Updated · Facts checked
We sell one of the options on this page. Our prices are labeled as ours, and every claim about anyone else links to a dated source.
The short answer
The choice is mostly between a personal working relationship with open-ended scope and a fixed product with a fixed price.
- Freelancer: Upwork reports typical rates of $15 to $30 an hour for web designers on its platform [1], and higher bands by project type: about $15 to $40+ for a single-page design, $20 to $50+ for a CMS-based theme and $45 to $75+ for a full custom build [1]. At 20 to 60 hours for a simple small-business site (our own assumption), that's roughly $300 to $4,500, plus hosting.
- Sitelings (us): $99 to $1,500 once, a set number of change rounds included, hosting $49 a year if you want it (opens soon).
Side by side
Freelancers vary enormously, so the left column describes the typical arrangement rather than any one person.
| Question | Freelancer | Sitelings |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Hourly or a project fee; varies by skill and country [1] | $99 to $1,500, fixed, before you start |
| See it before paying | Typically a deposit first, then design drafts; terms vary by freelancer | Free watermarked preview of the actual site; pay only if you want it |
| Timeline | Depends on their schedule and the scope; typically weeks, though it varies widely and some freelancers deliver faster | The crew builds a preview right after your brief |
| Custom features | Whatever they can build | Standard marketing sites only: pages, forms, links to your tools |
| Hosting and changes later | Typically arranged separately, often billed hourly | $49 a year hosting (opens soon); change rounds included; care plan from $49 a month |
| If they disappear | Make sure you hold the logins and files | You can download the files at any time after purchase |
How to hire a freelancer well, if you go that way
Plenty of small businesses get great results from freelancers; these steps protect you either way.
- Write a one-page brief: what the site must do, the pages, three sites you like, your budget.
- Ask for two or three past small-business sites and try them on your phone.
- Agree on a fixed scope and price, a number of revision rounds and a delivery date, in writing.
- Make sure the domain, hosting and site files are in your name.
- Ask how changes after launch are billed and how fast they're made.
Who should hire a freelancer
A freelancer is the better choice when the human relationship or custom work is the point.
- You want a person to talk to and to shape the design with you over several meetings.
- You need custom features: integrations, an unusual layout, an online store, a member area.
- You already know a freelancer you trust, perhaps someone local who understands your market.
- You want ongoing help from the same person on marketing as well as the site.
Who should pick Sitelings
We're the better fit when the site is a standard marketing site and certainty matters more than customization.
- You want a known price before anything starts, with no hourly surprises.
- You want to see the finished site first.
- You want speed: a preview right after the brief rather than a slot in someone's calendar.
- You want the same written checklist applied every time: speed, mobile, accessibility, search basics.
Questions people ask
Short answers to the questions that come up most when owners in this trade talk to us about a website.
Is a freelancer cheaper than Sitelings?
Sometimes. A low hourly rate on a small project can come in under our price; a custom design at higher rates usually costs more. The difference is that our price is fixed and known up front.
Can a freelancer edit the site you build?
Yes. You can download plain files, and any web developer can work on them.
Do you use freelancers behind the scenes?
No. The site is planned, written, built and checked by our AI crew, and a person approves anything involving money, legal or policy decisions.
Keep reading
Related pages for the same kind of business, plus the guides and free tools that go with this one.
Sources
Every outside fact on this page comes from the sources below, read on the date shown. Prices and plans change; check the source before you decide.
- Upwork, "Web designer hourly rates" (no date on page; read October 26, 2026). Web designers on Upwork cost $15 to $30 an hour (median hourly rates); average hourly rates of $15 to $40+ for single-page designs, $20 to $50+ for CMS-based themes and $45 to $75+ for full custom builds.