01
Umber
Owner-direct studio
- Pricing model
- Flat fee per project. One number on a one-page proposal. No hourly billing.
- Who edits the site
- We edit everything for the first thirty days at no cost. After that, you hand off to us hourly or take the code and self-serve.
- Code and asset ownership
- You own the source files, the hosting, the domain, and the brand assets. Nothing licensed, nothing leased.
- Time to launch
- Four to six weeks for a rebuild. Five to eight for a new build.
- Ongoing support
- Thirty days of free changes after launch. Hourly thereafter, or self-serve with the code.
- What breaks first
- Your source files live in an account in your name, on hosting in your name, with notes any web person can pick up. If the engagement ever ends, you keep the whole site.
02
Wix or Squarespace
Drag-and-drop builder
- Pricing model
- Monthly subscription, often $20 to $60 per month, plus add-ons for forms, scheduling, and storage.
- Who edits the site
- You do, in their visual editor. Easy at first, slow once the site grows past five or six pages.
- Code and asset ownership
- You own your content. You do not own the platform. Your site cannot move off Wix or Squarespace as code.
- Time to launch
- A weekend to a week if you do it yourself with a template. Longer if you customize heavily.
- Ongoing support
- Help docs and chat support. No human watching your site for problems.
- What breaks first
- Performance and SEO ceiling once the site grows. Forms, integrations, and page speed are the usual pinch points.
03
Freelancer
Solo contractor
- Pricing model
- Mixed. Often hourly or milestone-based. Quotes vary widely; quality varies more.
- Who edits the site
- Depends on the build. WordPress freelancers usually leave you with an admin panel; custom-build freelancers may not.
- Code and asset ownership
- Usually yours, in writing. Worth confirming before signing anything.
- Time to launch
- Three to twelve weeks. Heavily dependent on the freelancer’s queue and how much hand-holding you do.
- Ongoing support
- Whatever you negotiate. Some stay on retainer, some disappear at launch.
- What breaks first
- Continuity. If the freelancer goes quiet or moves on, you may be stuck finding someone who can read their code.
04
Typical agency
Mid-market shop
- Pricing model
- Quote-based. Often a discovery fee, then a build fee, then a retainer. Total cost is rarely visible up front.
- Who edits the site
- An account manager files tickets to a developer. You usually pay for every change.
- Code and asset ownership
- Sometimes yours, sometimes theirs. Read the contract carefully; some agencies bill license fees on assets.
- Time to launch
- Three to six months. Discovery and approval cycles are most of the calendar time.
- Ongoing support
- Monthly retainer, billed even in months you do not use it. Good if you need a partner; expensive if you do not.
- What breaks first
- Your patience and your budget. Process is heavy by design and bills add up between launch and the next quarter.
