Key takeaways
- A one-off build is a project with an end date. A website subscription is a team that keeps working on your site every month.
- One-off builds look cheaper up front, but ongoing changes and a rebuild every few years usually close the gap.
- Subscriptions suit service businesses whose website is a main source of enquiries and changes often.
- Either way, check who owns the site, what's included each month and what happens if you leave.
For years, the way to get a website was simple: pay a big invoice, get a site, and hope it lasts. More studios now offer a monthly website subscription instead. We switched to subscriptions ourselves, so we’re not neutral, but this is an honest comparison of both, including when a one-off build is the better choice.
The short answer
- Choose a one-off build if your website rarely changes, most of your work comes from elsewhere, and you have someone who can maintain it.
- Choose a subscription if your website is a main source of enquiries, your services, prices or team change often, and you want it handled without managing a web project every few years.
How does each option work?
One-off build. You pay for the design and build, usually in two or three instalments. After launch the project ends. Changes are billed by the hour or through a separate care plan. In three to five years, when the site looks dated, you pay for a rebuild.
Website subscription. You pay a monthly fee that includes the build and ongoing work. Most have a minimum term, often 12 months, which is what lets the provider include the build without an upfront invoice. After launch the same team keeps improving the site every month for as long as you stay.
Side by side
| One-off build | Website subscription | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Large invoice, usually before launch | Usually none, or a small setup fee |
| Monthly cost | Hosting, plus changes as needed | One set monthly fee |
| Changes after launch | Quoted or billed hourly | Included up to an agreed amount |
| Improving for Google | Only if you pay for it | Usually part of the monthly work |
| When it looks dated | Pay for a rebuild | Refreshed gradually as you go |
| Commitment | None after the final invoice | A minimum term, then flexible |
| Ownership | Usually yours once paid | Should be yours once paid; check |
What does each cost over three years?
The first invoice is a poor way to compare. The useful number is what it costs to have a website that works for your business for three years: the build, hosting, the changes you’ll need, improvements for Google, and eventually a refresh.
One-off builds look cheaper in month one. Once you add hourly changes and a refresh at year three, they often end up in a similar place to a subscription, or higher. What you get for the money is different, though. A one-off build is at its best on launch day and ages from there. A subscription puts that money into making the site better each month, so it’s usually at its best now. Our website cost guide has a worked three-year example.
The pros and cons of a one-off build
Pros
- No ongoing commitment once it’s paid.
- Can be cheaper if the site genuinely won’t need to change.
- Easy to compare fixed quotes.
Cons
- A large upfront cost.
- Every change after launch is a new quote or an hourly bill, so changes get put off.
- The site goes stale, then needs a rebuild.
- The people who built it may not be around in three years.
The pros and cons of a website subscription
Pros
- No big upfront invoice, and a predictable monthly cost.
- The site keeps improving: new pages, blog posts, search improvements and fixes.
- One team who knows your site and business.
- Changes are a message, not a project.
Cons
- A minimum term, usually 12 months.
- You pay every month, even in quiet months.
- Quality varies. Some “subscriptions” are templates with a monthly fee and very little work included.
Who a one-off build suits
- Businesses whose website rarely changes, like a simple brochure for a referral-based firm.
- Businesses that get almost all their work through other channels.
- Teams with someone in-house who can maintain and improve the site.
Who a subscription suits
- Service businesses where the website drives enquiries and bookings.
- Businesses that change services, prices, staff or locations often.
- Businesses that want to show up for more searches over time with new pages and posts.
- Owners who want it handled, and don’t want to manage a web project every few years.
What to check before you sign either
- Ownership. Do you own the site, the content and the domain once it’s paid for?
- What’s included each month. How many hours, pages, posts and fixes?
- Minimum term and exit. What happens after the first year, and if you leave early?
- Hosting and speed. Where is it hosted, and how fast does it load on a phone?
- Search basics. Titles, descriptions, sitemap, speed and Google Business Profile links?
- Who you deal with. A named team, or a ticket queue?
- Examples. Ask to see sites they’ve looked after for two or three years, not just new launches.
How ours works
Our Website Subscription is $1,995 + GST a month on a 12-month first term, with the build included and no upfront invoice. We photograph your business at a 90-minute launch shoot, build a custom site of up to 10 pages and have it live within four weeks of the shoot, then spend up to 8 hours a month improving it: new pages, blog posts, search and speed improvements and conversion fixes. Every quarter you get a one-page report on what we’ve done and what it’s doing.
After the first year you choose: another 12 months at the same price with an extra hour of website work each month, or month to month at a higher rate. You own your website either way.
Not sure which suits you? Get in touch and we'll tell you honestly, even if it's a one-off build.
FAQs
What is a website subscription?
A website subscription is a monthly fee that covers designing and building your website and then looking after it, usually including hosting, changes and ongoing improvements, instead of one large upfront invoice.
Is a website subscription cheaper than a one-off build?
In the first year a one-off build can cost less. Over three years they often end up similar once hosting, changes and a refresh are counted. The difference is that a subscription spends that money improving the site along the way.
What happens if I cancel a website subscription?
It depends on the provider, so read the terms. With ours, after your first 12 months you choose another 12 months at the same price or month to month, and you own your website once everything's paid.
Is a website subscription just renting a website?
It shouldn't be. Make sure you own the design, the code and the content once it's paid for, and that you can take the site to another host if you leave.
Can I make changes myself on a subscription?
Some providers let you, others make changes for you as part of the fee. On ours you send us what you need and we fit it into the month, so you never have to learn a website builder.
