Honest comparison
Four ways to get a website
We only sell one of these, so here is the version with the awkward bits left in. Read the column that fits your situation, not ours.
| What matters | Wondercraft ready-made | Agency build | Theme or template | DIY builder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | £900 – £6,000 one-off | £8,000 – £40,000 | £40 – £120 plus your time | £16 – £40 a month, forever |
| Time to launch | Days — it already exists | 8 – 20 weeks | Weeks of fiddling | A weekend, then months of tweaks |
| Design made for your sector | Each build designed for one industry | Bespoke to your brief | Generic, used by thousands | Whatever you assemble |
| You own the code | Full source handed over | Often licensed, not owned | Licensed theme, tied to a CMS | You rent the platform |
| Sold once, never resold | Exclusive — one buyer per build | Bespoke by definition | Unlimited copies sold | Same blocks as everyone else |
| Performance out of the box | Modern stack, no plugin bloat | Depends who builds it | Page builders slow it down | Heavy scripts by default |
| Changes after launch | Website enhancement packs | Hourly rates or a retainer | Your own time or a freelancer | Do it yourself |
| Ongoing cost year two | Hosting from £15/mo, nothing else | Retainer, plus hosting | Theme and plugin renewals | Subscription never stops |
| Who fixes it when it breaks | The studio that built it | Your agency, if still trading | A forum thread | Platform support |
Choose an agency if…
You need bespoke product logic, integrations with internal systems, or a brand identity created from scratch — and you have the budget and the twelve weeks it takes.
Choose a template or builder if…
The site is a placeholder, the budget is under a few hundred pounds, and you are happy to maintain it yourself and look like everyone else in your sector.
Choose a ready-made build if…
You want an agency-quality site for your industry, live this week, owned outright, sold to nobody else, with the studio that wrote it still on hand afterwards.
Not sure which build suits you? Answer four questions and we'll match three.
Find my build Browse every website