Short answer: a one-time build costs less upfront, and usually less over five or more years, if someone can maintain the site. A monthly plan costs nothing to start and includes hosting, updates and edits. At B63 that’s €150 a month excl. VAT for 24 months (€3,600), against a one-time build from €550 incl. VAT.

A one-time build is cheaper upfront, but every website also needs hosting, a domain, updates and the occasional fix for as long as it is online, paid for either in money or in your own time. At B63, the monthly plan costs €3,600 over 24 months with all of that included, while the one-time build starts at €550 including VAT and leaves the running costs to you. If someone on your team can look after a WordPress site, the one-time build usually works out cheaper; if nobody can, the plan is usually the safer choice.

When you compare quotes, it is natural to look at the first number. This article is about everything that comes after it.

What you get with each option

The monthly care plan: €0 upfront, €150 a month

You pay nothing to start and €150 per month for 24 months, or €3,600 over the full term. That covers:

the design and build of your WordPress website or WooCommerce store
secure hosting
domain renewal
WordPress, theme and plugin updates
daily backups
performance optimisation
technical support
content edits on request

At the end of the 24 months you choose: renew the plan, or take full ownership of the site, meaning the files and the domain. The maintenance side is described in more detail on our website maintenance page.

The one-time build: from €550 including VAT

You pay once for design, setup and optimisation. After launch, the site is yours to run. You arrange and pay for hosting and the domain, and you (or someone you hire) handle updates, backups and fixes.

Neither model is a trick. They simply put the work that happens after launch in different hands.

Website subscription vs one-time build, side by side

	Monthly care plan	One-time build
Upfront cost	€0	From €550 incl. VAT
Ongoing cost	€150/month for 24 months	Whatever your hosting, domain and help cost
Two-year total	€3,600, known in advance	€550 + your own estimate (see below)
Hosting	Included	You choose and pay
Domain renewal	Included	You renew and pay
WordPress, theme and plugin updates	Included	You, or someone you pay
Daily backups	Included	Depends on your hosting and setup
Performance optimisation	Included, ongoing	At launch; afterwards up to you
Technical support and content edits	Included, on request	Do it yourself or pay per job
After 24 months	Renew, or take full ownership of files and domain	Nothing changes: you have run it all along

How to price the one-time option honestly

The €550 is a starting point, not the two-year cost. To compare fairly, estimate each of the items below for 24 months. Prices vary widely between providers, so ask for real quotes and check exactly what is included rather than trusting a headline figure.

Hosting. A plan suitable for WordPress, or for WooCommerce if you sell online. Check whether the quoted price is an introductory rate and what it renews at.
Domain. Renewals for the full period. Look at the renewal price, not the first-year offer.
Email. If you want addresses on your own domain, check whether your hosting includes email or you need a separate service.
SSL certificate. Often included with hosting; confirm that it renews automatically.
Backups. How often they run, where they are stored, how long they are kept, and whether you can restore one yourself.
Paid plugins or themes. If your site relies on any, check whether their licences renew every year and who pays.
Update time. Someone has to update WordPress, the theme and the plugins regularly, then check that pages, forms and checkout still work. Estimate the hours per month and multiply by what that time is worth to you, or by a freelancer’s rate.
Emergency fixes. A plugin conflict after an update, a contact form that stops sending, a hacked site. Budget for at least one incident over two years.
Content changes. New prices, opening hours, services, photos. Who makes them, and how long does it take?
Your own time spent dealing with hosting support, invoices and lost passwords.

Then add it up:

€550 + hosting for 24 months + domain renewals + email + licences + (update hours × hourly rate × 24) + an emergency buffer + time for content edits = your real two-year cost.

Compare that figure with €3,600. For some businesses it will be clearly lower. For others, once their own time is counted honestly, it will not be.

When is the one-time build the better choice?

Paying once is genuinely the smarter option if:

You have a tech person in-house. An employee, a partner or a family member who already looks after WordPress sites and will keep doing it.
Your budget is tight and you have DIY skills. You are comfortable updating plugins, reading error messages and restoring a backup, and you would rather spend time than money.
You already have hosting you trust and want the new site to live there.
You want every account in your own name from day one and prefer to choose your own suppliers.

If that describes you, the one-time build will very likely cost less over two years, and that is a perfectly sensible decision. We offer both options precisely because neither one suits everybody.

When the monthly plan wins

The plan makes more sense if:

Nobody on your team is technical, and you do not want to become the person who fixes the website at 11 pm.
You want a predictable cost. One fixed monthly amount is easier to budget than a mix of renewals, licences and surprise invoices.
You would rather not spend cash upfront. For a new business, keeping money free in the first months can matter more than the total.
You update your content often and want someone to make the edits for you.
You want one point of contact when something goes wrong, instead of working out whether the problem is the host, the theme or a plugin.

Five of the six client sites in our portfolio run on the care plan, including the bilingual WooCommerce jewellery store we built for Valentin Gold & Diamonds.

Four mistakes to avoid when comparing

Comparing build prices only. A website is a running cost, whichever way you pay for it.
Using first-year prices. Hosting and domain offers often renew at a different price.
Valuing your own time at zero. An hour spent fixing a plugin is an hour not spent on your business.
Assuming the site will “just keep working”. WordPress plugins and themes need regular updates for security, and skipped updates tend to turn into bigger problems later. Our guide to what website maintenance includes explains what that work involves.

FAQ

Is a website subscription more expensive than a one-time build?

On the build price alone, yes. Over two years it depends on what you would pay for hosting, the domain, updates and fixes, and on what your own time is worth. Work through the checklist above to get your real number before you decide.

Do I own my website on the monthly plan?

The plan runs for 24 months. At the end of the term you choose: renew, or take full ownership of the website files and the domain.

Can I maintain the site myself after a one-time build?

Yes. WordPress is open-source and well documented, so anyone with some technical confidence can look after it. You will need to update it regularly, keep backups and occasionally test that a backup actually restores.

How long does it take to launch?

Typically 7–10 days after we receive your content. Our website preparation checklist lists what to have ready so nothing holds you up.

Not sure which side of the line you are on? Send us a few words about your business and who would look after the site, and we will help you work it out, even if the answer is the one-time build. You can compare both options on our pricing page or simply get in touch.

Website subscription vs one-time build: what each really costs over two years