Custom vs template

Wix, Squarespace, or a custom website? An honest answer.

Template builders are genuinely good at some things. Here's when they're enough, and when they start costing you customers.

What template builders actually get right

Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress themes are fast to launch, cheap, and fine for a simple online presence, a portfolio, a personal project, or a business that just needs to exist online, not convert. If that's genuinely all you need, a template is a reasonable choice, and we'll tell you that instead of pretending otherwise.

Where templates start costing you

Every Wix or Squarespace site built from the same theme looks, loads, and behaves like every other site on that theme. Once your business depends on the site converting, visitors into bookings, leads, or sales, the generic layout, bloated page-builder code, and one-size-fits-all structure become a real cost, not a convenience.

What a custom site changes

A custom-built site is structured around how your specific visitors decide, not a template's generic assumptions. Faster, more control over SEO, and design that fits your industry and brand instead of whichever theme you picked from a grid.

When a template is genuinely the right call

If you're testing an idea, need something live this week for under €200, or truly don't need the site to convert, a template builder is the right tool, and we'd say so on a call. Custom makes sense once the site needs to actively bring in business, not just exist.

See the difference

Big agencyTemplate / DIYFreelancerFluoSite
Price€8,000+€0–500€1–5k, variable€2,000–4,000
Built to convertSometimesRarelyPot luckDesigned to
Strategy & UXYes, but slowNoMaybeYes
In-house, one contactOutsourcedOne personIn-house, full ownership
First designWeeksInstant but genericVariable3–4 days
RevisionsLimited / billedVariableAgile, until it's right

Questions we get asked

Yes, we take your existing copy, images, and structure as a starting point and rebuild it properly, you don't have to start from a blank page.

Ready for a site built around your customers, not a theme?