Website subscription vs. buying a website outright: what small businesses should know

What you're paying for either way

Every business website needs the same pieces, whoever provides them:

• A domain name, renewed every year.
• Hosting and an SSL certificate.
• Design and build.
• Content: your text, photos and service pages.
• Maintenance: updates, backups and security fixes.
• Edits when your services, prices or phone number change.
• Support when something breaks.

How the two models pay for them

When you buy, you pay for the build once and then pay for (or do) the rest separately. With a subscription, everything is in one monthly bill and the build cost is spread across it.

The math: subscriptions cost more over time

Take our own prices as an example. Vladier's Starter plan is $99 a month: $1,188 a year, $3,564 over three years and $5,940 over five. Growth is $199 a month: $2,388 a year, $7,164 over three years and $11,940 over five.

Now compare that with buying. Add the one-time build quote to your yearly hosting, domain and maintenance costs, multiplied by the years you expect to keep the site. Here's a hypothetical example (not a market average, so get real quotes): a $3,000 build plus $300 a year for hosting and the domain comes to $4,500 over five years, before any paid changes. That's less than $5,940 for Starter, and the gap grows every year you stay subscribed.

The gap shrinks if you pay a freelancer for fixes, or if you'd spend your own evenings on updates. Decide what an hour of your time is worth before you compare.

When buying outright makes sense

• You have the cash upfront.
• Your site rarely changes.
• You, or someone you trust, can handle hosting, updates and security.
• You plan to keep the same site for four or five years or more.
• You want complete control over every file.

When a subscription makes sense

• You don't want to think about hosting, updates or backups.
• You want someone to handle edits when you ask.
• You'd rather keep cash in the business than pay a lump sum.
• You want one company to call when something breaks.

The terms that matter more than the monthly price

Website rental contracts in the trades often share a few features. Here are some examples from published terms:

• Minimum terms. Thryv's FAQ describes a 6-month mandatory term that auto-renews ^[1]. Hibu sets a 12-month minimum for its Smart Site websites ^[2]. Townsquare Interactive uses a minimum commitment period set in your Order ^[3].
• Design ownership. Thryv's website terms say the design it creates is its property ^[4]. Townsquare's terms say you have no ownership rights in the website or its template after termination ^[3]. Hibu owns the content it creates ^[2].
• Domains. Hibu registers domains it provides in its own name and transfers them on request ^[2]. Thryv releases your URL at termination if the domain was yours originally ^[4].
• How you cancel. Hibu and Townsquare require a phone call within set hours ^[2][3]. Thryv requires written notice ^[5].

Ask what you own when you stop paying

None of those terms is hidden; they're all published. They do mean the real question is what you own when you stop paying. Before you sign anything, check:

• The domain is registered in your business's name (you can check on ICANN Lookup ^[6]).
• You have a written right to an export, in a usable format.
• The minimum term, the notice window and how you cancel.
• Whether billing starts at signing or at launch.
• How and when the price can go up.

DIY builders are subscriptions too

A cheap monthly builder is still a subscription, and moving can be hard. Wix says its sites have to run on Wix's servers ^[7]. Squarespace exports only some content, as an XML file meant for WordPress ^[8]. If you plan to own your site eventually, choose a setup where you can take the files with you.

Our own tradeoffs, stated plainly

We sell subscriptions, so here's where our model is weaker:

• 3-month minimum. Once you approve your site, you're committed for three months. After that it's month to month, and you cancel by email.
• It costs more than a one-time build over the years. If you'd keep the same site for five years with almost no changes, buying is probably cheaper.
• The free export comes after the minimum. A full export of your code and content is free on request once your first three months are done.
• Remote and small. Vladier is run by founder Catalin through SV HUB S.R.L. in Romania and works with US clients by email. There's no local office.
• New. We don't have client reviews yet. To make up for that, we build your complete site first and you pay nothing unless you approve it.

What our plans include

Starter ($99/month) covers the site, US hosting, SSL, maintenance and up to 2 hours of edits a month. Growth ($199/month) adds a dedicated US server, Google Business Profile setup and monthly updates, a review request kit, a monthly performance report, up to 4 hours of edits and priority support. Your domain stays in your name on both.

A quick way to decide

• Add up five years of costs for each option, including your own time.
• If the totals are close, pick the one with better exit terms.
• If you choose a subscription, make sure the domain is yours and you have a right to an export.
• If you buy, set aside a yearly budget for hosting and repairs.