Comparison
AOS Sites vs hiring a web design agency
A web design agency builds your site for a one-time project fee, often several thousand dollars, with upkeep on top. AOS Sites designs a local business's site with you in a conversation, from $99 a month, and keeps it answering visitors. Hire an agency for custom builds, stores or brand strategy; choose AOS Sites for speed and a published price.
Reviewed . Agency costs are from published pricing guides and surveys (sources below), quoted as printed. Next review by . Every agency quotes differently; get yours in writing.
At a glance
| Question | AOS Sites | Hiring an agency |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | AOS SitesNothing to preview, with no card. Going live is your first month of Launch ($99) or a year ($990), plus applicable tax. Done-for-you Setup is optional at $497 once, and included with Pro. | Hiring an agencyA one-time project fee. Clutch says agencies typically charge $2,000 to $100,000, with most projects on Clutch under $10,000; WebFX's survey puts basic web design at $6,500 to $15,000; DesignRush lists $10,000 to $15,000 for a 5- to 15-page small business site.[1][2][3] |
| Monthly cost | AOS SitesLaunch is $99 a month, or $990 a year ($82.50 a month); Growth $197 and Pro $297 a month. Hosting, SSL, AI edits and AOS answering visitors are included. Cancel anytime. | Hiring an agencyDepends on the agency. DesignRush lists website maintenance at $500 to $2,000+ a year; in WebFX's survey, ongoing web design runs $501 to $10,000 a year for 57% of respondents.[3][2] |
| Time to launch | AOS SitesYour Home page in about 5 minutes in the free preview, then the pages you direct. Live once you pick a plan and connect a domain (a free 15-minute call). Done-for-you Setup is delivered within 10 business days of its kick-off form. | Hiring an agencyWeeks to months. DesignRush lists 2 to 3 weeks at a $5,000 budget and 5 to 7 weeks at $10,000; Clutch says most projects reviewed there last 7 months.[3][1] |
| Who writes the words | AOS SitesAOS writes them from what you tell it and what's already true about you (your Google listing, your current site), and never invents reviews, numbers or credentials. You approve and edit everything. With Done-for-you Setup, our team writes up to 5 pages after a 20-minute call. | Hiring an agencyDepends on the package: some agencies write your copy, others expect you to supply it. Ask before you sign. |
| Edits after launch | AOS SitesClick any text and type, or tell AOS what to change in a sentence: 50 AI edits a month on Launch, 100 on Growth and 150 on Pro. | Hiring an agencyThrough the agency, or yourself if they hand over a CMS. DesignRush's $25,000 tier includes 2 months of post-launch support, and its $50,000+ tier 3 to 6 months, often an ongoing retainer.[3] |
| AI search setup | AOS SitesSet up for every site: schema.org structured data typed to your trade, a sitemap with honest dates, llms.txt, AI crawlers welcome, and search engines pinged when you publish. | Hiring an agencyDepends on the agency and the package. DesignRush's $5,000 tier lists basic SEO; ask whether structured data, a sitemap and llms.txt are included and kept current.[3] |
| Lead capture and answering visitors | AOS SitesAOS answers visitors from your site's facts (up to 1,000 replies a month on Launch, 1,500 on Growth), asks for their name and number, and emails you every lead with its source. | Hiring an agencyDesignRush's $5,000 tier lists a contact form and analytics. Whether anything answers visitors' questions depends on what you buy.[3] |
| Ownership and leaving | AOS SitesYou own your site and its content, and can export your data if you cancel. A free domain we register is in your name and stays yours. Moving hosts? A one-time $1,000 buyout gets you the site's files to run anywhere. | Hiring an agencySet by your contract. Ask who owns the design, the code, the domain and the hosting account, and what leaving costs. |
| Best for | AOS SitesLocal businesses that want a good site live fast, kept up and answering visitors, for a published monthly price. | Hiring an agencyBusinesses that need a custom design or brand strategy, an online store, complex integrations or a large site, and have the budget for it. |
AOS Sites' column is from our own pricing page.
Which one fits you
Hire an agency if
- You need an online store, or to take payments on your site. AOS Sites doesn't sell products or take payments.
- You need complex integrations: a CRM, ERP, member logins or custom software built in.
- You want brand strategy or a logo from scratch, not only a website.
- Your site is large, many people sign off on it, and you have the budget for a team on retainer.
- You want a one-of-a-kind design rather than one AOS builds with you from your facts.
Choose AOS Sites if
- You run a local business and want your site live this week, not in a few months.
- You'd rather pay a published monthly price than a project fee of several thousand dollars.
- You want to change your site yourself, any time, in a sentence.
- You want AI answering your visitors, and every lead emailed to you with its source.
- You want structured data, a sitemap and llms.txt set up on every page without asking.
What agencies charge, by the published numbers
The sources don't agree, so here is each one as it printed its figures. Ranges this wide are why a written quote matters.
Clutch[1]
Web Design Company Pricing Guide 2026, updated September 21, 2026. Based on verified client reviews on Clutch.
- Web design agencies typically charge $2,000 to $100,000.
- Most web design projects reviewed on Clutch cost less than $10,000.
- Web design companies shortlisted on Clutch charge around $100 to $149 an hour.
- Most projects reviewed on Clutch last 7 months.
WebFX[2]
Web Design Pricing: How Much Does Web Design Cost in 2026?, 2026. Based on a survey of 250 US marketing professionals on what their companies spend.
- Basic web design costs $6,500 to $15,000 on average.
- Ongoing web design costs $501 to $10,000 a year on average (57% of respondents).
DesignRush[3]
Web Design Company Pricing Guide (2026), 2026. Based on its guide to agency pricing, by budget.
- A small business site (5 to 15 pages, with a CMS): $10,000 to $15,000.
- US agency projects typically run $7,000 to $100,000+.
- Website maintenance: $500 to $2,000+ a year.
- A $5,000 budget: 2 to 3 weeks. A $10,000 budget: 5 to 7 weeks.
Clutch and DesignRush are directories where agencies are listed and reviewed; WebFX is itself a web design agency. Figures are as each page showed them when we read it.
Questions to ask any agency
Take these to every quote, ours included. The answers are what the price really buys.
- What's the total price, and what isn't included: copywriting, photos, revision rounds?
- Who writes the words, and how many rounds of changes do I get?
- What will I pay each month after launch for hosting, updates, security and small edits?
- How do I get a change made after launch, how fast, and what does it cost?
- Who owns the design, the code and the hosting account, and can I take the files if I leave?
- Is the domain registered in my name?
- Will the site have structured data for my trade, a sitemap, and pages AI assistants can read?
- How will visitors reach me (a form, a chat, booking), and where do the leads go?
- Can I see three sites you built for businesses like mine, and talk to those owners?
- What's the timeline, and what happens if it slips?