For startups, your website is often the first thing investors and customers see. The right choice depends on your stage, goals, and what you can invest. We'll help you decide honestly—even if that means recommending a simpler solution.
Jump to section
Answer a few questions to see which approach fits your situation. Click any previous answer to explore a different path.
This helps us understand your starting point
A side-by-side comparison of costs and capabilities. Select your tier to see relevant pricing, and switch tabs to compare features.
The real cost of low-code isn't the monthly fee — it's the lock-in, the success tax, and the forced upgrades when you outgrow their artificial limits.
Your site exists only within their ecosystem. Leaving means rebuilding from scratch.
Webflow exports messy code. Framer has no export. Squarespace/Wix export nothing. Years of work, trapped.
Low-code platforms monetize your growth with artificial resource caps.
Framer charges £40/100GB bandwidth (vs £8.50 on AWS). A viral moment costs you 4-5x more than custom hosting.
Entry tiers have dangerously low limits that force expensive upgrades.
Framer Basic: 10GB limit. Webflow Basic: 10GB limit. A single 2MB page with 5,000 visitors/month = 10GB. One viral post = instant overage.
Database rows are artificially limited to force tier upgrades.
Webflow CMS: 2,000 items. Need 2,001 blog posts? Upgrade to Business (£39/mo). Sanity.io free tier: 10,000 items.
E-commerce plans add platform fees on top of payment processor fees.
Squarespace Business: 3% transaction fee + Stripe fees. Shopify: 2% unless using Shopify Payments. Custom: only Stripe's 2.9%.
Basic features locked behind premium tiers.
Wix: Custom code requires £29/mo. Squarespace: Video hosting requires highest tier. Webflow: Form submissions capped at 50/mo on Starter.
Platforms charge 2-3x market rate for domain renewals.
Squarespace/Wix: £20-30/year. Cloudflare/Namecheap: £9-12/year. Small but adds up.
Low-code platforms look cheap until you succeed. Then you're paying a "success tax" of 3-5x what custom hosting costs — and you can't leave because your entire site is trapped in their ecosystem.
Websites need maintenance: security patches, content updates, performance monitoring. Our packages cover the essentials so you can focus on your business.
Scroll table below for full details →
| Service | Essential | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Managed hosting | £75 | £100 |
| Support & maintenance | £150 | £350 |
| Total monthly | £225 | £450 |
| Included hours | 2 hrs | 5 hrs |
| Response time | 48 hrs | 24 hrs |
| Security updates | ||
| Framework updates | ||
| Uptime monitoring | ||
| Monthly backups | ||
| Content updates | Basic | |
| New page creation | — | |
| SEO adjustments | — | |
| Analytics reporting | — | Quarterly |
| Performance optimisation | — | |
| Strategy calls | — | Quarterly |
Websites require continuous attention: security patches for newly discovered vulnerabilities, framework updates to maintain compatibility, content refreshes to stay relevant, and performance monitoring to ensure optimal user experience. Our packages ensure your investment is protected and your site continues to perform.
We build with TypeScript, React, and Next.js on Vercel. This stack powers Netflix, Nike, TikTok, Hulu, OpenAI, Notion, and thousands of successful startups. It's not trendy tech—it's the proven foundation behind some of the world's most demanding digital experiences.
Every project follows a structured approach. Timeline depends on complexity, but the phases remain consistent.
Questions? Every project is different. hello@cene.studio
Let's explore whether a custom web solution is right for your business.