| Who does the building | AI does the research, design and words. You check it and hit publish. | You do. Real users report 40 to 60 hours in year one. | The agency does, on their timeline. | Nobody. You get a listing, not a website. |
| Year-one cost | $300: $25 a month, only while live. | From about £9 a month, but real year-one costs commonly reach $550 to $1,000+ with add-ons. | £500 to £2,500 to build, then £40 to £100 a month upkeep. | Commonly £100+ a month in membership before a single lead, plus per-lead fees. |
| Who owns the site and enquiries | You. Your domain at the wholesale price, enquiries straight to you. | You own the site, but Wix has no site export: leaving means rebuilding. | Some agencies hold the keys, and the domain. Check your contract. | They own the customer relationship. Stop paying, leads stop. |
| Editing after launch | Change words and photos yourself. Swap the whole look without a rebuild. | Full control, but the editor is the time sink and mobile layouts break. | Email the agency and wait. Small changes can be billable. | You edit a profile, not a website. |
| Getting found on Google | Built from real search demand for your services and areas, with full schema and your own GA4 set up for you. | Possible, but it's all on you. | Good agencies do this well, at agency rates. | You rank under their brand, not yours. |
| Leads and jobs | Every enquiry lands in a built-in jobs board, with email follow-ups. | Form submissions in your inbox. Tracking is extra setup. | Usually not included. | Their app tracks the leads you paid for. |
| Lock-in | Cancel anytime. Not happy with your website within 14 days? Full refund. | No template switch on a live Wix site, no export. | Contracts vary. Ask who owns the code and domain. | Memberships and credits keep billing whether leads convert or not. |
| The honest credit | New, and the trades are all we do. | Genuinely simple to get online, and Squarespace looks clean. | A good local agency that answers the phone is worth real money. | Real jobs do come through them. Some trades do fine on it. |