I build custom-coded sites, so you might expect me to say page builders are a bad idea. They aren’t. Plenty of businesses should use one. The useful skill is knowing which side of the line you’re on, so here’s how I think about it.
The short answer
Use a page builder (Wix, Squarespace, Shopify and similar) if you need a straightforward site quickly, you’re happy working within a template, and you’ll make the updates yourself.
Go custom if the site is central to how you make money, you need behaviour a template can’t do, or you want to own and control every part of it.
Where page builders are genuinely good
- Speed to launch. A simple site can be live in days, sometimes hours.
- You can edit it yourself. Changing a price or a photo doesn’t need a developer.
- The boring parts are included. Hosting, certificates and basic checkout are handled for you.
- A big ecosystem. Templates, add-ons and support from a large company.
For a salon with a booking page, a local shop with a catalogue, or a portfolio, a builder is often the right call, and a custom build would be money spent for nothing.
Where they start to pinch
- A design ceiling. You work with the blocks the template gives you. Unusual interactions, such as a 3D product viewer, are often hard or impossible.
- You rent, you don’t own. The site lives on the platform and the plan fees continue for as long as the site does. Moving away usually means rebuilding.
- Partial control. You get the performance, SEO and security settings the platform exposes. Many hosted builders limit what you can change, for example your own response headers.
- Add-ons add up. Features often arrive as paid apps or plugins, each with its own cost and its own effect on speed.
What custom code gives you, and what it costs
What you get:
- Ownership. With my projects, full ownership of the code and design transfers to you once you’ve paid in full.
- Exactly what you need, with nothing bolted on that you don’t use.
- Control of speed and security. Including headers, caching and what loads on each page.
- No platform subscription. You still pay for your domain and hosting.
What it costs you:
- A higher upfront cost than a template.
- A slower start, because it’s designed and built for you.
- Someone technical to make bigger changes. Routine content edits can be designed to be easy, and ongoing maintenance is available as an add-on.
A quick decision guide
- Your site is mainly an online brochure.
- Non-technical people will update it often.
- A template layout is fine.
- You want to launch this week.
- The site is your main way of selling.
- You need an unusual feature or interaction.
- You want to own the code and avoid platform lock-in.
- Speed, security and brand feel are competitive advantages.
Questions to ask before you pay anyone
These work on a platform and on a developer alike:
- Who owns the code and the content? Get it in writing.
- What are the recurring costs? Plan fees, app fees, hosting, domain.
- Can I export everything and leave?
- Who fixes bugs, and how quickly? For my builds, the answer is in the pricing FAQ.
- What happens if we stop working together?
An honest note
If a page builder is the better fit for what you’re doing, I’ll tell you, even though it means I don’t get the project. A site that fits your situation beats a clever one that doesn’t. If you’re unsure, send me what you’re building and I’ll give you a straight answer.