No upfront cost
A website with $0 up front and $15 a month
FreeWebGuy charges nothing to design or build your website. You see a first version within 48 hours of your brief. You pay $15 a month only after you approve it and go live, with no setup fee and no contract.
Brief to preview
The first 48 hours: from your brief to a private preview
None of this needs a card. You are asked for payment details only if you approve the preview and decide to go live.
-
Minute 0
You send the brief
Four short screens: the business, what you do and where, what the site should do, and where to send the preview. It takes about 3 minutes and asks for no card.
-
Next
A person reads it
We check the brief for anything essential that is missing, such as your service area or the main thing customers should do, and email you if we need it.
-
The build
We design and write the site
Layout, page copy, the phone version, page titles and a contact form, all built from your answers. We use AI to build fast. A person checks every first version before you see it.
-
within 48 hours of your brief
Your private preview arrives
A link to the full site goes to the email on your brief. Nothing is live and nothing is billed. Bigger sites, or briefs missing key details, take a few days more.
No-upfront and pay-monthly websites compared
Among the pay-monthly website services we checked on October 14, 2026, upfront costs ran from $0 to $199 and monthly fees from $15 to $199. FreeWebGuy, Hoot Host and WebsitesForFree.net charge $0 up front and $15 a month; UENI and Jottful add a setup fee; 99 Web Guys and B12 charge more each month.
| Service | Upfront | Monthly | Time to first look | Contract | Leaving with your content | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FreeWebGuy | $0 | $15, starting when you approve the preview | Within 48 hours of your brief | Month to month, no contract. | Your domain, logo, photos and text stay yours. The design and hosting are licensed while the plan is active; if you cancel, the site goes offline and we can help you gather your text and images. | Our terms, this page |
| Hoot Host | $0 | $15 | 2 to 3 weeks on average, up to 30 business days | No contract; cancelling hosting takes the site offline | Cannot be exported or moved off its platform. | hootfreewebsite.com, checked Oct 14, 2026 |
| WebsitesForFree.net | $0 | $15 | A private preview within 72 hours | No contract; cancel from your account settings | Source files handed over on cancellation, per its FAQ. | websitesforfree.net, checked Oct 14, 2026 |
| UENI | $79 setup, a promotion against a $599 list price | $24.99, or $20.83 billed yearly | 7 days, per UENI | Monthly, yearly or two-year billing; 30-day money-back guarantee | Not addressed on the pricing page. | ueni.com, checked Oct 14, 2026 |
| Jottful | $199 setup for up to 5 pages | $65 (Let's Go!) | One week, per Jottful | Month to month | Not stated on the pricing page. | jottful.com, checked Oct 14, 2026 |
| 99 Web Guys | $0 | $99 | 5 days, per its site | No contract; cancel any time | Not stated. | 99webguys.com, checked Oct 14, 2026 |
| B12 Professional | Not listed on its pricing page | $199, or $169 billed yearly | Not stated on the pricing page | Monthly or yearly billing | Not stated on the pricing page. | b12.io, checked Oct 14, 2026 |
Prices in US dollars before tax, as each service listed them for a US visitor. Where a pricing page did not say, the table says so.
Some of these services do things FreeWebGuy does not. UENI and 99 Web Guys offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, and UENI's Website Launch plan includes 30 days of done-for-you edits. WebsitesForFree.net hands over source files if you cancel. FreeWebGuy's case rests on three facts in the table: $0 up front, a first version within 48 hours of your brief, and no contract.
What "no upfront cost" can hide
No upfront cost only describes day one. The money can come back as a setup fee once you like the preview, a promotional price that ends, charges for extra pages or edits, or a minimum term. Ask what the second year costs, not just the first month.
-
A setup fee once you like the preview
Jottful shows you a free preview site, then charges $199 to set up 5 pages if you go ahead within two days of seeing it, or $499 after that.
-
A promotional setup price
UENI's $79 setup fee is a promotion against a $599 list price, so check which one applies on the day you sign up.
