Web Strategy · NZ Small Business
July 10, 2026
Every week I talk to business owners who tell me the same story. They signed up for Wix or Squarespace because it looked cheap and easy, and three weekends later they're still fiddling with fonts, googling "how to connect my domain," and their site still isn't live.
Here's the thing nobody tells you: the monthly price on a website builder's pricing page isn't the real cost. The real cost is the price plus your time, plus all the extras they don't mention upfront. And if you're in New Zealand, there's a currency catch too.
Let me show you what I mean.
What the DIY builders actually cost in NZ
Let's look at the three biggest names in DIY website building and what a Kiwi business would realistically pay for a small business site.
Advertised at US$17 but billed in USD, so you pay exchange rate fluctuations, bank conversion fees, and GST on top. Doesn't include ecommerce, bookings, or a professional email (~NZ$10/month extra via Google Workspace). Domain is free for year one only. Price rises of 25–50% on renewal are well documented.
Billed in NZD with GST included (easier bookkeeping). Monthly billing is 20–30% more. Domain free for year one, then ~NZ$30+ per year. To make it look genuinely custom rather than template-y, you'll need at least the mid-tier plan.
Lowest entry price, but famous for the renewal trap. Cheap first year, then domain renewals of NZ$35+/year, and builder renewal pricing that isn't even published upfront.
So realistically, you're looking at NZ$27 to $45 per month, plus domain renewals, plus email, plus add-ons, for any of the big three.
That doesn't sound too bad, right? Except you haven't built anything yet.
The cost nobody puts on the pricing page: your time
Here's what "easy drag-and-drop website builder" actually means in practice:
15–30+ hours
Conservatively, a first-timer spends 15 to 30 hours getting a DIY site to a standard they're actually happy with. Many never get there. At even $60/hour, that's $900 to $1,800 of your time spent doing a job that isn't yours.
That's the real price of "cheap."
The alternative: hands-free, for a similar price
Here's what we offer instead: NZ$199 setup + NZ$49/month, and you never touch a website editor. That includes:
- A professionally designed landing page site, built for you
- Hosting, included
- Your domain, included
- Ongoing management, included
- No figuring out DNS or fighting templates
- No USD billing surprises when the exchange rate moves
- No hidden add-ons at checkout
Let's do the actual maths
Here's a realistic first-year comparison, in New Zealand dollars:
| Wix | Squarespace | GoDaddy | Done-for-you | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly plan (NZD) | ~$30–$34* | ~$27–$45 | ~$17–$35 | $49 |
| Setup cost | $0 | $0 | $0 | $199 |
| Billed in NZD? | No (USD + fees) | Yes | Varies | Yes |
| Domain after year 1 | ~$30+/yr | ~$30+/yr | ~$35+/yr | Included |
| Hours to build | 15–30+ | 15–30+ | 15–30+ | Zero |
| Who fixes it when something breaks | You | You | You | Me |
*Wix bills in USD, so your actual NZD cost moves with the exchange rate.
Look at that gap. We're talking about roughly $10 to $20 a month between doing everything yourself and having everything done for you. That's a couple of coffees a week. Add in your time at even a modest hourly rate, the add-ons, and the renewal increases, and the DIY option often ends up more expensive. That's before you even factor in the quality difference between a professionally built site and a first-timer's template job.
You're not really choosing between $30/month and $49/month.
You're choosing between a part-time job you didn't ask for and a finished website that just works.
Who this is for
If you genuinely enjoy tinkering with websites and have the hours to spare, the DIY builders are fine tools. Honestly, Wix and Squarespace are good at what they do.
But if you're running a business and your website is just something that needs to exist and work, professionally and reliably without eating your weekends, then paying a similar all-in price to have it completely handled is the obvious move.
NZ$199 to get started. NZ$49/month, everything included. Zero hours of your time.
Get started →