The "free website" catch
You've seen the ads: "We'll build your website completely free." Nobody builds websites for free — they just move the price somewhere you won't look until you're locked in. Here's how it actually works, and the maths over two years.
How "free" makes its money
You rent your own website back
The build is free, but it comes with mandatory hosting at £40–80 a month, usually on a 12–24 month contract. Over two years that's £960–£1,920 — for a template they've reused a hundred times. The "free" website is the most expensive one on this page.
Cancel and you lose everything
Read the terms: they own the site, the design, often even the domain. Stop paying and the website disappears — along with your Google rankings and every link to it. That's not a free website; it's a subscription with a hostage clause.
The DIY version of "free" (website builders' free tiers) is honest about being free — but you get their adverts on your site, a yoursite.builder.com web address, and a site Google will struggle to rank. Fine for a hobby; not for a business competing for local customers.
The two-year maths
| "Free" website company | Fair Play Web | |
|---|---|---|
| Build cost | £0 | From £300 — and you see the finished site before you pay |
| Monthly cost | £40–80, contract required | £25, no contract |
| Total over 2 years | £960–£1,920 | £900 |
| Who owns the website? | They do | You do, outright |
| If you stop paying | Site is deleted; rankings lost | You keep the site and move it anywhere |
| Design | Reused template | Built for your business, from your real photos and prices |
"Free" costs £60–£1,000 more than paying once — and at the end of it, you still own nothing.
Four questions that expose the catch
1. "Do I own the website?"
If the answer involves the words "licence", "while you remain a customer", or a pause — you don't.
2. "What happens if I cancel?"
Ask whether you can take the site, the domain, and the content with you. With most "free" offers you can't take any of the three.
3. "What's the total cost over two years?"
Make them say the number out loud. Monthly pricing exists to keep you from doing this multiplication.
4. "Can I see it before I commit?"
They'll show you a portfolio. Ask to see your site first instead. That's the standard here: I build it, you look at it, then you decide.
Compare it yourself — it costs nothing
Tell me about your business and I'll build your site and send you a preview link. If a "free website" offer still looks better after you've seen both, take it — no hard feelings, no invoice.
Get Your Free Website PreviewNo deposit · See it before you pay · You own it — cancel hosting anytime, keep the site