Freelancer or web agency: who should build your website?

You have decided to have your website built. Then comes the next question: by whom? Choosing between a freelancer and a web agency decides what you pay, how fast it goes and who you deal with when something needs changing.

Freelancer, agency or small team: the comparison

	Freelancer	Traditional web agency	Small team like Qlickr
Price for a business site	Roughly €1,000 to €3,000	Roughly €3,000 to €10,000	From €499, one-off, excl. VAT
How you pay	Often hourly or a quote based on hours	Quote based on hours	Fixed price, which you hear upfront
Who you talk to	The builder	Often an account manager	The people who build
Timeline	Depends on their schedule	Typically 4 to 12 weeks	Live 5 working days after approval
Illness or holiday	Everything stops	A colleague takes over	A team, not one person
Design, SEO and Ads	Often one specialism	Everything in-house	Website plus Get found
See the design before paying	Usually not	Usually not	Free homepage design within 48 hours

The market figures are rough ranges. For prices per type of site, read what does a website cost.

When a freelancer is the better choice

A good freelancer can be exactly what you need. Go for a freelancer when:

• You know someone who does good work. A trusted professional from your network is worth a lot.
• It is a small, well-defined job. An extra page, a form, a new photo on the homepage.
• You need a specialist. A photographer, a copywriter or someone who only does Google Ads, for example.
• You like working with one fixed person and accept the risk of them being unavailable.

One thing to watch: make sure your domain and hosting are in your name. That keeps you free to switch.

When a large agency is the better choice

A traditional agency makes sense when your project is big and complex:

• Integrations with your accounting, stock or customer system.
• An online shop with lots of products and custom features.
• Several departments or locations that all want a say.
• A sizeable budget for campaigns, video and brand development.

For an installer, contractor, salon or clinic, that is often more than you need. You end up paying for meetings and layers you never use.

Where a small team like Qlickr fits

Qlickr sits in between. We are a small team based in Almere, working with local businesses across the Netherlands. The difference from a freelancer: you do not depend on one person. The difference from an agency: no account managers, no hours, no drawn-out projects.

How? An agency does a lot of repetitive work and bills it by the hour. We hand that to our own AI systems and check everything by hand. AI is the how, not the what. What you notice:

• A website from €499, one-off and excluding VAT. A fixed price, which you hear upfront.
• A free design of your homepage within 48 hours. You only pay once the design is right.
• Live 5 working days after you approve. See how in how long does a website take.
• Hosting included for the first year, changes via WhatsApp.
• A migration plan when you switch, so you keep your Google rankings.
• Your domain, site and copy belong to you.

Want to climb in Google, run Google Ads and show up in ChatGPT as well? That is Get found, a monthly package you can cancel any month. Check pricing to see what each package includes.

How to compare quotes fairly

Two quotes with the same total can be very different. Put them side by side on these points:

• Number of pages. Do you get a page per service, or everything on one page?
• Copy. Does the builder write it, or do you?
• Visibility. Is the site set up properly for Google, with titles, descriptions and fast loading?
• After launch. What do hosting, maintenance and changes cost in year two?
• Switching. Is moving your old site included, redirects and all?

A low price without copy and without migration often ends up costing more than a higher price where everything is included.

Five questions to always ask

Whether you go with a freelancer, an agency or with us, ask these before you sign:

1. Who owns the domain, the site and the copy? The answer should be: you.
2. Is the price fixed or hourly? And what does a change after launch cost?
3. Who builds the site, and can I talk to them?
4. What happens to my Google rankings if I switch? Ask about redirects.
5. Can I see the design before I pay?

Not sure you need anyone at all? Read DIY website or hire a pro. Or look at the cases to see what we built for other business owners.

Compare for yourself

The easiest way to see whether we suit you: request a free design of your homepage. You will have it within 48 hours. Put it next to a quote from a freelancer or agency and choose what feels right.