Rent vs Own
INVEST in
a Website that
You OWN
DIY website builders cost more than you think. Discover the true ROI of renting vs. OWNING a self-hosted website tailored to your business needs.
Renting your website
The Hidden Costs of DIY Website Builders
Many business owners turn to DIY platforms like Wix, Squarespace, or Shopify looking for simplicity, only to discover limitations
Platform & Design Restrictions
Website functionality (admin, fulfillment, and user experience) is directly related to which tier-based features you’re able to pay/mo. Custom design options also incur an additional fee.
Generic Identity
Brand differentiation is restricted by limited design capabilities. If you want a distinctive digital presence (including the domain name), you pay extra for that functionality (template, plugins, apps).
Fragmented Systems
Integrating administrative functionality with public-facing experiences (registrations, donations, memberships, engagement, etc.) requires upscaled fees (for plugins, developer support, or both).
Customer Data Silos
Without native CRM functionality or the means to segment customers and leads, your business operates in disconnected data silos, making it difficult to initiate, predict, or track engagement.
Lead Generation Limitations
The ability to attract, follow-up with, and convert leads is directly related to the use of dynamic content and automated marketing options, which is seldom available at bottom-tier subscription levels.
Scalability Challenges
DIY website builders restrict business growth with tier-based ceilings for addon functionality. Business needs are governed by this pricing model which may not be sustainable.
Limited SEO Options
If technical SEO isn’t part of the inherent architecture of a generic website building platform, you can forget about your organic SEO efforts finding their way to AI overview listings.
Lack of Data Ownership
DIY platforms own your data; however, you’re responsible for its security. And should you ever want to change platforms, it’s extremely difficult to export your data in a usable format.
Transaction Fee Burden
The more revenue you earn, the more per-sale fees you pay in addition to payment processing fees, directly diminishing margin profitability.
Illustrative Example #1
This example illustrates how a service business might benefit from transitioning to a self-hosted website. It represents a typical scenario with realistic calculations and common challenges.
Service Business with High Lead Generation Priority
A legal practice currently uses a DIY website builder’s business plan ($49/month) with several add-on expenses ($35/month). They have no direct online sales but generate about $20,000 monthly in service revenue. The office manager spends 10 hours monthly on website updates valued at $45/hour.
They rate lead generation importance at 9/10 and integration importance at 6/10. Choosing our SMB package, their calculated ROI results show:
- DIY 2-year cost: $22,416 (including time costs)
- MapleFish 2-year cost: $6,400
- Lead generation value (new clients): $302,400
- Time savings value: $8,910
- Total ROI: $327,126
The high lead generation value reflects their business’s dependence on new client acquisition and the significant impact website improvements can have on their growth.
We explain how our Website ROI Calculator works if you want more clarity on the math.
Owning Your Website
The MapleFish Web Advantage
When you invest in a self-hosted website with MapleFish Web, you're building an infrastructure for a digital asset that grows with your business
Complete Ownership
Your website is a legitimate business asset you own, free from transaction fees, policy changes, price increases, and ongoing fees for common business operations
Design Autonomy
WordPress’ opensource ecosystem accommodates APIs, hooks, no/low-code flexibility, and headless technology to integrate the kind of native functionality that a DIY platform can’t match.
Branding Control
Unlimited design possibilities make it easy to build your brand-centric website on your own terms, along with perfecting user experience and engagement.
AI-Powered Workflows
MapleFish uses AI-driven technology to optimize automations, integrations, interactive and organic content, and administrative tasks to interact with your data and apps.
Automated engagement
A built-in CRM is the cornerstone of any online business, giving you the ability to segment leads, track behaviour, and build predictive content into your marketing strategies.
Enhanced Lead Generation
With no restrictions on content generation, you can create interactive opportunities that strategically incite engagement, converts visitors, and automates follow-up.
Integration Diversity
The ability to seamlessly connect with 400+ apps, including CRMs, email and marketing tools, social platforms and other business systems, eliminates data silos and administrative overhead.
Optimal SEO Performance
Direct control over technical SEO performance provides a smoother, faster browsing experience, which significantly improves customer satisfaction and retention (an actual Google ranking factor)
Built to Scale
The trajectory of your online success is directly proportional to the functionality of your website. We exist to build you a website that can grow with your business without the financial and proprietary constraints of platform-hosted solutions.
