CompareBuilder · freelancer · agency · us
You have four realistic options: build it yourself on a website builder, hire a freelancer, hire a large agency, or hire us. Each is the right answer for somebody. Here's how they compare on cost, time, ownership and support, including when we're not the one to pick.
01 Side by side7 things that matter
Other options are shown as typical ranges; your own quotes may differ. Our figures come from our price list. On a phone, swipe the table sideways.
| Compared on | Website builder (DIY) | Freelancer | Large agency | Rift Designs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-year cost | Typically $200 – $600 for the plan, a domain and any paid apps. Plus your own time. | Typically $1,000 – $6,000 for a small business site, plus hosting. Rates vary a lot with experience. | Typically $15,000 and up, often with a monthly retainer on top. | $370 – $6,390 for a package and a year of its usual hosting. Custom builds from $8,000. |
| Time to launch | A weekend to a few months, depending on how much time you can give it. | Typically 2 – 8 weeks, depending on their schedule and other clients. | Typically 2 – 6 months, with discovery, reviews and sign-offs. | 5 business days to 6 – 12 weeks, set in writing before work starts. |
| Who does the work | You: the design, the writing, the set-up and every update. | One person, sometimes with subcontractors for design, copy or code. | A team: account manager, strategist, designers, developers. The people who pitch aren't always the people who build. | Senior designers and developers, with one point of contact from the first call to launch. |
| Design | A template you adjust. Quick to start, but it can look like other sites on the same builder. | Depends on the person. Judge the portfolio, not the rate. | Custom, usually with research and brand work behind it. | One of our designs, adapted to your brand, on the smaller packages. Custom from Business up. |
| Ownership of code and domain | The domain and your words are yours. The site runs on the builder's platform and usually can't be moved. | Depends on the contract. Ask for the code, hosting and domain in your name. | Usually yours on paper. Check whether the site depends on their hosting, plugins or licenses. | Code, design files, domain and hosting accounts are in your name from day one. |
| Support after launch | The platform's help center for the software. Everything else is on you. | Whatever you agree. One person can't always drop everything. | Usually a monthly retainer. | 30 – 90 days included, depending on the package, then an optional care plan from $120 a month. |
| Best for | A simple site on a tight budget, when you have the time and like doing it yourself. | A clear, contained job, and a person whose past work you've seen and liked. | Large organizations: brand campaigns, many stakeholders, marketing across channels every month. | Businesses that want a fixed price, a set launch date and senior people, from a one-page site to a web app. |
02 HonestlyWhen each one is right
Choose it when the site is simple, the budget is tight and you have evenings to give it. You can launch this week and change anything yourself.
Think twice if you need bookings, a store with many products or anything custom: the monthly apps add up, and moving away later usually means starting again.
Choose one when the job is clear and contained and you have seen and liked their previous sites. A good freelancer is often the best value there is.
Think twice if the project is large, or you need someone reliably on call after launch. Agree in writing who owns the code, domain and hosting.
Choose one when the website is one piece of a bigger program: brand work, campaigns, many stakeholders and a marketing team that needs support every month.
Think twice if you only need a website. You pay for process and people you may not need.
Choose us when you want a fixed price, a launch date in writing and senior people doing the work, from a one-page site to a web app.
Think twice if you want to build it yourself, or you need a team running your ads and social every month. We'll tell you if that's the case.
03 Which fits you?3 questions
Pick one answer for each and we'll point you at the option that fits, even when it isn't us.
04 Our pricesFixed · USD
Each package with a year of the hosting we'd usually pair it with. Add-ons are extra and priced one by one on the pricing page.
See full pricing →05 Questions
What people ask while they weigh up the options.
Websites by industry →Often, yes, for a simple site you're happy to keep up yourself. Builders get harder to live with when you need something they don't do out of the box, when monthly app fees start adding up, or when you want to move the site somewhere else later.
Look at sites they've launched and click around them on your phone. Ask who will own the code, domain and hosting, what support looks like after launch, and what happens if they're unavailable. Get the price and the timeline in writing.
An agency quote pays for more people and more process: strategy, research, rounds of design and project management. That's worth it on a large, complicated project and hard to justify on a five-page site.
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Tell us what the site needs to do. You get a fixed, itemized quote in writing, so you can set it next to the other options.
Before you go
Eight things worth checking before a site goes live, or on the one you have now. One email with the checklist, nothing else.
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