On this pageThe table
Free, paid, self-hosted or built once: the first-year cost
The free row costs nothing, and it is the right row for a test. For a business, read the second and fourth rows together: the subscription is cheaper on cash for years, and paying once buys ownership rather than savings.
| Option | Real cost, first year | Hours it takes you | Who does the work | What breaks at six months | Who fixes it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A builder's free planIf you are testing, not yet selling | $0Wix Free, no credit card required, and GoDaddy's free version. Squarespace has no free plan, only a 14-day trial. Recorded September 28, 2026, US connection. | Your evenings, as for any site you build | You | The moment the site needs to look like a business on its own domain | You, with the builder's help pages |
| A builder's paid entry planIf you will build it yourself and a subscription suits you | $204 to $228First year, billed annually: Wix Light $17 a month before tax, Squarespace Basic $19 a month. Recorded September 28, 2026, US connection. | Your evenings, as for any site you build | You | Whatever you change without checking it on a phone | You, with the builder's support |
| Free WordPress software on hosting you pay forIf you are comfortable with the technical side | The software is free. US hosting and domain prices were not recorded at a stated date for this page. | Your evenings, plus the updates after launch | You | An update left undone, or one that conflicts with an extension | You, or somebody you pay for it |
| A site built once, Vicou StudioIf you want your own site and not the evenings it takes | EUR 1,190Paid once, EUR 357 on order and EUR 833 at launch, plus hosting in your name. Billed in euros. | Gathering your text and photos, then reviewing | Me for the site, you for the content | WordPress updates continuously, and running those updates sits outside the fixed price. It is quoted case by case | Repairs are quoted case by case. Six months of questions by email from me |
A builder's free plan
If you are testing, not yet selling
- Real cost, first year
- $0Wix Free, no credit card required, and GoDaddy's free version. Squarespace has no free plan, only a 14-day trial. Recorded September 28, 2026, US connection.
- Hours it takes you
- Your evenings, as for any site you build
- Who does the work
- You
- What breaks at six months
- The moment the site needs to look like a business on its own domain
- Who fixes it
- You, with the builder's help pages
A builder's paid entry plan
If you will build it yourself and a subscription suits you
- Real cost, first year
- $204 to $228First year, billed annually: Wix Light $17 a month before tax, Squarespace Basic $19 a month. Recorded September 28, 2026, US connection.
- Hours it takes you
- Your evenings, as for any site you build
- Who does the work
- You
- What breaks at six months
- Whatever you change without checking it on a phone
- Who fixes it
- You, with the builder's support
Free WordPress software on hosting you pay for
If you are comfortable with the technical side
- Real cost, first year
- The software is free. US hosting and domain prices were not recorded at a stated date for this page.
- Hours it takes you
- Your evenings, plus the updates after launch
- Who does the work
- You
- What breaks at six months
- An update left undone, or one that conflicts with an extension
- Who fixes it
- You, or somebody you pay for it
A site built once, Vicou Studio
If you want your own site and not the evenings it takes
- Real cost, first year
- EUR 1,190Paid once, EUR 357 on order and EUR 833 at launch, plus hosting in your name. Billed in euros.
- Hours it takes you
- Gathering your text and photos, then reviewing
- Who does the work
- Me for the site, you for the content
- What breaks at six months
- WordPress updates continuously, and running those updates sits outside the fixed price. It is quoted case by case
- Who fixes it
- Repairs are quoted case by case. Six months of questions by email from me
Depending on your situation
You are not sure yet what the site should say
Start on a free plan. It costs nothing to find out, and whatever you write there is not wasted: the text comes with you.
Clients will find your business through the site
Move off the free plan. A business site belongs on its own domain, registered in your name.
You enjoy building and a subscription suits you
A paid entry plan on a builder is the cheapest route to a proper site, and on cash it stays cheaper than paying once for years.
You want to own the site outright
Either run WordPress yourself on hosting in your name, or have it built once. Both leave you with a site nobody can take away.
You do not have the evenings
The free plan is not free if it costs you the weekends. Count the time before you count the dollars.
The criteria that decide it
Free is for testing
A free plan lets you find out whether you can build a site, and what yours should say, without spending anything. That is a real use. What it is not built for is running a business: builders make their free plans a step toward the paid ones, and that is fair, because the paid plans are what pays for them.
Your own domain is the line
The clearest difference between a test and a business site is the address. Wix's own pricing page ties its one-year free domain voucher to yearly premium plans, not to the free one. Whatever you choose, register the domain in your own name: it is the one thing that follows you from any builder to any other.
The subscription is cheaper, and I say so
On cash alone, a paid builder plan costs less than having a site built once, for years. Three years of Squarespace Basic at $19 a month, billed annually, is $684 before the domain; a site built once costs more than that up front. The full arithmetic, including the cases where paying once never catches up, is on the blog, in the article on what a small business website costs.
