Build vs buy: 3-year TCO calculator
See whether a monthly hosted plan or a one-off custom build works out cheaper across three years — fees included.
3-year total cost of ownership
A custom build front-loads cost but avoids monthly plan and add-on fees — and, at higher sales volumes, the platform fee on every order.
Indicative estimate based on your inputs. Real totals depend on traffic, feature scope, and how much ongoing care each option needs.
Hosted platform vs custom build: which is cheaper?
Hosted platforms feel cheap because you pay monthly, but the plan fee, add-on apps, and a percentage cut of every sale add up fast. A custom build costs more upfront yet has no plan fees and no cut of your revenue — so the maths flips as you grow.
This calculator adds up three years of each option. For the hosted route it totals your plan, apps, and platform sales fee across 36 months. For the custom route it adds the one-off build to 36 months of hosting and care, then tells you which is cheaper and by how much.
Three years is a realistic lifespan for a website before a redesign. It's long enough for a one-off build to pay back against recurring monthly fees, but short enough to stay relevant to a real budgeting decision.
Thinking about a custom build?
We build fast, fee-free websites and stores that pay back over time. See how web1o approaches web development and whether a custom build fits your numbers.