Compare / Freelancer
A studio or a freelancer for your trade website.
Both build good websites. They fail in different ways. Here is the honest version of each, so you can pick the one that suits how you run your business.
Both build good websites, and they fail in different ways. The risk is almost never the design. It is month fourteen, when you add a service, put your prices up or need a fix the week you are flat out, and one person is on holiday. Ours is £1,000 for the build, paid once, with nothing monthly at the sale.
This is not a question with one right answer
We are a small studio, so you would expect us to say a freelancer is a bad idea. We are not going to. Plenty of tradespeople have a site built by one person that does the job, cost very little, and gets changed the same day they send a text.
The two options carry different risks, and the risk is almost never the design. It is month fourteen, when you add a service, put your prices up, or need a fix the week you are flat out. Nobody asks about that while the site still looks new.
What each one actually gives you
Read it down the left column. The row that matters most to you is the one to ask about first.
| What you are comparing | A good freelancer | A small studio |
|---|---|---|
| Price of the build | Usually the lowest. Almost no overhead to cover. | Above one person, normally below an agency retainer. Ours is £1,000 for the build, paid once. See what is in it. |
| Who you talk to | The person doing the work, directly. Hard to beat. | A small team. Ask who answers when you send a message. |
| Availability | One diary. Holidays, illness and a big project mean a wait. | More than one pair of hands, so work carries on. |
| Process | Varies a lot. Ask what the steps are and what you supply. | A written process, usually with checks before anything goes live. |
| Testing before launch | Often the same person checking their own work. | A separate pass: speed, phone layout, every form sent for real. |
| Hosting | Sometimes theirs, sometimes yours. Nail this one down. | Included and managed. Ask if you can take it elsewhere. |
| Your domain | Fine if it is in your name. A problem if it sits in their account. | Should stay in your name whoever builds it. |
| The files and the code | Ask in writing if they are yours once the invoice is paid. | Same question. Ours are yours once paid for. |
| If they move on | You need the domain, the hosting login and the files. | Handover is a process, not one person’s goodwill. |
| After go-live | Whatever you agree, often informal, which cuts both ways. | A care arrangement offered after go-live, not sold at the sale. |
Which one suits you
Pick a freelancer if
You want a straightforward site, the budget is tight, and you are happy to chase when something needs doing. Find one with live sites in your trade, get the domain in your own name on day one, and get the ownership answer in writing.
Strongest on price and direct contact.
Pick a studio if
You want the site to keep earning without you managing it. That means a process rather than a person, checks before anything goes live, and someone who answers while you are on a roof.
Strongest on continuity and what happens after launch.
The honest warning
A studio that will not show you live client sites is worse than a freelancer who will. Judge the work, not the setup.
Every site we have built is on the work page and opens in one tap.
Eight questions to ask either one
Ask us these too. If a straight answer does not come back quickly, that is your answer.
- Is the domain registered in my name, and can I log in and see it?
- When the site is paid for, is it mine to take elsewhere?
- Where is it hosted, and can I move it without rebuilding it?
- Can I see three sites you built that are live now, in my trade?
- What does the mobile speed score look like on those sites today?
- What happens when I need a price changed in six months, and what does it cost?
- Who tests it before it goes live, and is the enquiry form sent for real?
- What happens if you are ill, on holiday, or you stop doing this?
More on reading a quote in our guide to what a trade website should cost.
What you get with us, stated plainly
How we work
The studio side
- Custom-coded, not a builder template. No platform fee taking a cut of your margin.
- One trade, one area. The site that ranks where you work is yours, not your rival’s.
- Checks before launch. Speed, phone layout, every link and the enquiry form, tested before it goes near your customers.
- Nothing monthly at the sale. The care arrangement is offered after go-live, if you want it.
What we can show you
The checkable part
- Established 2020. A trading name of Revive Business Solutions Ltd, company 12690702, registered in England and Wales.
- More than forty sites built across driveways, drainage, fencing, tree surgery, roofing, building and cleaning.
- Nine live sites we run ourselves, plus Hemsley Building Services in Wakefield, live since August 2026.
- 99 out of 100 on Google’s mobile speed test for our own homepage, measured 15 September 2026. Run the test yourself.
Our own figure, so you can compare like with like: £1,000 for the build, paid once, and nothing a month at the sale. What the £1,000 includes.
What tradespeople ask us about this
Anything we have not covered? Just WhatsApp us.
Is a freelancer cheaper than a studio?
Usually yes on the invoice, because one person has almost no overhead. Over three years it depends on who hosts it, who fixes it, and what a change costs you in six months.
Ask both for the build fee and the running cost separately. A quote that answers only the first is not a full quote.
What happens to my website if my freelancer stops answering?
It keeps running until something needs changing or renewing, then it becomes a problem. What matters is whether the domain is in your name and whether you can get at the hosting account.
If both are yours, another builder picks it up in an afternoon. If either sits in someone else’s account, you are waiting on a person who has stopped replying.
Who should own my domain name?
You, in your own account, in your business name. Anyone building your site can point it at new hosting without owning it. We build on the domain you already have and you keep it.
Do I own the site once it is paid for?
With us, yes: once it is paid for, the site is yours in full. Ask any builder the same question in writing before you start. The answer varies, and it is the part people find out about too late.
Can I see the site before I commit to anything?
With us you can. We build a live demo of your site first, with your trade and your town in it, and send you the link. Nothing is owed until you say you want it.
Any builder can offer something equivalent, a sample page or a design draft. It is a fair thing to ask for.
See your site before you decide anything.
You do not have to decide between a freelancer and a studio in the abstract. Get a demo from us, get a quote from them, and compare two real things.
Ask for your demo and judge it on your own phone.
Or call 0161 567 6029. One firm per trade per area, so it is worth asking early.