Reference
Platform pricing reference
Honest 5-year cost reference for the most common DIY website platforms. Sourced from each vendor’s pricing page and verified against industry guides. Updated quarterly.
Pricing accurate as of April 27, 2026. Vendors change pricing frequently. Verify on the vendor’s site before making decisions.
| Plan | Monthly (annual billing) | 5-year cost | Transaction fee |
|---|---|---|---|
Light 2 contributors | $17.77/mo | $1,066 | — |
Core 5 contributors | $29.77/mo | $1,786 | — |
Business 10 contributors | $39.77/mo | $2,386 | — |
Business Elite 100 contributors | $159.77/mo | $9,586 | — |
Hidden costs to know about
- Wix sites cannot be exported to another platform. Migration means rebuilding from scratch.
- You do not own the underlying code or infrastructure. Wix can change features, pricing, or terms at any time.
- Domain renews at full retail (~$15-25/yr) after the free first year. Premium apps add up quickly.
| Plan | Monthly (annual billing) | 5-year cost | Transaction fee |
|---|---|---|---|
Basic Squarespace charges a 2% transaction fee on top of payment processor fees | $16/mo $21/mo billed monthly | $960 | 2% Always applies |
Core No Squarespace transaction fee (recommended for most small biz) | $23/mo $32/mo billed monthly | $1,380 | — |
Plus | $39/mo $48/mo billed monthly | $2,340 | — |
Advanced | $99/mo $119/mo billed monthly | $5,940 | — |
Hidden costs to know about
- Basic plan adds 2% Squarespace transaction fee on every sale on top of payment processor fees. You must upgrade to Core or higher to remove it.
- Squarespace content can be partially exported (Wordpress format) but custom design and integrations do not migrate.
- Theme/template changes can break custom CSS. Limited control over performance optimizations.
| Plan | Monthly (annual billing) | 5-year cost | Transaction fee |
|---|---|---|---|
Basic 10 inventory locations | $29/mo | $1,740 | 2% Only without native payments |
Grow 5 staff accounts | $79/mo | $4,740 | 1% Only without native payments |
Advanced 15 staff accounts | $299/mo | $17,940 | 0.6% Only without native payments |
Hidden costs to know about
- Using any payment processor other than Shopify Payments adds 0.6%-2% extra fee per sale. Many stores hit this when switching to lower-rate processors.
- Most growth-stage stores end up paying $100-500/mo in app subscriptions on top of the platform fee.
- Theme code uses Liquid (Shopify-only). Migrating off Shopify means rebuilding the storefront.
| Plan | Monthly (annual billing) | 5-year cost | Transaction fee |
|---|---|---|---|
Basic No CMS items | $14/mo | $840 | — |
CMS 2,000 CMS items | $23/mo | $1,380 | — |
Business Up to 20,000 CMS items | $39/mo | $2,340 | — |
Ecommerce Standard Inherits CMS plan limits | $29/mo | $1,740 | 2% Always applies |
Ecommerce Plus No Webflow transaction fee | $74/mo | $4,440 | — |
Ecommerce Advanced | $212/mo | $12,720 | — |
Hidden costs to know about
- Webflow exports static HTML/CSS/JS but the CMS, ecommerce, and forms only work on Webflow hosting.
- Designer learning curve is steep. Hiring a Webflow specialist costs $75-150/hr for ongoing edits.
- Workspace plans (separate from site plans) are nearly always required, doubling the monthly cost.
| Plan | Monthly (annual billing) | 5-year cost | Transaction fee |
|---|---|---|---|
Personal No plugin installation | $4/mo $9/mo billed monthly | $240 | — |
Premium All premium themes included | $8/mo $18/mo billed monthly | $480 | — |
Business Plugin installation enabled | $25/mo $40/mo billed monthly | $1,500 | — |
Commerce Full WooCommerce integration | $45/mo $70/mo billed monthly | $2,700 | — |
Hidden costs to know about
- Plugin installation requires Business plan ($25/mo) or higher. Many features expected on WordPress need a higher tier here.
- WordPress.com is not the same as self-hosted WordPress. Migration to self-hosted is possible but requires manual work.
| Plan | Monthly (annual billing) | 5-year cost | Transaction fee |
|---|---|---|---|
Basic No SEO tools | $9.99/mo $21.99/mo billed monthly | $599 | — |
Premium SEO tools | $14.99/mo $39.99/mo billed monthly | $899 | — |
Commerce Inventory management | $20.99/mo $44.99/mo billed monthly | $1,259 | — |
Hidden costs to know about
- Renewal pricing is significantly higher than introductory pricing. Basic jumps from $9.99/mo to $16.99/mo on renewal.
- Limited customization. Templates and features are constrained compared to other builders.
- Site cannot be exported. Migration requires rebuilding elsewhere.
Renewal rates apply after the first billing term ends.
| Plan | Monthly (annual billing) | 5-year cost | Transaction fee |
|---|---|---|---|
Kinsta Single 1 site | $30/mo $35/mo billed monthly | $1,800 | — |
Kinsta WP 2 2 sites | $59/mo $70/mo billed monthly | $3,540 | — |
Kinsta WP 5 5 sites | $96/mo $115/mo billed monthly | $5,760 | — |
Hidden costs to know about
- WordPress core, themes, and plugins all require regular updates. A neglected WordPress site is a security incident waiting to happen.
- Plugin ecosystem encourages stacking paid plugins. Most production sites end up at $300-1000/yr in plugin licenses.
- Self-hosted WordPress is the most portable option (you own everything), but migrating between hosts still requires technical work.
Pricing assumes managed WordPress hosting (Kinsta starter tier). Bargain shared hosting ($3-10/mo) carries hidden costs in slow performance, downtime, and security incidents that the comparison does not capture.
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