Comparison
Hand-coded by ArdinGate vs. Wix, Squarespace & Webflow
Page builders are fine for some businesses. They're terrible for others. The honest breakdown — cost, performance, ownership, SEO, and what happens five years in.
| ArdinGate (hand-coded) | Wix / Squarespace | Webflow | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | $1,200–$2,800 one-time | $0 to start | $0 to start |
| Monthly cost | $30–$75/mo managed hosting (optional) | $16–$159/mo subscription (required) | $15–$212/mo subscription (required) |
| 5-year total | up to ~$7,300 Multi-page build + $75/mo managed hosting over 5 years — one-time cost, no subscription ever | up to ~$9,500 Wix Business Elite at $159/mo annual — subscription clock runs the whole time | up to ~$12,700 Webflow Advanced Ecommerce at $212/mo annual — workspace fees often stack on top |
| 10-year total | up to ~$11,800 Multi-page build + $75/mo managed hosting over 10 years. Build cost absorbed by year 3 — then hosting only, no subscription ever | up to ~$19,000+ Wix Business Elite at $159/mo — a decade of payments, zero equity, subscription never ends | up to ~$25,400+ Webflow Advanced Ecommerce at $212/mo — before workspace seat fees. Subscription never ends |
| Site ownership | You own the code outright | Rented, can't self-host | Export possible, limited |
| Load time (typical) | < 1s first paint | 2–4s first paint | 1–2s first paint |
| Core Web Vitals | Pass by default | Often fails on mobile | Usually passes |
| Custom functionality | Whatever you need (PHP) | Platform allows only | Webflow allows only |
| Vendor lock-in | None | Total | Heavy |
| Support | Same person who built it | Outsourced tier-one queue | Outsourced tier-one queue |
| SEO control | Full (schema, meta, robots) | Limited (platform decides) | Good but platform-gated |
When a page builder actually makes sense
If you need a site online this weekend for a short-lived event, a quick-launch portfolio, or you explicitly don't care about owning anything — Wix and Squarespace are fine tools. They're designed for zero-technical-knowledge launch, and they deliver on that.
The problem is that most small businesses aren't in that situation. They have a site they intend to keep running for years. They want it to rank on Google. They'd rather not rebuild it every time the platform pivots or jacks up pricing. That's where a hand-coded site pays for itself.
The 5-year math
Take a small business looking at a basic multi-page site. Squarespace's Core plan runs $23/month as of mid-2026 — that's $1,380 over 5 years. Wix's Core plan is $29/month as of mid-2026 — $1,740 over 5 years. Neither includes what a typical hand-coded build costs upfront, and the monthly clock never stops. And those are entry-level plans: need ecommerce, abandoned cart, or advanced shipping? Wix Business runs $39/mo — $2,340 over five years. Squarespace Advanced hits $99/mo — $5,940 over five years. Wix Business Elite runs $159/mo — $9,540 over five years, still paying every single month with zero equity to show for it.
A hand-coded ArdinGate multi-page site is $2,800 once, plus optional hosting. At $30/month managed hosting that's $6,400 over 10 years — real money. But a single-page site at $1,200 on a $10/month self-hosted VPS comes to $2,400 total over the same decade — cheaper than Wix Core ($29/month = $3,480) and Squarespace Core ($23/month = $2,760) over 10 years. After year 10, Wix keeps billing. ArdinGate doesn't. That's the math that keeps tilting.
Still not sure which side of this you're on?
Send a quick description of what you're building and I'll tell you honestly which fits.
Ask a question