments and no logins. Do pay the moment any of those three exist.
Common questions
Can I start on a builder and move to a proper build later?
Yes, and it is a sensible way to start if money is tight. Be clear about what carries over: your copy, your photos, your domain and what you learned about which pages people actually read. The site itself does not, so treat the builder version as a first draft, not a foundation.
Is a freelancer always cheaper than a studio?
Not always, and the comparison is only fair if both quotes cover the same list. Put the pages, languages, integrations and post-launch support on one page, send it to both, and ask each to price exactly that. The gap that remains is a real gap.
Who owns the website when it is done?
You do. You own the code, the repository and the database, and you should hold everyone to that standard, whichever route you pick. Hosting is agreed per client, and we can host it.
What do I need ready before we start?
A short list of the pages, whatever copy and photos you already have, your logo and brand files if they exist, and access to your domain. If the copy is not ready, say so at the start: late copy can turn a 3 to 6 week project into a longer one.
To know which band your project sits in and what it costs as a fixed price, send the scope through the contact form. If a builder is the honest answer, we will say that too.
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JP Studio designs and builds websites, storefronts and product interfaces.