€99 per month or €5,000 upfront — which website model pays off?
A traditional web agency takes €5,000 upfront plus ongoing fees. The monthly model gives you a complete site for €99/month. Which is actually cheapest — and safest?
You need a new website. Two paths: pay an agency €5,000 upfront, or €99/month for a package where everything is included. At first glance the monthly model looks more expensive — until you do the maths over 3–5 years. Then the picture changes.
The traditional model — what does it actually cost?
An average web agency quotes a complete website at €3,000–8,000. That price covers design and development, but here are the costs that get added on:
Hosting: €20–50/month (€240–600/year)
Domain: €15/year
SSL certificate: €50–150/year (often separate)
Service agreement: €150–300/month for 'maintenance and updates'
Changes: €80–150/hour for every text or image update
SEO: €500–1,500/month as a separate service
Total year 1: €7,000–15,000. And every change costs extra.
The monthly model — how is it different?
For €99/month (or €1,188/year) you get:
- A complete, custom-designed website
- Hosting, SSL, domain, backups
- SEO built in from day one
- Email on your domain
- Unlimited changes — you email, we fix it
- Support in plain language, the same person every time
Total year 1: €1,188. Same number year 2. And year 3.
Three-year total cost
Traditional web agency (mid-range): €5,000 (build) + 3 × €3,500 (service agreement + hosting + changes) = €15,000.
Monthly model: 3 × €1,188 = €3,564.
Difference: €11,900. For a small or medium business, that's money that can go towards actual marketing, new services or salaries.
But is the quality the same?
The big myth is that the monthly model means template builds and compromise. The reality: we build every site custom in Next.js (the same framework Vercel, Linear and modern SaaS companies use). The code is faster than WordPress, SEO-ready from the start, and more flexible than Wix or Squarespace.
The difference is the business model, not the quality. Traditional agencies make money on large upfront projects plus billable hours for changes. We make money by keeping long-term clients happy — so we invest in the relationship, not the invoice.
When should you go with a big web agency?
The monthly model isn't for everyone. If you need a complex e-commerce platform with 10,000 products, a custom customer login system, or a bespoke CRM integration — then a dedicated agency is the right choice. For 95% of small and medium businesses, the monthly model is both cheaper and better.
Do the maths yourself
Compare your current annual cost against €1,188 and see what you save. See our packages or order a free SEO analysis of your current site first.
