Squarespace, WordPress or Wix vs. custom development

This is one of the most common questions we hear, and it deserves a straight answer: plenty of businesses are well served by a website builder. Custom development is worth it when your needs outgrow what those tools do well.

When a website builder is the right call

Squarespace, Wix and similar tools are good at a specific job. If you need a handful of pages, a contact form, maybe a simple online store, and you want to edit the text yourself, a builder can work well. Setup is quick, hosting is included, and you don’t need a developer for small changes.

If that describes you, we’ll tell you so. Paying for custom work you don’t need isn’t a good use of your money.

Where builders start to pinch

• You want a design that doesn’t look like the templates everyone else uses.
• Pages get slow as you add more features and third-party widgets.
• You need something the builder doesn’t support, like a custom booking flow or a connection to your existing software.
• You want full control over how the site is built for search and speed.
• Monthly add-on fees keep growing as you bolt on apps to fill the gaps.

WordPress sits in the middle

WordPress is more flexible than the hosted builders and has a huge range of plugins. That flexibility comes with responsibility. Someone has to keep WordPress and its plugins updated, because outdated plugins are a common way sites get hacked. A well-maintained WordPress site can be excellent. A neglected one tends to become slow and fragile.

When custom development is worth it

A custom site makes sense when the website is central to how you make money, or when it needs to do something specific to your business. Think online booking tied to your real availability, a customer portal, integrations with your CRM or inventory, or a design that has to stand apart in a crowded market.

Custom sites also tend to be faster, since they only include what you actually use.

Questions to ask yourself

• What does the site need to do besides describe the business?
• Who will update it, and how often?
• Is the site a brochure, or is it part of how you operate?
• What happens if you outgrow the platform in two years?

If you answer those and still aren’t sure, talk to us. We build custom sites, but we’ll point you to a builder when that’s the better fit.