Free software is not a free site
WordPress itself costs nothing. Running it does: hosting, a domain, and the updates that someone has to apply. It is the most control for the least money, and it asks the most of your time.
What you keep if you leave
On a builder, you keep your text and your images. The design does not move to another platform, so leaving means rebuilding. On WordPress in your name, the whole site is yours to move. That is the real thing paying once buys, not savings.
The quiz
Four questions to see whether a free plan is enough for you.
What is the site for, right now?
How much does your own domain name matter?
Who will build it?
How do you feel about a monthly or yearly subscription?
Your result
The free plan, for a test
You want to find out whether you can build a site yourself, or what yours should say, before spending anything. A free plan is exactly right for that. Build it, show it to a few people, and decide from there.
Treat it as a draft. When clients start arriving through it, it is time to move to a plan that puts the site on your own domain.
A paid plan on a builder
You are happy to build it yourself, and a subscription suits you. An entry plan on a builder is the cheapest way to a site that looks like a business, and the builder keeps it running. Register the domain in your own name while you are at it.
This route does not lead to me. On cash, it is cheaper than having a site built for years, and that is worth knowing.
Free WordPress software on your own hosting
You are comfortable with the technical side and you want to own everything. The WordPress software is free; the hosting and the domain are not, and the updates are yours to run. It is the most control for the least money, if the time is there.
The software being free does not make the site free. Count the evenings as well as the hosting.
A site built once, in your name
You want a real site on your own domain and you do not have the evenings to build it. I build it from your text and photos, on WordPress, with the domain and hosting opened in your name. You pay once, and the site is yours if you ever leave.
The honest part: on cash alone, a builder subscription is cheaper for years. What you pay for here is ownership and the evenings you keep.
The concrete case: Vicou Studio
Who it is for
A US small business that wants a real site on its own domain, does not have the evenings to build it, and would rather own it than rent it. If you enjoy building and a subscription suits you, a paid builder plan is the better deal.
What it costs
EUR 1,190, paid once: EUR 357 on order, EUR 833 when the site goes live. Four to six pages depending on the template, EUR 90 per extra page. Hosting and the domain are opened in your name.
The timeline
15 business days, counted on the French working calendar, about three calendar weeks, from the start date I confirm in writing once the deposit has cleared and your content is complete.
What the fixed price does not cover
Writing your content, which you provide. Running WordPress updates after launch, which is quoted case by case. Moving an existing builder site: nothing migrates, so the site is rebuilt from your text and photos.
When this is not the right answer
On cash, the subscription wins for years
If price is the deciding factor, a paid builder plan beats paying once for a long time. This page shows that in its table rather than hiding it, because a comparison that always leads to its author is not a comparison.
For a test, you do not need me at all
If you are still finding out what your site should say, a free plan is the right tool and nothing needs to be bought. Come back when you know.
You are billed in euros
The dollar amount depends on the exchange rate the day you pay, and your card may add a foreign transaction fee. The builders on this page bill in dollars.
Frequently asked questions
Is a free website good enough for a small business?
For testing, yes. For a business clients find through the site, it usually is not, mainly because of the address: a business site belongs on its own domain, in your name. That step is what the paid plans are for.
Does Squarespace have a free plan?
No. It offers a 14-day free trial, then a paid plan: Basic was $19 a month billed annually on September 28, 2026, from a US connection. Wix and GoDaddy do have free versions.
Can I move from a free plan to my own site later?
Your text and images, yes. The design, no: nothing migrates between platforms, so moving means rebuilding. The details for the most common case are in how to move a website from Wix to WordPress.
Is WordPress free?
The software is. The site is not: it needs hosting and a domain, both paid, and somebody to run the updates. If that somebody is you, it is the cheapest way to own your site outright.
Written by
Victor Rouvreau
I've been building websites for four years, for myself and for clients.
The About pageSources and date checked
- Wix Free, and Light at $17 a month billed annually, prices before taxWix pricing page, recorded September 28, 2026 from a US connection
- The one-year free domain voucher, tied to yearly or multi-year premium plansWix plans page, recorded September 28, 2026 from a US connection
- Squarespace Basic at $19 a month billed annually, 14-day trial, no free planSquarespace pricing page, recorded September 28, 2026 from a US connection
- GoDaddy's free version; paid plans showed no amountGoDaddy website builder page, recorded September 28, 2026 from a US connection
- The Vicou Studio prices, timescale and exclusionsThe packages page, which is the contract
- Subscription versus paying once, over three years and beyondThe blog, what a small business website costs
Page updated on September 28, 2026. It is reviewed at least once a quarter. If something here looks wrong or out of date, write to contact@vicou.studio: the page is corrected, or the claim comes out.