Use a builder for a simple site you will maintain yourself and never need to move. Hire a designer when you need Mobile Money payments, several languages, custom features, or full ownership of the site.
What a website builder is
A website builder, like Wix, Squarespace or the builders some hosting companies offer, is a service where you choose a template, drag in your text and photos, and publish. The builder hosts the site for you, for a monthly or yearly fee.
WordPress is different: it is free software that runs on hosting you choose, and it can be built by you or by a designer. You own the files and can move them anywhere.
The honest comparison
| Website builder | WordPress with a designer | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started | Fast, you do it yourself | A few weeks, planned with you |
| Cost pattern | A subscription every month or year, for as long as the site exists | A one time build, then hosting and domain each year |
| Looks | A template many others also use | Designed around your business |
| Moving it later | Usually not possible. Wix, for example, says its sites must stay on its own servers | Your files go wherever you want |
| Mobile Money payments | Depends on what the builder supports | Connected through a payment provider of your choice |
| Custom features | Limited to the builder’s add ons | Anything you need can be built |
When a builder is the right call
- You need something online this week and have very little budget.
- The site is simple: who you are, what you do, how to reach you.
- You enjoy doing it yourself and will keep it updated.
- You accept that moving away later means starting again.
When a designer pays for itself
- Customers should pay online with MTN MoMo or Airtel Money.
- You need English, Kinyarwanda and French.
- You want to appear on Google for what you sell, in your area.
- Your business has a process a template cannot handle, like bookings or client logins.
- You want to own the site outright, not rent it.
Before you decide
Further reading
Official documentation behind the technical guidance in this article.
