There are three ways to get a new website: build it yourself, hire a freelancer or hire an agency. All three work. The trouble is that most comparisons are written by one of them, so the verdict is decided before you start reading.
I’m a freelancer myself, so read this with that in mind. I’ll still tell you when DIY or an agency is the better choice. A website built by the wrong kind of partner costs more in the end.
Below you’ll find what each option costs, what you get and what can go wrong. At the end there’s a simple way to decide.
Key Takeaways
- DIY builders are the cheapest in cash and the most expensive in your time. They suit very simple sites and tight budgets.
- Freelancers give you one accountable person, usually at a lower price than an agency. They suit owner-led businesses that want a partner.
- Agencies give you a whole team. They suit larger projects with many moving parts, at a higher price.
- The biggest differences are who writes the copy, who you talk to and what happens after launch, not just the price.
- Whichever you choose, make sure you own the domain, the hosting and the content.
The Short Answer
Choose based on your project, not on who sounds most impressive:
| Choose… | If… |
|---|---|
| DIY | Your budget is very small, the site is simple and you enjoy doing it yourself |
| A freelancer | You want one person for copy, design and build, with direct contact |
| An agency | Your project needs several specialists working at once, or you need a big team on call |
Most small service businesses fit the freelancer row. Many start with DIY, then outgrow it. Agencies make the most sense for bigger, more complex projects.
DIY Website Builders
Website builders like Wix and Squarespace let you build a site yourself from templates, without code. You pay a monthly plan. Squarespace, for example, costs €11–€29 a month on yearly billing (Squarespace, September 2026).
What’s good:
- The lowest cash cost.
- You can start today.
- Hosting, security and updates are handled by the platform.
What’s hard:
- You write everything. The copy is the hardest part. It’s all yours.
- You design everything. Templates look good until your real content doesn’t fit them.
- It takes a lot of your time, usually more than people expect.
- You’re tied to the platform. Moving to another system later often means rebuilding.
Best for: a brand-new business with a very small budget, a simple site and time to spare.
Few owners go this route in practice. In a 2025 Clutch survey of 406 US small-business owners, only 8% built their website themselves (Clutch, August 2025).
Freelance Web Designer or Developer
A freelancer is one independent professional. Some only design, some only build and some do both. A few also write the copy.
What’s good:
- One accountable person. You talk directly to whoever does the work.
- Lower overhead. No account managers or office to pay for, so prices are usually lower than an agency’s.
- Flexibility. Freelancers can adapt the process to how you work.
In the 2025 Web Designer Pricing Survey, the median freelance rate was $92.75 an hour (Web Designer Academy). Web design companies shortlisted on Clutch charge $100–$149 an hour in the US (Clutch).
What’s hard:
- One person’s skill set. Check what they don’t do. Many freelancers design but don’t write copy.
- Capacity. A freelancer can only take on so many projects at once. Ask about the timeline up front.
- Holidays and illness. Ask what happens if they’re unavailable.
That last risk is smaller than it sounds when the site is built on a common platform and you own everything. If your freelancer ever stops working with you, another developer can take over a WordPress site. I do exactly that for Elementor sites someone else built.
Best for: owner-led service businesses that want one partner for the whole project and direct contact throughout.
Web Design Agency
An agency is a team: usually a project manager, designers, developers and sometimes copywriters, SEO specialists and marketers.
What’s good:
- Many skills under one roof, working at the same time.
- Capacity for large projects and tight deadlines.
- Continuity. If one person leaves, the agency still exists.
What’s hard:
- Higher prices. You pay for the team, the management and the overhead. Clutch lists web design companies at $100–$149 an hour in the US and $50–$99 in the UK.
- More layers. You often talk to an account or project manager, not the person doing the work.
- Longer projects. The average project reviewed on Clutch takes 7 months (Clutch). That average includes large builds, but it shows how agency timelines can stretch.
