AI builder
Choose it when
- You are just starting and need a page with your phone number this week
- Your budget is a monthly subscription, not a project
- You are happy to edit it yourself
Compare · Who builds your site
Agency, freelancer or AI builder: which one fits
The short answer
Which option is right for you
An AI website builder is the right choice when you need a basic site this week for very little money; a freelancer suits a simple site on a small budget when you find a good one; a large agency suits a big company that needs a team. A studio like Stewart Code fits the owner in between, who needs a site that loads fast, is built correctly for Google and AI assistants, and comes with test results you can check, without paying for an account team.
The table below compares the four honestly. Category descriptions are general, not claims about any one company, and every market number links to its source with the date we read it.
Side by side
The four options compared
Cost ranges for each option, with sources, are in our website cost guide.
| What matters | AI site builder | Freelancer | Large agency | Stewart Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | About $15–$30 a month for most small-business plans (Durable, 2026-01-06) | No single rate; as a guide, Clutch lists $25–$49 an hour for designers who build on Wix, WordPress or Squarespace (Clutch, updated 2026-09-21) | $2,000–$100,000 a project; reviewed projects averaged $38,105 (Clutch, updated 2026-09-21) | Fixed, published prices, shown live on pricing |
| Time to a first draft | Minutes | Varies | Weeks | A mockup you approve before any page is built |
| Speed and quality scores | Not promised | Varies | Rarely promised | Tested to 100 in all four Lighthouse categories at launch, results shared (standard) |
| Structured data for Google | Basic | Varies | Usually | Checked for zero errors at launch |
| Readable by AI assistants | Partial | Rare | Emerging | AI facts page and llms.txt in every build |
| Who you deal with | A chat box and help articles | One person | An account manager | The person who builds it |
| Ownership | Usually tied to the platform | Varies; ask | Varies; ask | Domain, code, hosting and analytics in your name from day one; the work is yours on full payment |
| Software and automation | No | Sometimes | Separate team | Same person, same standard |
| Capacity | Unlimited | One person | A team | Founder-led: at most two builds at a time |
The last row is a real limit, and we put it in the table on purpose.
Fair to everyone
When each option wins
Freelancer
Choose it when
- You know someone good whose past sites you can test
- The site is simple and search is not your main source of work
- You have time to manage the project
Large agency
Choose it when
- You need several people at once: brand, video, paid media, development
- You want a team that survives one person leaving
- Your budget fits their range
Stewart Code
Choose us when
- Jobs are worth thousands, so losing searches costs real money
- You want results you can check yourself, with the test results in hand
- You may want automation or software later, from the same person
When not to hire us: if you need a page live today and can't spend an hour on a mockup, if a monthly subscription is your whole budget, if you need a large team on call, or if you are outside the trades and service businesses we know best and want a specialist in your field. We would rather tell you that on a call than take the job.
Check anyone
Five tests to run on any builder, freelancer or agency
None of these need us. They take about ten minutes and work on anyone's portfolio, including ours.
- Speed: put two of their past sites into Google PageSpeed Insights on mobile. Google counts a page as loading well when its largest element appears in 2.5 seconds or less for most visitors (web.dev, updated 2024-10-31).
- Markup: run the same sites through Google's Rich Results Test. Errors there mean Google may misread the business.
- Ownership: ask in writing who owns the domain, the hosting account and the code, and whether you can move the site if you leave.
- Promises: if anyone guarantees a first-place ranking, walk away. Google says plainly: "No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google" (Google Search Central).
- The monthly bill: ask what happens to the site if you stop paying.
Want this done for you? Our free Site X-ray runs Google's PageSpeed Insights on your site next to ours (four Lighthouse scores and real-user speed data when Google has it) and links straight to Google's Rich Results Test for the markup.
FAQ
Questions about choosing who builds your site
Is an AI-built website bad for SEO?
Not automatically. AI can write a decent page. The common gaps are the parts you cannot see: speed on a phone, structured data errors, and whether search engines and AI assistants can read the business facts correctly. Test any site with the free tools above.
Why are agency prices so far apart?
Clutch reports a range of $2,000 to $100,000 a project because scope varies enormously, from a five-page site to a large platform with integrations. Compare written scopes, not headline prices.
Who does the work?
Shaun Patrick Stewart, the founder, leads every build with a disciplined AI build system and a separate review pass. Everything we build is set up in your name from day one and handed over with documentation, so another developer could take over at any time.
Can I start with a builder and move to a custom site later?
Yes, and many businesses should. When you move, keep every old page address working or redirected so you do not lose what search engines already know about you.
Next step
Compare it with your own site.
Run the free X-ray on your current site, then book a call if you want a second opinion on your options.