A pay monthly website suits most new and small businesses that would rather not find £350 to £650 upfront and want hosting, updates and fixes handled for them. A one-off build suits businesses that have the budget now, want to own the site from day one and rarely need changes. We sell both at Marketing Handled, so this is the honest comparison, with our real prices.
Pay monthly vs one-off at a glance
| Pay monthly | One-off build | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | £0 (no setup fee) | £350 single page, from £650 multi-page |
| Monthly cost | £99 single page, £169 multi-page, £219 e-commerce | £0, or aftercare from £85/month |
| Hosting, maintenance and technical SEO | included | not included; add aftercare from £85/month, or arrange yourself |
| Minimum term | 12 months, then rolling monthly | none |
| Who owns the site | us during the 12-month minimum, then yours | you, from day one |
| Best for | start-ups, sole traders, anyone who wants it handled | businesses with budget now and few changes |
Most pay monthly offers elsewhere compare themselves against £2,000 to £10,000 agency builds. Ours compare against a £350 to £650 build, so the gap is much smaller than you'd expect. See our small business website packages for what each tier includes.
What a pay monthly website includes
On our monthly plans you pay nothing upfront and get the site built, hosted and looked after for a fixed monthly fee:
- the design and build (single page live in 1 to 2 weeks, multi-page or e-commerce in 2 to 4 weeks)
- hosting and ongoing maintenance
- monthly updates, such as new prices, photos or services
- technical SEO foundations (titles, schema, sitemap, a fast mobile build)
This is the main thing a one-off build doesn't include.
There's a 12-month minimum term, which is also the point the website becomes yours. After that it rolls month to month and you can cancel with one month's notice.
What a one-off build includes
You pay once (£350 for a single page, from £650 for up to 15 pages) and the finished site is yours from day one. You then choose what happens next:
- add our aftercare, from £85/month, for management, hosting and SEO, or
- host and update it yourself, or with another provider.
The domain, hosting and email should all be registered in your name either way. When we built Pf Associates Ltd's site, everything was set up in Paul's name from the start, so he's never locked out of his own business address.
Which costs more? A 1 and 3 year comparison
These are our published starting prices, so a bigger site or more changes will cost more on either route.
| Single page site | Year 1 | 3 years |
|---|---|---|
| Pay monthly (£99/month) | £1,188 | £3,564 |
| One-off (£350) + aftercare from £85/month | £1,370 | £3,410 |
| One-off (£350), self-managed | £350 + your own hosting | £350 + your own hosting |
| Multi-page site | Year 1 | 3 years |
|---|---|---|
| Pay monthly (£169/month) | £2,028 | £6,084 |
| One-off (from £650) + aftercare from £85/month | £1,670 | £3,710 |
For a single page site the two routes end up close: pay monthly is about £180 cheaper in year one, and one-off plus aftercare is about £150 cheaper over three years. The real difference is cash flow: pay monthly spreads the cost, one-off asks for £350 on day one.
For a multi-page site, one-off plus aftercare works out much cheaper over three years. Pay monthly earns its keep if £650 upfront would stretch the business.
After the 12-month minimum, a monthly plan simply carries on at the same fee, rolling month to month, which is what these 3-year figures assume.
Who owns the website?
This is the question to ask any provider before you sign.
- Pay monthly with us: we manage and host the site while you're on the plan. Once the 12-month minimum term is up, the website is yours to keep.
- One-off build with us: the finished site is yours from day one.
Plenty of pay monthly providers never hand the site over. Stop paying and it disappears, along with any Google rankings it built. Ask for the ownership terms in writing, and make sure your domain is registered in your name, not theirs.
Which should you choose?
Choose pay monthly if:
- you're starting out and would rather keep cash in the business
- you want someone else to make changes, so you don't have to learn a website editor
- you'd like a fixed, predictable monthly cost
Choose a one-off build if:
- you have £350 to £650 available now
- your site won't change much once it's live
- you want full ownership immediately and the lowest 3-year cost
Either way, the build is the same quality. Mark Thompson (Leeds) Ltd's site went from zero enquiries to 16 in its first month and now brings in 25+ a month. How it was paid for made no difference to that. What made the difference was proper service pages, reviews up front and mobile call buttons. If you're still deciding whether the site you have is worth keeping, read our 7 signs your website needs a redesign. For a wider look at build, hosting and domain costs, see how much does a website cost for a small business in the UK?
Not sure which suits you? Book a free 30-minute call and we'll work out the cheapest sensible option for your business. You'll speak directly to Alex or Ella.
FAQs
Are pay monthly websites worth it?
For most small businesses without a big upfront budget, yes, as long as the terms are fair. Check the minimum term, any setup fee, and the exact point where the site becomes yours.
Can I switch from pay monthly to owning my website?
With us, yes: once the 12-month minimum term is up, the website is yours. Other providers vary, and some never transfer ownership, so ask before you sign.
What happens if I stop paying for a pay monthly website?
With us, the minimum term is 12 months, and the site is yours once it's up. After that you can cancel with one month's notice and keep the website. Wherever you buy, keep your domain in your own name so you never lose your web address.
Is a one-off website cheaper in the long run?
For multi-page sites, yes. On our prices, a multi-page one-off build with aftercare costs about £3,710 over three years, against £6,084 on the equivalent monthly plan. For a single page site the gap is small, about £150 over three years.