Economic Sustainability
Self-hosted websites offers substantially reduced total cost of ownership when the initial investment is paid off.
Flexible Growth & Adaptability
Freedom from platform dependencies means that you can add custom features, integrations, and functionality exactly when your business needs them.
Data ownership
You have zero control over the data that your website collects on a 3rd-party platform. With a self-hosted website, you don’t live under the threat of ever losing your customer data.
Illustrative Example #2
This example illustrates how an ecommerce service business might benefit from transitioning to a self-hosted website. It represents a typical scenario with realistic calculations and common challenges.
eCommerce Store with High Transaction Volume
An online retailer sells specialty products through Shopify Basic ($38/month plus several apps totaling $75/month). They process $40,000 monthly in sales with a 2% transaction fee when not using Shopify Payments. The owner spends 15 hours monthly managing the store at $60/hour.
With lead generation importance at 7/10 and integration importance at 8/10, selecting our SMB package shows:
- DIY 2-year cost: $43,512 (including transaction fees and time costs)
- MapleFish 2-year cost: $10,000 (with e-commerce integration)
- Lead generation value (new sales): $470,400
- Time savings value: $21,060
- Total ROI: $528,372
The elimination of transaction fees creates significant savings, while improved conversion rates dramatically increase sales. We explain how our Website ROI Calculator works if you want more clarity on the math.
Discover your savings potential
Calculate Your Website ROI
See how much money you could save over time by investing in a self-hosted website compared to subscription-based DIY platforms.
Fill out the calculator to see how much you could save by switching to a self-hosted website with MapleFish Web.
ROI Calculator
Enter Your Current Costs
Enter your current platform costs to see potential savings
Monthly Subscription Fee ($) 1
(Anything not included in your subscription)
(In addition to payment processer fees)
Average Gross Monthly Sales ($) 4
(Time you spend on website maintenance)
(The $ value you place on your time)
MapleFish Website Package
(The solution that best meets your business goals. See pricing.)
How important are leads? (1-10)
(The expectation for website-generated leads)
How important are system integrations? (1-10)
(How you prioritize integrations and automations)
ROI Results
Your 2-Year Cost Comparison
Based on your inputs, here’s how a MapleFish website compares to your current DIY platform.
DIY Website Platform
This represents the 2-year cost of platform subscription fees, add-ons, transaction fees, plus the monetary value of time spent on website maintenance.
MapleFish Self-Hosted Website
This represents the total cost of your website build, including hosting and basic maintenance over 2 years.
Business Impact: Lead Acquisition
This represents the estimated additional revenue from improved lead generation strategies based on how you prioritized leadgen as a business goal.
Business Impact: Automations
This represents the monetary value of your time when applied to maintaining your website yourself, and conversely, how much you save when this service is included in your original investment.
Your Estimated 2-Year ROI
Calculations are based on your known expenses and subjective values, over a 24-month period.
The cost of a MapleFish website
– the cost of a “rented” website
+ projected revenue from new leads
+ subjective value of re-gained time
Total ROI (2 yrs)
Did you know? Self-hosted websites natively integrate the same functionality you pay extra for with a DIY website builder.
Key Comparisons
Comparing DIY platforms against MapleFishWeb’s self-hosted solutions.
