Wix or a Web Designer? Building It Yourself vs Hiring Someone
Building your own site on Wix or Squarespace is cheaper in cash. Hiring someone costs more up front and saves your time. Here's an honest side-by-side, with each company's prices as listed on its own pricing page in September 2026.
Side by Side
| Question | Build it yourself | Hire a designer | Draknar Webworks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up front | Your time | About $350 to $5,000 | $599 |
| Each month | Wix $17 to $159; Squarespace $19 to $99 | About $25 to $750 for care | $49, $99 or $149 |
| Who builds and writes it | You | The designer, or you | Us, from a visit to your business |
| Who makes changes | You | Included, or billed by the hour | Us: text or email, usually the same day |
Wix's listed prices are for yearly subscriptions paid in full up front, and each plan's free domain lasts one year. Squarespace says paying annually saves up to 36%. Designer prices are the ranges 14 US designers list on their own websites, which we read in September 2026; the full breakdown is in our website cost guide.
What Is the Downside of Using Wix?
Mostly, it's your time. Wix is a capable builder with templates and tools, but you choose the design, write the words, take the photos and keep everything current yourself. The prices on its pricing page are for a year paid in full, and the free domain lasts one year before it renews at your cost.
Is It Worth Building Your Own Website?
It can be, if you have the time and enjoy it. A builder costs less in cash, and you control every word. If your hours are better spent running your business, hiring someone costs more up front and takes far less of your week.
Can ChatGPT Build Me a Website?
AI tools can now draft a website for you. Wix, for one, offers to create your site from a prompt. You still supply the facts, the photos and the upkeep, and you have to check that everything it wrote about your business is true.
Do Professional Web Designers Use Wix?
Some build on website builders. One Mesa agency we found builds custom Squarespace sites starting at about $1,249, and the client also pays Squarespace every month. We don't use a builder: we build fast, plain pages ourselves, so there's no builder subscription for you to keep and no plugins to patch.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire Someone to Build a Website?
US designers publish small business build prices from about $350 to $5,000, then about $25 to $750 a month to look after the site. Ours is $599 to build and from $49 a month, with hosting, your domain and your changes included.
Rather Not Build It Yourself?
Pick a plan and tell us about your business. It takes about five minutes, and we do the rest.
Get Your Website See All Prices
Questions first? Call us at (480) 952-0128.