The short version
Our clients' sites run at $0 a month for hosting. That is not a trial or a first-year teaser. We build lean sites where serving the files costs almost nothing, so we do not add a monthly hosting fee.
What hosting actually is
Hosting is your site files on a server that stays online. For a lean build, those files are small and cheap to serve. An owner-led shop with about 200 to 300 listings can stay at $0 hosting when the site does not run heavy store software on every visit.
What the popular platforms charge
Most owners pay a monthly bundle: builder, hosting, and support in one bill. We looked at published prices in late 2026. These are ballpark yearly figures in US dollars, with a normal .com domain included. They are estimates, not quotes.
| Typical setup | Rough yearly cost | What you are paying for |
|---|---|---|
| Wix, Squarespace, or similar builder | About $250 to $400 | Hosting and editor in one subscription |
| Shopify or Webflow store | About $350 to $500+ | Hosting plus store tools; apps and email often extra |
| WordPress with hosting and plugins | About $200 to $600 | Hosting is only part of it; builders, speed tools and plugins add up |
| CHING 7 client site | About $18 (domain only) | $0 hosting. You own the code and files. Edge delivery and forms built in |
Teaser prices and monthly billing usually cost more than the table suggests. Card fees, email, plugins, and domain renewals are often on top.
Platform weight
The subscription is only part of it. On most builders, visitors download platform scripts, theme code, and apps before your content appears. That load hurts mobile performance even on paid plans.
Google scores real phones on Core Web Vitals in PageSpeed. Template stacks are hard to tune line by line. Teams often add paid caching and image plugins and still fight the same base weight.
What we build instead
We build owner-led sites with you: lean pages, images sized per device before launch, minimal JavaScript, forms and delivery on a global edge network. Performance is part of the build, not a plugin line item.
We target Lighthouse scores of 95 and above and green PageSpeed on the pages that bring enquiries. On WordPress or a shop platform, matching that usually means extra yearly fees for speed and builder plugins, on top of hosting.
Ownership and cost
$0 a month in hosting is the normal outcome for sites we build around how you sell. You keep the domain, files, and logins. The site can grow without a standing platform subscription.
The recurring bill is the domain, about $18 a year for a .com paid to your registrar. Platform spend you drop can go back into stock, staff, and marketing.
What to ask your web person
Before you sign:
- What do I pay each month, and what is each line for?
- Who owns the domain, files, and logins?
- What is hosting alone, without builder and apps?
- What PageSpeed or Lighthouse scores do you target on mobile?
- What plugins or apps run on every visit, and what do they cost per year?
