Your options, side by side
The honest way to compare us to everyone else.
Every web designer says they're the best. So instead of asking you to take our word for it, here's the real trade-off between doing it yourself, hiring a big agency, going cheap on a freelancer, and working with us. We'll even tell you when we're not the right fit.
The comparison
Four ways to get a website. One clear pick.
For a typical local service business. Prices and timelines are ballpark ranges from what these options really cost.
| Whitcomb DesignUs | DIY builderWix · Squarespace | Big agencyLocal / regional | Cheap freelancerFiverr · offshore | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Website build | $899 · $1,899 · $2,999 | $16–49/mo, forever | $5,000–15,000+ | $300–3,000 (varies) |
| Time it takes you | Days to a few weeks | Weeks of your nights & weekends | 2–4 months | Unpredictable |
| Design | Custom, art-directed | A template you fill in | Custom | Usually a bought template |
| Who actually builds it | The person you hired | You | Account manager + junior team | Often unclear / offshore |
| Speed & performance | Tuned, 90+ scores | Depends on the template | Usually solid | Hit or miss |
| SEO built in | Yes, every page | Plugins & add-ons | Sometimes (extra cost) | Rarely |
| Support after launch | Optional care plans, local | You handle it | Retainer (pricey) | Often none / ghosted |
| You own the finished site | Yes, full handoff | Locked to the platform | Sometimes | Varies |
| Local to Northern Colorado | Fort Collins based | No | Maybe | No |
Website builds come in three tiers ($899 · $1,899 · $2,999) depending on pages and features; online stores start higher. Every quote is fixed up front, with no surprises.
Find your situation
Whatever you're weighing us against
Most owners are choosing between one or two of these. Here's the honest wedge for each.
You're eyeing Wix or Squarespace
Those tools work, but they cost you the scarcest thing you have: time. You'll spend 30 to 40 hours wrestling a template and still end up looking like one.
Why us: a custom site in days, for less than your own hours are worth. You get back your nights and weekends.
You got a $6,000+ agency quote
Agencies do great work, but you pay for account managers, sales teams, and office overhead. Then you wait months and become a small fish in their pipeline.
Why us: agency-level design without the agency invoice or the wait. You talk to the person building your site.
A freelancer or "friend who does sites"
The classic story: it starts cheap, then they go quiet, and you're left with a half-finished site and no one to call.
Why us: we don't disappear. Care plans mean it's still handled next year, by someone local you can actually reach.
A bargain gig or overseas dev
Rock-bottom prices usually mean a recycled template, a language and time-zone gap, and no real ownership of what you get.
Why us: custom-designed, local, and you fully own it. Clear handoff, no mystery, no middle-of-the-night email threads.
The three things that actually decide it
Where we win, and why it holds up
Live in days, not months
A lean, focused studio means your site launches while an agency is still scheduling the kickoff call. Speed is our strongest edge, and it's the one you feel first.
Custom, never a template
Every build is art-directed around your business, not a theme with your logo dropped on top. Line it up next to a template and the difference is obvious.
Local, and it stays handled
Based in Fort Collins, serving all of Colorado. You get a real person who answers the phone, plus optional care so your site stays fast and current.
Straight talk
When we're not the right fit
We'd rather be honest than oversell. If you need a large, complex platform with a big internal team and a five-figure-plus budget, a full agency is probably a better home for that. And if you truly enjoy tinkering and have the time, a DIY builder can get you by. For most local service businesses that want a sharp, fast, custom site without the agency price or the DIY grind, that's exactly the gap we're built for.
Questions
Common comparisons
Is Whitcomb cheaper than hiring an agency?
Almost always. A custom Whitcomb build starts at $899, where most agencies start in the $5,000 to $15,000 range for a comparable small-business site. You get custom, art-directed design without the agency overhead, and you talk to the person who actually builds it. See full pricing.
Why not just use Wix or Squarespace myself?
You can, and for some people that's the right call. The catch is time and results: a DIY builder means weeks of your nights and weekends, and you usually end up with a template that looks like a template. We ship a custom site in days that's built to load fast and rank in local search, for less than most owners value their own time.
How are you different from a cheap freelancer or Fiverr?
Two things: you own the finished site with a full handoff, and we're local and still here after launch with optional care plans. A lot of low-cost freelancers hand you a bought template, communicate poorly, or disappear once they're paid.
When is an agency the better choice?
If you need a large, complex platform with a big internal team, multiple stakeholders, and a five-figure-plus budget, a full agency may fit better. For most local service businesses in Northern Colorado, that's far more than they need, and they pay for overhead they never use.
Ready when you are
See the difference on your own project
No pressure, no commitment. Just an honest conversation about your business and a real, fixed quote.