A site builder is cheap to start; a custom site costs more up front and is yours to keep. Where each wins, the costs that come later, and how to choose.
The honest version
We build custom sites, so read this knowing that. It is also true that for some businesses a site builder is the right call, and we would rather say so than sell you something you do not need.
Where a site builder wins
Wix, Squarespace and similar builders, or a ready-made WordPress theme:
Low cost to start, and you can launch in a weekend if you have the time.
You edit everything yourself, whenever you like.
Hosting, security updates and backups are handled by the platform.
Good for testing an idea before spending real money on it.
Where it costs you later
A subscription for as long as the site exists. Over a few years it often adds up to more than a one-off build.
You do not own the site. On Wix in particular, you cannot export it and move it to another host: leaving means rebuilding.
It looks like a template, because it is one, and so do many of your competitors' sites.
Builders load a lot of code you do not use, which makes pages slower on phones, and speed affects both visitors and Google.
Your time. Writing, designing and fixing it is work, and it is work you are not paid for.
Hitting the limits: a booking flow, an integration with your invoicing or a feature the platform does not offer often cannot be added at all.
What about WordPress?
WordPress sits between the two. It is free, open-source software installed on hosting you choose, so unlike Wix the site, its content and its database can be moved. Most WordPress sites are a ready-made theme plus plugins, which is what makes them quick to set up and also what makes them heavy.
Cheaper to start than custom work, and many developers know it.
Yours to move to another host or another developer.
Someone has to keep WordPress, the theme and every plugin updated. Out-of-date plugins are a common way into a WordPress site.
A theme made to suit every business loads features yours never uses, and the pages are slower for it.
A good fit for blogs and content that changes daily; a weaker one when you need something no plugin does.
What custom gets you
A one-off price, agreed before work starts, instead of a subscription for the build.
The code and the content, yours to keep and move to any host or any developer.
A design made for your business and what you want visitors to do, not for a template's demo content.
Fast pages, because nothing is loaded that the site does not use.
Room to grow: a shop, bookings or an integration added later to the same site.
The trade-off is a higher price at the start and, for bigger changes, a developer. Small edits to text, photos and prices can be planned in from the start; ask how they will work before you sign, with us or anyone else.
How to choose
Choose a builder if your budget is very tight, you enjoy doing it yourself, and the site is simple or temporary.
Choose custom if the site has to bring in customers, look clearly better than the competition, load fast, or do something specific to your business.
Whichever you choose, register the domain in your own name, so it stays yours if you ever change platform or developer.
For a simple site you are happy to build and maintain yourself, it can be. Its limits show when you want the site to stand out, load fast, grow, or move away from the platform: a Wix site cannot be exported to another host.
Is a custom website more expensive than Wix?
Up front, yes. Over several years, often not: a builder is a subscription for as long as the site exists, while a custom site is paid once, plus domain and hosting.
Is WordPress better than Wix?
WordPress can be moved to any host and extended further; Wix is simpler and needs no maintenance from you. WordPress needs someone to keep it and its plugins updated, which Wix does for you.
Can I edit a custom website myself?
It depends on how it is built. Editing text, photos and prices can be planned in from the start; ask about it before you sign.
Does your business need a website? Most customers look you up before they call. What a website does that a Facebook page or a Google listing cannot, and when you honestly do not need one yet.
How much does a website cost? Real 2026 prices for a presentation site, an online shop and custom software in Romania, what pushes the price up, and the running costs nobody mentions.
Website or Facebook page? A social page is free and quick; a website is yours and shows up in search. What each does well, where each falls short, and why most businesses need both.
Presentation site or online shop? A presentation site brings in calls and enquiries; an online shop takes payment. How to tell which one your business needs, what each costs and when to switch.
How do you show up on Google? The free Google Business Profile, reviews, a website Google can read and Search Console: what each does, in what order, and how long it honestly takes.
What must a Romanian online shop show by law? Company details, prices, the 14-day return right, terms, ANPC, privacy and cookies: a plain checklist for selling online in Romania, as of October 2026.
RIGTECH SRL (limited liability company) · Registered office: Str. Parângului 49, 200719 Craiova, Romania · Trade Registry no. J2026044903004 · CUI 55237870 · Share capital: 500 lei