The three options at a glance
| Wix or Squarespace | WordPress, yourself | A web designer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | None to start | Low: hosting, a theme, maybe plugins | From £1,995 with me |
| Ongoing cost | A monthly subscription, for as long as you have the site | Hosting, plus any paid plugins | Hosting and care, from £15 a month with me |
| Your time | Days to weeks | Weeks, plus learning | A few hours: words, photos and feedback |
| Design | Templates, so it can look like others | Themes, or a page builder | Designed for your business |
| Who owns it | You rent it; it can’t easily be moved | You own it | You own it once paid |
| Best for | Testing an idea, very simple needs | Confident DIYers with time | Businesses that need the site to win work |
When Wix or Squarespace is the right answer
Honestly, sometimes it is. If you’re testing a new idea, your budget is very tight, and you just need a page that says who you are and how to contact you, a website builder gets you online quickly. Pick a clean template, keep it simple, write clear words and add good photos.
The trade-offs show up later: the monthly fee never stops, moving your website elsewhere usually means rebuilding it, and you’re limited to what the platform allows. Many businesses outgrow them once the website needs to bring in work.
When WordPress yourself makes sense
WordPress is free software that runs a large share of the world’s websites. You pay for hosting and maybe a theme or plugins, and you own everything. If you enjoy learning and have the time, it’s a capable choice.
The catch is time and upkeep. Themes, plugins and updates need looking after, a badly chosen theme can make a site slow, and security is your job. A free weekend can turn into a few months of evenings.
When hiring a designer pays for itself
A designer earns their fee when your website needs to do a job: bring in enquiries, take bookings, sell products or win tenders. You’re paying for a design built around your customers, words that sell, speed, being set up properly for Google, and someone to call when something breaks.
Ask any designer for a fixed price in writing, who owns the website afterwards, what it costs each year, and who will actually build it. There’s more on prices in my guide to how much a website costs in Birmingham.
Questions to ask yourself
- What does the website need to do? A digital business card is different from a site that needs to win work.
- How much is your time worth? Fifty hours building it yourself has a cost too.
- Do you need to be found on Google? Ranking for local searches takes more than a template.
- Will you keep it up to date? Whatever you choose, an out-of-date website puts people off.
How I build websites, and why
I build every website on WordPress, designed from scratch rather than from a theme, so it’s fast, you own it outright and you can edit everyday things yourself. Clients like Trinity, a project and cost consultancy, came to me for a ground-up redesign of an existing website, and online shops like Prompt Angel run on WooCommerce, the shop side of WordPress, with no monthly platform fee on top of hosting.
When you don’t need me
If you’re just starting out and need something simple this month, use a website builder and spend your money on the business. Come back when the website needs to do more. If it already needs to bring in work, see my website design service, starting from £1,995 with a fixed quote.
Written by Ben Brailsford-Chambers, the web designer behind Clever Rabbit in Oldbury. Last updated 24 October 2026. More guides