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Platforms

Pick the platform. The build is the same either way.

Most studios sell whichever platform they happen to know. I build on all of these, so the choice is about what you want to live with after launch.

My price does not change with the platform. You are choosing the running cost and the editing experience you live with after launch, not a cheaper or more expensive build.

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Running cost

What you pay after launch.

This is the platform's own subscription, paid to them, not to me. Yearly billing is cheaper on every platform that offers it.

Platform How it is built Plan needed Billed monthly Billed yearly A year
Astro Coded build None No platform fee No platform fee No platform fee
Shopify Coded build Basic $39 $29 $348
WordPress Coded build Business $40 $25 $300
Squarespace Custom skin Core $39 $29 $348
Webflow Custom skin Premium $39 $25 $300

Platform prices are set by each company and change without notice. These figures were checked on July 24, 2026 against each company's own pricing page, linked below. Check the link before you decide. Prices are in US dollars and exclude tax, your domain, and any paid add-ons.

The reasoning

Why you would choose each one.

The honest trade-off on each, including what it costs you. How it is built is noted on every card: a coded build is written from scratch, a custom skin is designed on top of a builder's own template.

Coded build

Astro

No platform fee

No monthly platform bill. You still buy your own domain.

A fast marketing or brochure site where loading speed and low running cost matter most.

Why you might pick it

  • No platform subscription. The framework is open source under the MIT licence.
  • The fastest option here, because pages are delivered as plain HTML.
  • A small business site fits inside a static host's free tier.
  • Nothing to renew and no plugin updates to keep on top of.

What it costs you

  • No built-in visual editor, so editing your own words needs a content system added on top.
  • Not a shop. Selling products means adding a checkout or choosing Shopify.
  • Fewer local people can pick the site up if you and I ever part ways.

Worth knowingCloudflare Pages lists a free tier with unlimited sites and bandwidth and 500 builds a month. Your domain is bought separately.

Astro pricing, on their site

Coded build

Shopify

$39 a month

$29 a month billed yearly, which is $348 a year

Plan needed: Basic. Selling products, and any business that wants the site and the checkout in one system.

Why you might pick it

  • Built for selling. Catalogue, cart, checkout, tax and shipping are handled for you.
  • You edit your own content in the theme editor after handoff.
  • Hosting, security and platform updates are included in the plan.

What it costs you

  • You pay every month, including through your quiet season.
  • Extra transaction fees apply if you take payment through a provider other than Shopify Payments.
  • Apps that add features usually carry their own monthly cost.

Worth knowingLarger plans exist, Grow and Advanced, but a small local storefront normally starts on Basic.

Shopify pricing, on their site

Coded build

WordPress

$40 a month

$25 a month billed yearly, which is $300 a year

Plan needed: Business. Content heavy sites, steady publishing, and owners who want the widest choice of tools.

Why you might pick it

  • The largest ecosystem here. There is a plugin for almost anything.
  • Strong for publishing and for content that grows over years.
  • You can host it yourself and move hosts later without rebuilding.

What it costs you

  • Needs ongoing updates. Plugins and themes are a maintenance and security job.
  • Quality varies widely between plugins.
  • Hosting it yourself means a separate hosting bill set by the host you pick.

Worth knowingBusiness is the tier that adds developer access, meaning SFTP, SSH and GitHub, which is how a custom coded theme gets deployed. The WordPress software itself is free if you host it yourself.

WordPress pricing, on their site

Custom skin on a builder

Squarespace

$39 a month

$29 a month billed yearly, which is $348 a year

Plan needed: Core. An owner who wants the simplest possible editor and would rather not think about the platform at all.

Why you might pick it

  • The easiest editor here to learn.
  • One subscription covers hosting and platform security, so there is nothing for you to patch.
  • Appointment booking is available through Acuity, which suits scheduling businesses.

What it costs you

  • The skin sits on a Squarespace template, so the design ceiling is lower than a coded build.
  • A Squarespace update can change how a custom design sits on the page, and Squarespace does not support custom code.
  • The entry Basic plan cannot take a custom skin at all.
  • Moving off Squarespace later means rebuilding rather than migrating.

Worth knowingSquarespace states code injection is available on Core, Plus and Advanced. Basic is not enough for a custom skin, which is why Core is the plan listed here.

Squarespace pricing, on their site

Custom skin on a builder

Webflow

$39 a month

$25 a month billed yearly, which is $300 a year

Plan needed: Premium. Design led marketing sites where the look carries the most weight and content changes are occasional.

Why you might pick it

  • The most design control of the two builder options.
  • Editing is visual, and structured content works through the built-in CMS.
  • Custom code is allowed on any paid site plan.

What it costs you

  • The entry Basic site plan has no CMS, so editing structured content needs Premium.
  • Pricing is per site, so a second site is a second bill.
  • The editor takes longer to learn than Squarespace.

Worth knowingThe free Starter plan uses a webflow.io address and allows two pages, so it is not suitable for a real business site.

Webflow pricing, on their site