Best for: larger projects that need several specialists at once, like complex web applications, big online shops or ongoing marketing work.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| DIY builder | Freelancer | Agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash cost | Lowest | Middle | Highest |
| Your time | A lot | Some | Some |
| Who writes the copy | You | Depends; ask | Often, as an extra |
| Who you talk to | Nobody | The person doing the work | A project or account manager |
| Typical rate | Your time | Median $92.75/hour | $100–$149/hour (US) |
| Speed | As fast as you work | Usually weeks | Often months |
| After launch | You maintain it | Depends; ask | Usually a support plan |
| Main risk | Your time and the result | Availability | Price and distance |
Sources: Squarespace, Web Designer Academy 2025 survey, Clutch pricing guide.
What About Hiring a Freelancer Abroad?
Your web designer or developer doesn’t need to live in your city. The website itself doesn’t care where it was built. What matters is how the project runs.
Location does change the price. Clutch lists web design companies at $100–$149 an hour in the United States and $50–$99 in the United Kingdom (Clutch). Freelancers in other parts of Europe can offer the same kind of work at different rates.
If you hire remotely, agree on three things at the start:
- Time-zone overlap. Central European Time overlaps with the whole UK and European working day. It also overlaps with US East Coast mornings.
- How you’ll communicate. Video calls at key points, written feedback in between and a stated reply time.
- How you’ll pay. Within the EU, business-to-business invoices usually fall under the reverse-charge VAT rules. Check the details with your accountant.
Five Questions to Help You Decide
Answer these honestly and the right option usually becomes clear:
- Do you have the time to write and build it yourself? If not, DIY is out, however cheap it looks.
- Who will write the copy? If you can’t, choose a freelancer or agency that writes it. Check it’s in the quote.
- How complex is the site? A 5–7-page service site doesn’t need a team. A large shop or web app might.
- How do you like to work? If you want to talk to the person doing the work, a freelancer fits better.
- What happens after launch? Decide who will update, back up and fix the site before you choose.
If you’re comparing specific designers or developers, my list of 17 questions to ask before hiring a web designer or developer helps you judge their answers.
Where I Fit
I’m a freelancer who writes, designs and builds. That’s the one gap most freelancers leave open, so I’ll be specific about what that means:
- Copywriting, design and WordPress/Elementor development by one person, in that order.
- A typical 5–7-page site in 6–8 weeks, from €2,000, with a fixed quote after a short call.
- You own everything: the domain, the hosting and the content.
- After launch, you can maintain it yourself or choose my maintenance plan at €50 a month, with no contract.
- Remote by default, with clients in Hungary, across Europe, the UK and the US.
One example is Iberia Costa Consulting, a real estate consultancy in Spain. Its website runs in three languages: Hungarian, English and Spanish.
When am I not the right fit? If you need a team of specialists working in parallel on a very large project, an agency is the better choice. If your budget is very small and your site is simple, a DIY builder may be enough for now.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a freelance web designer or developer cheaper than an agency?
Usually, yes. Freelancers have less overhead, so their rates tend to be lower. In the 2025 Web Designer Pricing Survey, the median freelance rate was $92.75 an hour. Clutch lists US web design companies at $100–$149. Compare what’s included, not just the total.
Is it risky to hire a freelancer?
The main risk is availability. You can reduce it by making sure the site runs on a common platform like WordPress and that you own the domain, hosting and logins. Then another developer can take over if needed.
Can I start with DIY and switch later?
Yes, but plan for a rebuild. Sites built on hosted builders usually can’t be moved to another platform as they are. Your copy and images can be reused.
When should I choose an agency?
When your project needs several specialists working at the same time. Large online shops, web applications or ongoing marketing work are typical examples.
Your Next Step
If a freelancer who writes, designs and builds sounds right, tell me about your business and what you want your website to do. I’ll reply within 1 business day.
Tamas Pocs is a freelance web designer and WordPress developer based in Hungary. For 5+ years he has written, designed and built websites for service businesses (more than 50 so far) and looked after them once they’re live. See his work or connect on LinkedIn.
