How should you compare website builders and outsourced website development costs?

When comparing website builders and outsourced website development costs, first establish the same website purpose, features, and design scope, then consider development costs and annual expenses separately. Do not compare only the “free” label or total quoted price. A simple informational site, an online checkout, and a custom admin system involve different work. The available material offers guidance and historical price references, but is not sufficient to determine which platform is cheapest today or establish a reasonable price for a specific set of requirements.

Narrow down tools by the website’s purpose first

Welly’s 2024 article introduced several tools that can serve as a starting point for comparison, rather than a promise of currently available plans:

• Simple or internal websites: Google Sites can integrate with Google Drive. The article considered it suitable for quickly creating simple pages, though its layout and design options were relatively basic.
• Visual proposals or one-page presentations: Canva offers various templates and can also be used to draft website designs, making it useful for organizing layouts and content first.
• Sites that need additional functionality: WordPress offers templates and plugins. A Mobile01 discussion also mentioned installing e-commerce plugins or choosing a hosting provider’s website builder to reduce some setup steps.

Being able to use a template does not mean the available features meet your needs. A site that simply introduces a brand has different requirements from one that needs a shopping cart, payment processing, or a custom admin system. List those requirements before comparing options.

Compare outsourced development quotes against the scope of deliverables

Welly’s 2023 article estimated semi-custom websites at roughly NT$50,000–200,000 and fully custom websites at roughly NT$150,000–600,000 or more. These were the article’s estimates, not standardized current market rates, and they do not apply to every project.

The difference is not just visual: semi-custom websites use existing templates and functional modules to reduce costs, while fully custom work may cover visual style, animation, website functionality, a content management system, and page-by-page design. The article also noted that a basic business website without a shopping cart might cost less if existing modules could be reused.

• When requesting quotes, specify whether a content management system, responsive design, and e-commerce functionality are included.
• Confirm which parts use templates and which require separate design or development.
• If you need online shopping functionality, confirm payment processing, the shopping cart, and payment methods individually, rather than simply asking how much an e-commerce website costs.

One-page website prices cannot be applied directly to multi-page sites

Welly’s 2024 article estimated outsourced one-page website development at roughly NT$10,000–30,000, depending on requirements. The article suggested that a single page takes less time to design and build, so it is generally cheaper than a multi-page site. However, that does not mean one-page websites with different features should all cost the same. When comparing quotes, you still need to confirm whether the site is purely informational or includes a purchase and checkout process.

Compare annual expenses alongside technical support

The 2023 article also provided annual cost estimates: roughly NT$700–800 for a domain, NT$1,000–7,000 for an SSL certificate, and NT$8,000–15,000 for hosting. These are historical estimates, not costs that every plan necessarily requires today. When requesting quotes, confirm whether they are already included in the total.

A Mobile01 discussion recommended considering hosting reliability, reviews, monthly payment options, and access to customer support. For SEO, some PTT commenters recommended WordPress, but these were user suggestions and do not establish that switching platforms will improve rankings.