Most tradespeople think their options are: pay an agency thousands or use Wix and pay monthly forever. This post exists because there is a third option that almost nobody talks about — and the numbers are not even close.
Let's look at what Wix actually costs over time, what “owning” a website means in practice, and when each approach makes sense.
The real cost of Wix over time
Wix Business plans start at £17/month at their entry tier — rising to £25–£35 if you want remove-ads, priority support, or more storage. Let's use the base rate:
| Timeframe | Wix cost (£17/mo) | What you own at the end |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year | £204 | Nothing — cancel and it disappears |
| 3 years | £612 | Nothing |
| 5 years | £1,020 | Nothing |
The key point: Wix is a rental. If you stop paying — or if Wix raises prices, changes terms, or shuts down a plan — your website is gone. You do not own it. You have never owned it.
What “owning your website” actually means
When you buy a Website Starter Kit, you run the build prompt yourself and get the actual code — a permanent copy on your own computer that belongs to you. You deploy it to Cloudflare Pages (also free) and it runs there indefinitely.
Here is what ownership looks like in real terms:
- ✓Nobody can raise your hosting price — Cloudflare Pages free tier is free.
- ✓If you change hosting providers, you take the code with you.
- ✓If Cloudflare disappeared tomorrow, you'd just deploy the same code somewhere else.
- ✓Your website exists independently of any platform's business decisions.
- ✓You can hand it to a developer to extend — it's standard Next.js, not a proprietary system.
Side by side
| Andy's Template | Wix (£17/mo) | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | €49 once | £0 |
| Monthly cost | €0 forever | £17+/month |
| Cost after 1 year | €49 + €12 domain | £204 |
| Cost after 5 years | €49 + domain | £1,020+ |
| You own the code | Yes | No |
| Free hosting | Yes — Cloudflare Pages | Included in subscription |
| Custom domain | €10–15/yr extra | £10–15/yr extra |
| Mobile responsive | Yes | Yes |
| Contact form | Yes — wired to your inbox via Web3Forms | Yes (Wix native) |
When Wix makes sense
Wix is not bad software. There are situations where it is the right call:
- →You want to test whether you need a website at all before spending any money
- →You genuinely enjoy the drag-and-drop interface and want to build things visually
- →You need features the template doesn't include (e-commerce, bookings, member areas)
If any of those apply, Wix is a legitimate choice. Just go in knowing the long-term cost.
When owning your code wins
Owning your website outright makes more sense if:
- ✓You are an established trade business that will still be running in 5 years
- ✓You want a professional Next.js site with real email forms — not a page builder
- ✓You are buying the template to resell websites to other trades (you can do this)
- ✓You have already paid Wix for a year or two and are tired of the bill
The maths: After just 2 months of Wix, you have spent more than the template costs. After year one, you have spent seven times as much. The longer you run your business, the wider the gap gets.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Wix cost for a tradesperson website?
Wix Business plans start at around £17/month. Over three years that's £612. Over five years it's over £1,000 — and you own nothing at the end.
What does owning your own website mean in practice?
Your code is built on your own computer, not rented from anyone. Nobody can take it away, raise the price, or shut it down. You deploy it to Cloudflare Pages for free and it runs indefinitely.
Is there anything Wix does better than the template?
Wix has a more visual editor and more built-in apps (bookings, e-commerce, etc.). For a standard trade website — contact form, services, testimonials, about — the template does everything you need and costs a fraction of the price.