# The hidden costs of cheap websites

> The hidden costs of cheap websites: renewals, plugins, premium themes, email, SSL, second-year prices and your own time, with a table of what to budget for.

- Source: https://nerdsharks.com/blog/hidden-costs-of-cheap-websites
- Publisher: Nerdsharks (Exeter, Devon, UK)
- Updated: 2026-09-19

**Short answer:** The hidden costs of cheap websites are the ones that arrive after launch: domain and plan renewals at full price, paid plugins and premium themes, business email, SSL on some hosts, changes you have to pay for, and the hours you spend fixing things yourself. None is large on its own, but together they can double the real cost of a "cheap" site.

Published 2026-09-19. 5 min read. Category: Website costs and pricing.

The hidden costs of cheap websites are rarely hidden on purpose. They are just not on the page with the big friendly price. A builder advertises its monthly plan; the domain renewal, the email and the booking app are elsewhere. A freelancer quotes for the build; hosting and changes come later.

None of this makes a cheap website a bad idea. It makes the headline price a bad way to compare. Here is what to budget for.

## The costs that turn up after launch

**Common costs left out of a cheap website price**

| Cost | When it hits | Rough scale | How to avoid the surprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain renewal | Every year, from year two if the first year was free | Small, but it recurs | Check the renewal price, not the first-year offer |
| Plan renewal at full price | End of the introductory term | Can be a noticeable jump | Ask what year two costs before you start |
| Premium theme | At build, sometimes yearly | One-off or annual licence | Ask whether the theme needs renewing for updates |
| Plugins and apps | As you add features | Often monthly each | List the features you need and price each one |
| Business email | Monthly, per mailbox | Per person, adds up | Check whether email is included or separate |
| SSL certificate | Yearly on some hosts | Usually free now, not always | Confirm SSL is included in hosting |
| Changes and fixes | Whenever you need one | Hourly rate or per change | Get the rate for changes in writing |
| Your own time | Constantly | Hours you could be earning | Decide what an hour of your time is worth |

## Renewals and introductory prices

Introductory pricing is common across web hosting and website builders. A free domain for the first year is a standard offer on annual builder plans - Wix and Squarespace both include one at the time of writing - and it is a genuine saving. It is also a cost that appears in year two, at whatever the renewal rate is.

The same goes for the plan itself. If the price you were quoted is a first-term offer, the second year may cost noticeably more. Neither is a trick, but both should be in your sums from the start.

## Plugins, apps and premium themes

This is where cheap WordPress builds and builder sites both drift upwards. A booking calendar, a quote form with file uploads, a reviews widget, an SEO tool, a backup service - each may come as a separate paid plugin or app. Individually they are modest. Five of them, each billed monthly or yearly, is a second subscription you did not plan for.

Premium themes are similar. Many are sold with a year of updates, after which you pay again to keep receiving security fixes. Letting that lapse is how small sites end up running outdated code.

## Security updates and backups

Self-hosted sites, particularly WordPress, need their core software, theme and plugins updated regularly. Skipping updates is how small sites get hacked, and cleaning up a hacked site is a paid job. Backups are the other half: without a recent one, a broken update or a hosting problem can mean rebuilding from scratch.

On a website builder the platform handles most of this for you, which is part of what the subscription pays for. On a cheap self-hosted build, ask who does the updates, how often, and whether backups are included or yours to arrange.

## Email: the one everyone forgets

A cheap site often does not include email on your own domain. You can use a free Gmail or Hotmail address, but you@yourbusiness.co.uk looks more established on a van, a quote and an invoice. Business email is usually priced per mailbox per month, so a team of three pays three times.

## The biggest hidden cost is your time

Every hour spent building, updating, fixing a layout that broke on mobile or chasing a plugin that stopped working is an hour not spent on paid work. For anyone who bills their time, that is a real, calculable cost. If you would bill that hour, it belongs in the website budget.

There is also the cost of a site that does not work: one that loads slowly, has no clear phone number at the top, or never appears in search. It is hard to put a figure on enquiries you never received, but it is the most expensive line of all.

> Quick test for any quote: ask "what will I pay in total in year two, if nothing changes?" A clear answer is a good sign. A pause is useful information too.

## How to budget honestly for a cheap website

- Write down the year-one and year-two price of the plan or hosting.
- Add domain renewal and email for each person who needs a mailbox.
- List every feature you need and check whether it is built in or a paid add-on.
- Get the price of changes in writing, or learn to make them yourself.
- Estimate your own hours and give them a value.

## All-in or pay-as-you-go?

The alternative to adding up small costs is an all-in plan where hosting, SSL, backups and a set number of changes are included in one monthly fee. That is how Nerdsharks prices its sites, with business email as an optional extra at £5/month per mailbox. All-in is not automatically cheaper; it is just easier to predict. Either way, compare the full two-year cost.

## Questions

### What are the hidden costs of a cheap website?

The hidden costs of a cheap website are usually domain and plan renewals, paid plugins or apps, premium theme licences, business email, charges for changes and the time you spend maintaining it. They are rarely hidden deliberately, but they are rarely in the headline price either.

### Is SSL free for a website?

SSL is free on most modern hosting and website builders, because free certificates are now widely available. Some hosts still charge for it, so confirm that an SSL certificate is included before you sign up.

### Why did my website cost more in the second year?

Websites often cost more in the second year because introductory plan prices and free first-year domains end and renew at the standard rate. Check the renewal price of both the plan and the domain before you commit.

### Is a cheap website worth it for a small business?

A cheap website can be worth it if it is fast, clear and easy to contact you from, and you know the full running cost. It is a false economy if it brings in no enquiries or costs you hours every month to keep working.

## Sources

- Wix premium plans, Wix, September 2026: https://www.wix.com/upgrade/website
- Squarespace pricing, Squarespace, September 2026: https://www.squarespace.com/pricing