Every church that needs a website faces the same fork in the road: build it yourself, or pay someone to build it? The internet is full of confident answers — but almost all of them come from companies selling the very thing they recommend. Builders tell you to DIY; agencies tell you to hire them; done-for-you services tell you to subscribe forever. We sell templates, not design services, so we have no dog in this fight. Here’s the honest math on all three paths and a simple way to decide.
There are really three options, not two: DIY on a website builder, hire a freelance designer for a custom build, or use a done-for-you church website service that builds and maintains it for a monthly fee. Each wins for a different kind of church.
The three paths, side by side
| DIY builder | Freelance designer | Done-for-you | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | $0–$200 | $1,500–$8,000+ | $0 / low |
| Monthly / ongoing | $16–$119/mo | Hosting $10–$30 + care $50–$200/mo | $97–$247/mo |
| Your time | High — you build it | Low — you supply content | Very low |
| Skill needed | Moderate | Low (briefing only) | None |
| Time to launch | Hours–weekends | 2–8 weeks | Days–weeks |
| Who owns it | You | You (confirm in contract) | Usually the provider |
| ~5-year total | $1,000–$3,000 + your time | $2,500–$8,000+ | $6,000+ |
One number jumps out: the cheapest monthly option — done-for-you — is often the most expensive over five years, while the “free” option (DIY) isn’t actually free once you price in your time. Hold those two truths as you read on. (For a fuller breakdown of every line item, see our church website cost guide.)
Path A — Do it yourself on a builder
Modern builders make a genuinely good church website achievable without code. Squarespace ($16–23/mo) leads on design; Tithe.ly Sites ($19/mo) is church-specific with giving built in; Wix is the most flexible free-to-start option; and WordPress offers the most control for the technically confident. Realistic all-in cost is around $200–$600/year once you add a domain.
The catch is the cost nobody advertises: your time. A first build realistically takes 15–40+ hours, plus ongoing upkeep. DIY is the right call when you have a reliable, tech-comfortable volunteer or staffer who actually has that time — and your design needs are “clean and functional,” not “custom and distinctive.” Compare all the platforms in our church website builders roundup.
Path B — Hire a freelance designer
A freelancer builds you a professional, custom site — often on WordPress or Squarespace so you can edit it afterward. Typical church builds run $1,500–$8,000 (a simple template-based site at the low end, a custom design at the high end), plus ongoing maintenance of roughly $50–$200/month if you don’t self-manage. You offload the build and usually get better SEO, structure, and accessibility from the start.
Hiring fits when you have cash up front, no reliable in-house skill, and you care about a distinctive brand — and you want to own the result. The trade-offs to manage: you usually still supply the content (the #1 cause of delays), there’s a “bus-factor” risk if your designer disappears, and you’ll need to arrange future maintenance. When you’re ready to hire, our guide to choosing a church website designer covers exactly what to ask and the ownership traps to avoid.
Path C — Use a done-for-you service
Done-for-you services (like Ministry Designs or REACHRIGHT) build your site and maintain it indefinitely for a monthly subscription, typically $97–$247/month. You get design, hosting, security, updates, and church features bundled — and you never have to touch it. The appeal is real for a church with no skill, no time, and no desire to learn.
The trade-offs: it’s the most expensive option over time (at $100/month that’s $6,000 over five years — more than many one-time freelance builds), the design is template-constrained, and the big one is ownership — leaving usually means leaving the website behind. If this path interests you, read our Ministry Designs review for a close look at how one of these services actually works.
Which path fits your church? Decide in four questions
Work through these honestly — your time and skills are part of the cost, not free inputs:
- Do you have a reliable, tech-comfortable person with real time? No → skip to question 3.
- Is a clean, functional site enough (vs a custom brand)? Yes → DIY builder. No → freelancer (or DIY the platform and hire a designer just for branding).
- Do you have cash up front (roughly $1,500+)? No → done-for-you subscription.
- Do you want to own and edit the site yourself afterward? Yes → freelancer. No → done-for-you service.
Most churches land on DIY or a freelancer. Done-for-you is the right answer specifically when convenience matters more to you than cost or ownership.
Three real church scenarios
- Tiny church plant (40 people, almost no budget, one tech-savvy volunteer): DIY on Tithe.ly or Squarespace. The volunteer can launch in a weekend; hiring would be overkill.
- Established mid-size church (250 people, modest budget, a willing-but-busy non-techy admin): the volunteer is a false-economy trap. Hire a freelancer to build a site the admin can then edit — or use a done-for-you service if no one will own the upkeep.
- Large multi-ministry church (1,000+, real budget, multisite): a custom freelance or agency build with a maintenance retainer — the design, integrations, and SEO justify the spend, and ownership matters at scale.
When each path is the wrong choice
DIY is a false economy when your “free” labor is really 30+ hours of a pastor’s or staffer’s time that should go to ministry, or when your only volunteer is unreliable or likely to move away. Hiring is overkill when a 40-person plant pays $3,000 for a five-page site a capable volunteer could build in a weekend, or pays $100/month forever for a site that almost never changes. And there’s a hybrid most people miss: DIY the platform, then hire a designer for a few hours just to set up your branding and template — the best of both for many mid-size churches.
📄 Free download: The DIY vs Hire Decision Worksheet (PDF) — the three-path cost comparison, the four-question decision flow, and the three church scenarios on one page for your team.
The bottom line
Start from your church’s real situation, not from whoever shouted loudest. If you have a capable, available volunteer and modest design needs, DIY and keep the savings for ministry. If you want a custom, professional site you own and you have the budget, hire a freelancer. If you have no one to build or maintain it and you value convenience over cost and control, a done-for-you service is worth the premium. The wrong move is paying for a path you don’t need — or “saving” money with DIY when your time is the most expensive resource your church has. Already have a site that needs work? See our church website redesign playbook.
Frequently asked questions
Should I build my church website myself or hire someone?
Build it yourself if you have a reliable, tech-comfortable volunteer with time and your design needs are clean-and-functional. Hire a freelancer if you want a custom site you own and have cash up front. Use a done-for-you service if you have no skill and no time and prefer convenience over cost. Most churches are best served by DIY or a freelancer.
How much does it cost to hire someone to build a church website?
A freelance designer typically charges $1,500–$8,000 for a church website — a simple template-based build at the low end, a custom design at the high end — plus around $50–$200/month if you want ongoing maintenance. Done-for-you subscription services run $97–$247/month instead of a one-time fee. Treat these as typical ranges; get quotes for your specific project.
Can a church make a website for free?
Almost free, but rarely truly free. Some builders have free tiers, but they show ads or a non-custom address that look unprofessional for a church. A real church site costs roughly $200–$600/year on a DIY builder once you add a custom domain and a paid plan — and your volunteer time is the larger hidden cost.
Do I need a web designer for a small church?
Usually no. A small church with even one capable volunteer can build a clean, effective site on a builder like Tithe.ly or Squarespace for a fraction of the cost of hiring. Hire a designer only if you want a distinctive custom brand, have no one able to build it, or your time is better spent elsewhere.
Is a done-for-you church website service worth it?
It’s worth it for a church with no in-house skill and no time that wants the whole thing handled and prefers a predictable monthly bill. The downsides are cost over time (often $6,000+ over five years), template-constrained design, and limited ownership — you typically can’t take the site with you if you leave.
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