Every week someone tells me the same thing: "I almost signed up for Wix last night, but I wasn't sure." It's a fair hesitation. A website builder looks like the cheap, quick option, and sometimes it really is. But the monthly fee is only part of the bill, and the part nobody shows you on the pricing page is what happens in year three, when prices rise, your business grows and you want to move. Here's how I'd decide if I were a small business owner in Bulgaria or anywhere in the EU, with real numbers checked this week.
What you actually pay for a website builder
Builders like Wix and Squarespace sell a subscription. You don't buy a website; you rent a place for one. That's not bad in itself — hosting, security updates and backups are bundled in — but it changes the maths.
Some indicative numbers I checked today (they change often and vary by country, VAT and promotions):
- Wix lists its Premium plans in France from €16.80/month (Light) to €30 (Core) and €40.80 (Business), billed per year and paid upfront. The Light plan can't take online payments or bookings, so most businesses that sell anything end up on Core or Business.
- Squarespace raised its annual prices in July 2026: Core went from $23 to $29/month and Plus from $39 to $49 — increases of up to 26%.
- Add a domain after the free first year, paid apps (bookings, reviews, translations), premium templates and payment fees on top.
The three-year test
Comparing "€30 a month" with "€890 once" is comparing apples with oranges. Put both on the same timeline. I use three years, because that's roughly how long a small business site lives before it needs a serious refresh.
- Builder: plan price × 36 months + domain + every paid app you need + your own time building it. At Wix Core prices that's already over €1,000 before apps — and it never stops: month 37 costs the same as month 1.
- Designer-built site: the one-off project + hosting and domain + optional care. My website projects start at €890, go live in 2–5 weeks and include three months of free care. After that you pay normal hosting, not a platform rent.
- Your time: be honest. If building it yourself takes 30 evenings, that's time not spent with clients.
Neither side wins automatically. A tiny site on the cheapest plan, built in one weekend, can beat a custom project on cost. A business that needs bookings, a shop or two languages usually doesn't.
When a builder is the right call
I'll say it plainly: sometimes you shouldn't hire me. A builder is a good choice when:
- you're testing an idea and aren't sure the business will exist in a year;
- you need a simple page with contact details this week and have zero budget;
- you enjoy design, have good photos and time to tinker;
- you don't care much about Google rankings or speed — most clients come from referrals.
If that's you, pick a plan with no ads on your domain, use one of the simpler templates, and keep your texts and photos in a folder on your own computer. You'll thank yourself later.
When a web designer pays for itself
You sell or take bookings
Shops, clinics, salons and guesthouses need payments, availability and clear forms. Builder apps add up fast, and conversion depends on details a template doesn't know about your customers.
You need to look different
Thousands of businesses use the same popular templates. If your competitors look identical, a custom design built around your brand identity is how you stand out.
Google matters to you
Speed, clean structure and local SEO are easier to control on a lean site built for one purpose than on a platform carrying features you never use.
You must meet EU rules
Cookie consent, trader information, accessibility for online services — someone has to set this up properly. On a builder, that someone is you.
The question nobody asks: can you leave?
This is the part that surprises people most. Wix states in its own help centre that your site must run on Wix's servers: the content belongs to you, but the site uses proprietary technology and can't be hosted anywhere else. In practice, leaving means rebuilding.
You own your texts and photos. You don't own the site that holds them.— the practical meaning of platform lock-in
That's fine as long as you're happy with the platform's prices and direction. It's a problem the day prices rise 26%, a feature you depend on moves to a higher plan, or you want a developer to add something the platform doesn't allow.
Builder vs designer at a glance
Low start cost, live fast, hosting included. But it's a subscription forever, apps cost extra, prices can rise, the design is template-shaped and the site can't move to another host.
Higher one-off cost, a few weeks to launch. But it's built around your customers, you own the files and the domain, any developer can work on it later, and running costs are plain hosting.
Your 20-minute decision checklist
Grab a sheet of paper and answer these today:
- Write down the builder plan you'd really need (with payments/bookings if you sell) and multiply by 36.
- List every extra app you'd need and its monthly price.
- Check who registers the domain and in whose name — it should be yours.
- Ask: if I wanted to leave in two years, what exactly could I take with me?
- Estimate your own hours to build it, and what those hours are worth.
- Get one fixed quote from a designer for the same scope and compare on the same three-year line.
- If you already have a site, run it through the free website check first — you might only need fixes, not a new site.
So, which should you choose?
If your website is a business card and your budget is close to zero, a builder is a perfectly good start. If your website is supposed to bring in customers — bookings, orders, enquiries — the three-year maths and the ability to leave usually point to a site you own.
Not sure where you stand? Run the free check on your current site or your competitor's, and see what it says about speed, SEO and accessibility. And if you'd like a fixed price for a site built around your business, have a look at how I build websites — I work with small businesses across Bulgaria and the EU, and I'll tell you honestly if a builder would serve you better.