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DIY, a freelancer, an agency or MODEX?

There are four common ways to get a business website. All four are the best choice for someone. Here they are side by side, so you can see which one suits you.

Build it yourself

You have time, enjoy doing it and a simple site is enough for you.

Cost: €66 to €240 per year, plus your own hours
Who does the work: You: choosing a design, text, photos, settings and keeping it up to date.
Design: A template you fill in yourself.
Changes later: You do them yourself, whenever you want.
If you stop: The site lives on the website builder's platform and usually can't be taken to another provider.

A freelance web builder

You want a fixed contact nearby and a personal connection matters to you.

Cost: €699 to €915 in the first year
Who does the work: The builder; you supply text and photos.
Design: Varies: often an existing theme that is adapted.
Changes later: Varies per builder: in the monthly fee or per hour.
If you stop: Varies per builder. Ask in advance who owns the domain and what you get to take with you.

A web agency

You have a large or complex project, with several people involved in the decisions.

Cost: from €2,500, often more
Who does the work: A team: designer, developer and often a copywriter.
Design: Custom work, with an extensive preliminary phase.
Changes later: Usually per hour or in a maintenance contract.
If you stop: Varies per agency and is in the contract.

MODEX

You want to hand it over, see what you get first and know the cost in advance.

Cost: €393 (Start) or €677 (Plus) in the first year
Who does the work: We do. You first see a free preview with your own text and photos.
Design: A custom design, no standard theme.
Changes later: Small changes are included in the monthly fee.
If you stop: The domain is yours and you get your site as a zip file.

All amounts excl. VAT. DIY: regular annual prices of the paid plans of JouwWeb (jouwweb.nl/tarieven, October 2026; Lite €5.50 to Business €20 per month, without temporary discounts). Freelance web builders and agencies: published fixed prices of Dutch providers, September 2026. MODEX: building plus twelve months of hosting, paid monthly (in advance is cheaper). What others include exactly differs per provider.

Compare for yourself

What does a website cost in the first year?

Building plus twelve months of hosting and maintenance, all excl. VAT, paid monthly for everyone. Paying in advance makes MODEX even cheaper: see Pricing.

MODEX StartLanding page, €249 + €144 hosting
€ 393
MODEX PlusWebsite, €449 + €228 hosting
€ 677
Typical freelance web builder€399-495 + €25-35 per month
€ 699-915
Web agencyfrom €2,500, often more
€ 2.500+

Market prices: published fixed prices of Dutch freelance web builders (September 2026: €399-495 one-off plus €25-35 per month, so €699-915 in the first year) and average agency prices for a small business site. What others include exactly differs per provider.

When is another choice better than MODEX?

Building it yourself is the cheapest route if you have the time and don't mind the upkeep. For a club, a hobby or a first start that is often enough.

An agency is a better fit for a large project: a site with dozens of pages, a house style that still needs to be developed, or integrations a team works on for months.

A local freelancer is nice if you want someone at the table. We work by email and a video call when that is useful.

Questions to ask every provider

What do I pay in the first year, all in, and what after that?
In whose name is the domain name?
What does a small change cost in six months' time?
What do I get if I cancel?
Can I see the site before I pay?

Our answers to those questions are under Pricing, Hosting and maintenance and How we work. More background: What does it cost to have a website made in 2026?

Seeing is believing. The preview is free.

Tell us the name of your business. Within 12 hours you have a link to your new site in your inbox. If you don't like it, you won't hear from us again.

Rather ask something first? Send a message or email info@modexsoftware.nl.