Plenty of web companies sell tradesmen a website on a monthly plan. It lowers the barrier to saying yes, but it is built to keep you paying. Here is the simple maths over three and five years, against a one-off fee you own outright.
We lay out the typical monthly cost, the three-year and five-year totals, and what you actually get to keep at the end.
About this page
About this page: a cost comparison by LeadFly Websites. Monthly figures use the common UK market range of around £30 to £80 a month for a managed small-business website; your quote may differ. Our own price is a one-off £500 that you own. Figures are illustrative and exclude domain renewal, which applies either way. Last updated June 2026.
The key findings
- Managed monthly website plans for small businesses commonly run £30 to £80 a month.
- Over three years that is £1,080 to £2,880; over five, £1,800 to £4,800.
- A website we build is a one-off £500, with no monthly fee afterwards.
- With the monthly model you usually own nothing. Stop paying and the site typically goes offline.
The maths over time
| Monthly plan (low, £30/mo) | Monthly plan (high, £80/mo) | LeadFly one-off £500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | £360 | £960 | £500 |
| 3 years | £1,080 | £2,880 | £500 |
| 5 years | £1,800 | £4,800 | £500 |
| You own it? | No | No | Yes |
Why the monthly model exists
A monthly fee is easier to say yes to than a lump sum, which is exactly why so many web companies use it. £40 or £50 a month feels manageable, and for the seller it turns a one-time job into an income stream that runs for years.
The trouble is that a small business website is not like insurance or broadband, something you genuinely need to keep paying for. Once it is built, it is built. The ongoing fee is mostly buying the company's continued permission for your own site to exist.
The maths over three and five years
Put the numbers side by side and the picture is clear. At the low end, £30 a month is £1,080 over three years. At the more common £60 to £80, it is £2,160 to £2,880 over three years, and £3,600 to £4,800 over five.
A website we build is £500, once. Even against the cheapest monthly plan, you are ahead within the second year, and every year after that the gap widens. Against a typical plan, the one-off fee pays for itself in well under a year.
The part that matters most: ownership
Cost aside, there is a bigger difference. With most monthly plans you never own the website. The company keeps the files, often the domain, and the hosting. Stop paying, fall out with them, or have them go under, and your site can simply disappear, taking your online presence with it.
A site you own is yours: the domain, the design, the content, the files. We set you up on fast hosting with no ongoing charge from us, and if we never speak again, your website still works and still belongs to you.
When monthly might make sense
To be fair, a monthly arrangement can suit a business that genuinely wants someone managing constant changes, frequent new content, or a complex site. For most tradesmen, that is not the situation. A focused, professional site does not need monthly tinkering to keep earning.
For the typical trade business, paying once for something you own is simpler, cheaper over any sensible timeframe, and far less risky than renting your own shopfront indefinitely.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a tradesman website cost per month?
Is a one-off fee cheaper than a monthly website plan?
Do you own your website on a monthly plan?
Want to pay once and own it?
We build websites for tradesmen for a one-off £500, with no monthly fees and no lock-in. You own the domain, the design and the site itself. Based in Watford, building across the UK.