Website subscriptions tempt you with a low entry price. They also promise that you won't have to worry about anything. With your own website, you pay for the build once. Which model is cheaper only shows up when you work it out over several years. We compare both options over three years, with real figures.
Two models in brief
- Website subscription: A provider builds your website and lets you use it for a fee. You pay a set-up fee and then an annual charge. There is often a fixed term. Depending on the contract, the website stays with the provider.
- Your own website: You pay for the build once. The domain, content, code and logins are registered in your name. You add a care plan if you need one.
Both models have their place. What matters is what happens to your website when the term ends.
The example from the Beobachter
In 2020, the Swiss magazine Beobachter reported on a small business (Beobachter, ‘A bad deal for small firms’, in German). The key figures:
- Website set-up: CHF 1,490
- Support: CHF 990 a year
- Term: three years
After the business cancelled, the website was gone. The firm was left without any presence online. According to the provider, the design code belonged to its web supplier. The terms may have changed since 2020. Even so, the example shows clearly what to look out for.
The three-year calculation
For comparison, we take your own website with our Start package, which you look after yourself once we've shown you how. For the build, we use the entry price for Start; the fixed price depends on effort. For hosting and domain, we use CHF 10 a month, the lowest figure in the digitalawards.ch market overview.
| Website subscription (Beobachter example) | Your own website (Start, looked after yourself) | |
|---|---|---|
| Set-up | CHF 1,490 | from CHF 990 (guide price) |
| Running costs | CHF 990 a year | hosting and domain, from CHF 120 a year |
| Year 1 | CHF 2,480 | CHF 1,110 |
| Year 2 | CHF 990 | CHF 120 |
| Year 3 | CHF 990 | CHF 120 |
| Total after three years | CHF 4,460 | CHF 1,350 |
| Minimum term | three years | none |
| When it ends | website gone | the website is yours |
This is how the totals add up:
- Subscription: CHF 1,490 set-up plus 3 × CHF 990 support comes to CHF 4,460.
- Your own website: CHF 990 set-up (entry price) plus 3 × CHF 120 hosting and domain comes to CHF 1,350.
At the entry price, your own website costs CHF 3,110 less over three years than the example subscription. If your fixed price is higher, the gap gets smaller. If you want us to take care of updates, security and changes, the Calm care plan comes on top, from CHF 199 per month. Your own website then costs more over three years than the example subscription. But it belongs entirely to you at the end, and you can cancel the care plan any month.
What the comparison doesn't show
A price comparison only holds up if the scope is similar. So check three things:
- Scope: Our Start package is one page with your offer, about you and contact. Do you show several services, each with a page of its own? Then the Business package, from CHF 1,900, is a better fit.
- Changes: The Calm care plan includes one hour of changes a month. Ask the subscription provider how many changes their support covers.
- Your own edits: In the walkthrough that comes with every package, we show you how to change text yourself. So you don't need anyone for small updates.
Compare every offer on the same scope. Otherwise you are comparing two different products.
What happens after three years
This is where the two models really differ.
With a subscription
When the contract ends, you have two options. You keep paying on the provider's terms. Or you cancel and start again. In the Beobachter example, cancelling meant no website at all. You may then have to gather your text and images from scratch.
With your own website
The website keeps running for as long as you want. You can keep the care plan, cancel it or switch to another provider. You take the domain, code and content with you. So you never start from zero.
When a subscription still makes sense
A subscription can make sense if you want to test a business idea quickly. The digitalawards.ch market overview also names ‘set-up plus monthly model’ as a way to test quickly. It also fits if you plan to start afresh after the term anyway.
A subscription is less suitable if your website should bring in enquiries for years. Then you want to own it and keep developing it.
Five questions before you sign
Whichever model you choose, get these points in writing.
- Domain: Whose name is the domain registered in?
- Taking it with you: Can you keep the text, images and code after cancelling?
- Term: How long is the minimum term? Does the contract renew automatically?
- Price afterwards: What does the website cost once the term is over?
- Support: What exactly does support include, for example how many changes?
If you don't get a clear answer to one of these, ask again. A trustworthy offer answers all five.
How we do it at chrismachts
With us, the website belongs to you. The domain, code, content and accounts are in your name from day one. There is no minimum term, and you can cancel the care plan any month.
- Start package: guide price from CHF 990, and we agree the fixed price with you after our call
- Calm care plan, if you want it: from CHF 199 per month, cancel any month
- Payment: 50% when you order, 50% at launch
If a question comes up after launch, just get in touch, even if it isn't in any package. The first call is free and with no obligation, and you get a quote if you want one. Find out more under Websites and on our pricing page.
Left without a website after cancelling? It doesn't have to be that way.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper: renting or buying a website?
Over three years, the subscription in the Beobachter example costs CHF 4,460. Your own website with our Start package, looked after yourself, costs from CHF 1,350 with entry price and hosting. With our care plan it costs more, but it stays yours, while the subscription in the example ended with cancellation.
Do I own a website on a subscription?
That depends on the contract. In the Beobachter example, the website was gone after cancellation. Before you sign, ask whether the domain, content and code belong to you after cancelling.
Can I look after my own website myself later?
Yes. If the domain, code and logins are in your name, you can cancel the care plan. You then look after the website yourself or choose another provider. With us, you can cancel the care plan any month.