There are two kinds of monthly cost, and quotes mix them up all the time. One is only for keeping a site online. The other pays for the build as well.
Keeping a site online
- Hosting you manage yourself: xneelo lists plans from R99 to R439 a month, VAT included. You install and update the site yourself.
- Hosting someone manages for you: about R200 a month and up. Someone else applies updates and handles problems. Ours starts at R200.
- Hosting plus changes and reports: about R500 to R2 000 a month. ProCompare gives that range for maintenance plans. Our Care plan is R549 and includes an hour of changes each month.
- The .co.za address: about R110 a year, or roughly R10 a month. Here is how domain prices work.
A monthly price that includes the build
You pay nothing large upfront, and the build, hosting and address are in one amount. ProCompare puts pay-monthly deals at R299 to R799 a month, and warns that they are usually templates with little room to change them.
Ask these before you sign one:
- How many pages are included?
- How long is the minimum term, and what do you owe if you leave early?
- Who keeps the domain and the words and photos when you leave?
- Can you change prices and photos yourself, or do you pay each time?
What we charge
Starter is R599 a month for up to 3 pages. Business is R999 a month for up to 5 pages and a town page. Premium is R1 499 a month for up to 7 pages and 3 town pages. Each one includes the build, hosting in South Africa, backups every 2 days, security updates, your own admin panel and your .co.za address. There is no setup fee.
The minimum term is 12 months, and after that it runs month to month with 30 days' notice. Paying a year upfront gives you 2 months free. You keep your domain and content if you leave. The design stays ours unless you buy it for the build price.
Is monthly the cheapest way?
No. If you have the money upfront, buying outright costs less over a few years. We worked out the sums in monthly or once-off.