DIY Website Builders vs MapleFish Self-Hosted Websites
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Initial Cost
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Monthly Fees
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Addon Costs
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Transaction Fees
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Time Requirement
-
Design Flexibliity
-
Ownership
-
Scalability
-
Integrations
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Growth Ceiling
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Low ($0 - $500)
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Ongoing ($15-$299+)
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High & Growing
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1-3% of Sales
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5-10 Hrs/mo
-
Template Restricted
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Platform-Dependent
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Limited by Platform
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Limited or Costly
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Yes
-
Investment ($4,000-$8,500+)
-
Hosting (After 2 yrs)
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Included in Initial Build
-
None
-
1-2 Hrs/mo
-
Unlimited Customization
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100% Ownership
-
Unlimited Growth Potential
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Unlimited & Affordable
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None
Website Builder Subscription Rates
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Wix
-
Squarespace
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Shopify
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Weebly
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Webflow
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Duda
-
GoDaddy
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$16/mo
-
$23/mo
-
$39/mo
-
$10/mo
-
$18/mo
-
$19/mo
-
$15.99/mo
-
$27/mo
-
$33/mo
-
$105/mo
-
$18/mo
-
$42/mo
-
$59/mo
-
$21.99/mo
-
$27/mo
-
$36/mo
-
$39/mo
-
$30/mo
-
$84/mo
-
$79/mo
-
$29.99/mo
-
$49/mo
-
$65/mo
-
$399/mo
-
N/A
-
$235/mo
-
Custom
-
$44.99/mo
2-Yr Cost Comparison
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Initial Investment
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Monthly Subscription
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eCommerce Features
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Form Builder
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Booking System
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Client Portal
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Email Integration
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Premium Templates
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Transaction Fees
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Technical Support
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Maintenance
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Time Investment
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Time Value ($50/hr)
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2-Yr Total Cost
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Monthly Avg
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Business Limitations
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Ownership & Control
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$0
-
$29/mo
-
$30/mo
-
$15/mo
-
$20/mo
-
N/A
-
$9.99/mo
-
$79 one-time
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2.9% of sales
-
Email only
-
Self-managed
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5 Hrs/mo
-
$6,000
-
$8,598
-
$392
-
High
-
Limited
-
$4,000
-
$0
-
Not Included *
-
Included
-
Not Included
-
Not Included *
-
Included
-
Included
-
$0
-
Email only
-
$50 Credit
-
2 Hrs/mo
-
$2,400
-
$6,400
-
$267 *
-
Low
-
Complete
-
$6,400
-
$0
-
Not Included *
-
Included
-
Not Included
-
Not Included *
-
Included
-
Included
-
$0
-
Email only
-
$100 Credit
-
2 Hrs/mo
-
$2,400
-
$8,800
-
$367 *
-
Low
-
Complete
-
$7,800
-
$0
-
Not Included *
-
Included
-
Included
-
Not Included *
-
Included
-
Included
-
$0
-
Email only
-
$150 Credit
-
2 Hrs/mo
-
$2,400
-
$10,200 *
-
$425 *
-
Low
-
Complete
* eCommerce, learning modules, and membership sites qualify for custom pricing.
* After 2 years, total cost of ownership is equivalent to the “time value” you spend on maintenance.
* Monthly fees are eliminated after 2 years with full ownership of your website.
Kind Words
From our clients
Why Chose MapleFish Web?
We’re committed to providing a best-in-class website at the lowest possible price.
We’re committed to providing a best-in-class website at the lowest possible price.
- Transparent pricing
- Full functionality
- No restrictions
- 24-month payment plan
- Earn while you pay
Beyond the price Tag: Business Impact
The native functionality of ownership.
- Eliminate never-ending fees
- Built-in security
- Unlimited customization
- Evolving tech stack
- Personal support
- Built-in CRM
- Integrated automations
- 100% Control
- 24-mo payment plan
Next steps
Discover your website's full potential
Whether this is your first website or you want to automate an existing website, MapleFish websites will position your business as a serious competitor and an influential brand.
Schedule a free 30-min consultation.
removing barriers to the cost of website ownership!
FAQs
Why is the initial investment for a self-hosted website higher?
There’s a lot of time that goes into planning and building a website, especially with the kind of functionality that a thriving business requires. In a nutshell, your investment covers strategic planning sessions, custom design, development, and integrations specific to your business goals. Remember, once your investment is paid, there are minimal expenses (hosting, annual domain renewals, optional maintenance plan), depending on your needs.
How accurate is the ROI calculator?
What if I'm just starting my business on a limited budget?
A website isn’t for everyone. In some cases, starting with a DIY platform makes sense while you validate your business model. That said, our 24-month payment plan might be an equally viable option.
How difficult is it to switch from a DIY platform to a self-hosted website?
It can be a hassle for inexperienced business owners. The process involves creating a new hosting account, migrating your content (often requires reformatting), setting up plugins, integrations, SSL certificate, CDN, nameservers, etc. We handle the entire migration process, including content transfer, design implementation, and functionality setup. Most businesses experience minimal disruption and see immediate improvements in performance and capabilities.