-
Pages beyond the package
Jottful's setup covers 5 pages and adds $99 per extra page after that. Hoot Host's free build stops at 5 pages.
-
Paying for each change
Hoot Host says some updates may be billed at an hourly rate. With a freelancer, content updates often run $50 to $200 a month, according to UENI's cost guide.
-
The domain
Some plans bundle a domain and some don't. UENI's Website Launch includes one; FreeWebGuy connects a domain you register in your own name. Either way, ask whose name it is registered in.
-
A minimum term behind the low price
UENI's lowest monthly rates come with yearly or two-year billing, and The Free Website Guys asks you to buy at least a year of hosting from its partner host.
Where FreeWebGuy stands on each: no setup fee at any point, new pages after launch quoted and approved before work starts, your own edits made in the AI builder, the domain registered in your name, and month-to-month billing with no minimum term. The full list of what sits outside the $15 a month is on the pricing page.
Questions to ask any pay-monthly website plan
Before you sign up for a pay-monthly website, ask who owns what, what leaving looks like, and what the monthly fee leaves out. Here are ten questions, each with the answer FreeWebGuy gives, so you can hold any other plan to the same standard.
These are written for monthly plans. For offers that call the site itself free, the guide Is a free website really free? has its own checklist.
-
Who owns the content and the domain?
Why it matters Your text, photos and domain are what you need to start again anywhere else.
FreeWebGuy's answer You do. The domain is registered in your name, and your logo, photos and text stay yours. FreeWebGuy licenses the site design to you while your plan is active.
-
What happens to the site if I stop paying?
Why it matters On most pay-monthly plans the site lives on the provider's platform, so it can disappear the day the payments stop.
FreeWebGuy's answer The site goes offline when the plan ends. If you ask, we can help you gather your text and images, and SMBcrm holds account data for about 30 days after that.
-
Is there a contract or a minimum term?
Why it matters A low monthly price can depend on a 12- or 24-month commitment.
FreeWebGuy's answer No. The plan runs month to month, and you cancel it in your SMBcrm account in any month with no cancellation fee from FreeWebGuy.
-
What does the monthly fee include?
Why it matters Two plans at the same price can cover very different amounts of work.
FreeWebGuy's answer Hosting with SSL, your domain connected, the AI builder for your own edits and the platform's 24/7 chat support, all for $15 a month. The pricing page lists every item.
-
What does a change cost after launch?
Why it matters Per-edit or hourly charges can turn a cheap plan into an expensive month.
FreeWebGuy's answer Your own edits in the AI builder come with the plan. New pages or a redesign are quoted, and nothing starts until you approve the price.
-
Do I see the site before I pay anything?
Why it matters A preview tells you more about a provider than any sales page can.
FreeWebGuy's answer Yes. You get a private preview within 48 hours of your brief and pay nothing until you approve it and go live.
-
What will the domain cost, and whose name is it in?
Why it matters The domain is the one piece of your website that customers type, print and remember.
FreeWebGuy's answer About $10 to $25 a year, paid to the registrar in your name. A domain you already own stays where it is, and we connect it.
-
Can I move the site to another host?
Why it matters If you cannot, leaving means rebuilding, so count that in the price.
FreeWebGuy's answer Not as files. The site runs on SMBcrm's platform, so if you leave you keep your domain and your content and build the new site elsewhere.
-
Is there a setup fee?
Why it matters Some plans add one after a free preview, or when a promotion ends.
FreeWebGuy's answer No. The design and build cost $0.
-
Is the starting price a promotional rate?
Why it matters Builders such as Hostinger and Wix advertise intro or first-term prices that renew higher.
FreeWebGuy's answer No. There is no intro tier and no prepay. The plan is $15 a month from the day you go live, billed monthly by SMBcrm under the terms shown at checkout.
