Compare
How does Website Wannabe compare?
Choosing how to get your website built is a big decision. Pick a matchup for the full breakdown, and use this page to figure out what actually matters before you decide.
Or browse every comparison below.
Your real alternatives
These are the routes most local businesses weigh before choosing us. Open any one for a full, point-by-point breakdown.
WordPress
The open-source platform that powers much of the web. Endlessly capable, but you assemble and maintain it.
See the comparisonShopify
The go-to platform for selling products online, built around a store you run yourself.
See the comparisonWix
A popular drag-and-drop builder for putting up a website yourself.
See the comparisonSquarespace
A design-led builder known for polished templates you set up yourself.
See the comparisonSEO firms
An agency you pay a monthly retainer to improve your search rankings.
See the comparisonDevelopers
A freelancer or agency who custom-builds your site, then hands it over to you.
See the comparisonThe 10 things to compare
What actually matters
Most comparisons stop at price and looks. We dug into what people actually weigh when they compare their options. These are the ten things that decide whether a website earns its keep.
Real total cost, not the sticker price
A low monthly fee or a cheap build hides the real number. Add hosting, premium templates, paid apps or plugins, maintenance and renewal traps before you compare. The cheapest option on paper is often the priciest over three years.
Your time and effort
Doing it yourself is only free if your hours are worth nothing. Thirty hours spent learning a builder is real money and real time away from the business. Decide whether you want to do the work or have it done for you.
Getting found in local search
For a local business, the whole point of the site is leads, and that starts with showing up. Compare how each option handles local SEO, Google Business Profile and page speed, not just how it looks.
Leads and results, not just a pretty site
A brochure nobody acts on is not an asset. Look at whether each option is built to capture calls and form fills and turn visitors into customers, or only to look nice.
Design and credibility
A template-obvious site quietly costs you trust. Weigh whether you get a professional, branded design or a generic look a customer can spot in a second and quietly judge.
Who maintains it
A website is like a car: it needs updates, security patches and backups, or it breaks and gets hacked. Decide who owns that ongoing work, you or someone else.
Support and turnaround
When something breaks or you need a change, who do you call, and how fast do they move? A reliable team beats a cheaper option with week-long turnarounds.
Ownership and lock-in
Some platforms rent you a site you can never fully take with you, and a few even hold your domain. Check whether you truly own the site and can move it later if you want.
Time to launch
Some options go live in days, others drag on for weeks or months. Match that to how soon you need to be open for business, without rushing into a site you regret.
Room to grow
The site that fits today can become the ceiling you hit tomorrow. Consider whether you can add pages, features and traffic later without starting over from scratch.
The hidden cost
What doing it yourself really costs
A builder looks cheap until you count your own hours. Drag the sliders to see the real three-year cost.
Edits, plugins, fixing what broke, learning the tools.
Time on the site is time off the business.
Do it yourself
$9,900
over 3 years
Done for you
$3,564
over 3 years, all in
That is $6,336 of your time and money the DIY route quietly costs you, on top of building it yourself.
Assumes a $25/mo builder plan vs our managed service from $99/mo. Your time is the part most people forget to add up.
Why it pays to compare first
The cheapest option up front is rarely the cheapest in the end
A low monthly fee or a one-time build can hide years of plugin renewals, redesigns and developer invoices. Compare the three-year cost, not the first month.
Your time has a price too
Doing it yourself looks free until you count the evenings spent fighting a builder, updating plugins and chasing why the form stopped working. That time is money you could spend on customers.
A website is a multi-year decision
You will likely live with this choice for years, so the right question is not just "what looks good today" but "who keeps this working, found and converting in three years."
Start with your needs
The right choice is the one that fits how you work and what your business needs, not the one with the flashiest homepage. Before you compare options, get honest about a few things.
Answer these for yourself first. Your answers point you toward the kind of solution that will actually serve you, whether that is a builder, a developer, or a done-for-you service like ours.
- Do you want to build and run the site yourself, or have it done for you?
- Do you need local customers to find you in Google?
- Do you have time each week to update and maintain a website?
- Is this mainly a store to sell products, or a site to bring in leads and calls?
- When something breaks, do you want a real team to call?
- Do you want to own your site and be free to move it later?
Still weighing your options?
Tell us about your business and we will show you what your site could look like. If another option fits you better, we will tell you that too.