Why paying monthly can make sense for a small business
Paying monthly makes sense when you would rather keep cash in the business than pay $2,000 to $7,600 for a freelance build up front, and you want someone else to keep the hosting and platform running. The monthly price decides the long-run cost: at $15 a month it stays low for years, while a plan near $99 a month passes the low end of a freelance build within two years.
| Option | 1 year | 3 years | 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| FreeWebGuy $0 to build, $15 a month | $180 | $540 | $900 |
| UENI Website Launch, billed monthly $79 setup, $24.99 a month | $378.88 | $978.64 | $1,578.40 |
| 99 Web Guys $0 setup, $99 a month | $1,188 | $3,564 | $5,940 |
| Freelance build, low end $2,000 build, hosting at $5 a month | $2,060 | $2,180 | $2,300 |
| Freelance build, high end $7,600 build, hosting at $25 a month | $7,900 | $8,500 | $9,100 |
List prices checked October 14, 2026. Freelance figures use WebsiteSetup's build range and UENI's shared-hosting range, and leave out content updates. Every total leaves out the domain.
A one-off build is the better deal if you need custom features, plan to keep the same site for many years with a designer you trust, or want software you can move between hosts. Before you pay a deposit, ask the designer who registers the domain and who keeps the files. To run the numbers for your own situation, including your time, use the website cost calculator. For the whole range of options, see what a done-for-you website costs or every free website option.
No-upfront website questions
How much does a website cost for a small business?
A small business website costs $0 to $15,000 to build, depending on who does the work. DIY builders charge nothing up front and $17 to $49 a month billed yearly, freelancers $2,000 to $7,600, and agencies $5,000 to $15,000. FreeWebGuy is $0 to build and $15 a month after you approve it.
How much does website design cost?
Design is usually priced as part of the build. WebsiteSetup puts a freelance small business site at 40 to 80 hours at $50 to $95 an hour, and Clutch says most web design projects it reviews cost less than $10,000. On a pay-monthly plan, design is folded into a setup fee or the monthly price.
Do you need a website for a small business?
Most small businesses have one. According to a Clutch survey published in August 2025, 83% of US small businesses had a website, up from 64% in 2018. A site gives your Google Business Profile, ads and social posts one place to send people for your services, area and contact details.
Do I need a credit card to get started?
No. FreeWebGuy asks for a card only when you approve the preview and set up your SMBcrm plan to go live. The brief takes about 3 minutes and needs no card or account.
Is $15 a month the whole cost?
It is the whole monthly price for the website. You add a domain if you need a new one (about $10 to $25 a year), payment-processing fees if you take payments online, and text, email or AI usage charges only if you turn those features on. New pages after launch are quoted before any work starts.
- $0 to build
- First version within 48 hours of your brief
- $15 a month for hosting, only after you approve the preview and go live
- Month to month, no contract
When you approve the preview, you set up your SMBcrm account and card for the $15 hosting plan. That is the only time we ask for payment details.
Keep reading
- What is a done-for-you website? Every price model, from free builds to agencies, in one table
- Every free website option Free builder plans and trials, and what each costs once it is your real site
- FreeWebGuy pricing The full price, step by step, with one- to three-year totals
- How it works Who does what at each step, from the brief to after launch
- Compare your options UENI, Hoot Host, Wix, Squarespace and hiring a designer
- What a small business website costs Year-one and year-three costs for every way to get a site
Sources
- Hoot Host, Homepage and FAQ,
- WebsitesForFree.net, Homepage and FAQ,
- UENI, Pricing,
- Jottful, Pricing,
- 99 Web Guys, Homepage,
- B12, Pricing,
- The Free Website Guys, How it works,
- Hostinger, Website Builder plans,
- Wix, Plans and pricing,
- Wix Help Center, Exporting or embedding your Wix site elsewhere,
- WebsiteSetup, How much does a website cost,
- Ueni, Average cost for a website (updated September 22, 2026),
- Clutch, Web designer pricing,
- Clutch, State of Small Business Websites 2025,
See your website before you pay for it.
About 3 minutes. No credit card. Pay nothing until you approve it.
