Template or custom? Why is one website cheaper and the other better?

When deciding to build a website, you'll quickly encounter two options.

These two options are a template website and a custom website. The price difference between them is apparent, but why is that so?

What are the actual advantages of a template or custom website?

For quicker navigation, click below:

▶ Template Website

• Pros

• Cons

• Recommended for

▶ Custom Website

• Pros

• Cons

• Recommended for

Template Website

or a template website which is a pre-designed layout for your site.

▶ AFFORDABLE
▶ QUICK TO BUILD

This is the most popular choice if you want a fast and budget-friendly solution for creating a website. We guide you in selecting the most suitable template based on your industry and your preferences for the content of your website. Then, you choose a design from various templates that you like. Finally, we adapt the design to the content your website needs to include.

Pros of a Template Website:

✅ Very cost-effective choice
(Usually around €40) – you only pay for the use of the template (i.e., license + the author who created the template).

✅ Extremely fast website setup
(Within a few days) – the pre-designed website layout already exists (this means less work and fewer decisions), as both graphic design and the majority of programming are pre-prepared.

✅ WordPress CMS
(A content management system for websites) – a well-known platform that many people are already familiar with.

Cons of a Template Website:

❌ Purchased templates can only be used on one site
(One domain and all its subdomains) → In practice, this means you can have a domain like creative37.com, and then a subdomain like analysis.creative37.com.

❌ Design options are limited
You can only change what the template structure allows. If you want more significant changes, it might involve lengthy programming.

Imagine buying a fully furnished kitchen with all appliances, where you can only rearrange the plates and adjust the cabinet colors. However, you cannot move the dishwasher or fridge, no matter how inconvenient their placement is.

❌ Major template changes have unpredictable consequences
If you really, really, really want to replace the fridge and dishwasher, it has to be done afterward. However, since this involves modifying a fully functional kitchen, the work is done by entirely different craftsmen who don’t have the specifications of what the original craftsmen did → we can never know what problems might arise.

Additionally, this means that you pay extra for an already purchased and set-up kitchen since a small adjustment might take 5 minutes or 2 days. This is the biggest drawback of a template website. You might be lucky, and the original craftsman set everything up perfectly, or you might need to tear down a wall and rewire cables/pipes/wires.

❌ Short lifespan of templates and plugins
In the past, templates were more stable and could function for up to 5 years. Nowadays, many templates are built on numerous plugins, which can quickly lose support. Authors of templates or plugins (extensions) often stop updating their templates due to bankruptcy, lack of interest, or market changes. This means that a template may become outdated after just one year, affecting your website’s security and functionality.

For better understanding → you buy a house with an excellent heating system, but after a year, the manufacturer goes bankrupt. Replacement parts are no longer available, and the heating system starts failing.

❌ Bloated templates – slow and overloaded websites
Template websites are often full of features ("just in case") that you don’t even need in the end. This can make the website very heavy (e.g., 500 MB instead of an optimal 5–20 MB), slowing down the loading time and negatively affecting SEO. Google doesn’t like such websites because they are slow.

Templates can be cleaned, but it’s always risky because you don’t immediately know what’s hidden in the background. The website might work flawlessly, or it might crash.

❌ Too many plugins increase the likelihood of errors and crashes
Template websites often come with many pre-installed plugins. These plugins are often interconnected, so turning off just one of them can crash the entire website.

It’s like wanting to move a ceiling light by 10 cm, but there are 20 intertwined cables in the wall. The same can happen on a website if you turn off a seemingly unnecessary functionality (e.g., changing colors), inadvertently breaking other MAIN functionalities (e.g., store operations).

❌ Template websites require more frequent replacements
With a template website, you need to be prepared to replace it within 2–3 years. While it’s cost-effective at first, it becomes more expensive in the long run due to frequent updates.

However, if you need a quick and affordable solution just to get started and plan to expand later, a template website is a fine choice.

Who do we recommend Template Websites to?

Great choice for:

👍 Small businesses and individuals,
who need a simple website to present themselves (e.g., basic information, product/service, contact, etc.).

👍 Quick solutions
If you need a website super fast, e.g., for an event, project, short-term campaign, or to test the market in general before diving into a larger-scale business.

👍 Limited budget
If the initial cost is the main constraint, a template is the most budget-friendly option.

👍 Simple functionalities
A website that doesn’t require special features or extensive customizations will work perfectly with a basic WordPress template.

A template website is an ideal solution if you want a fast and cheap website and you are willing to accept certain design and functionality limitations.

Custom Website

or a website which is built entirely from scratch.

▶ A FERRARI WEBSITE
▶ 100% BASED ON YOUR NEEDS

A website created from scratch, where graphic design and programming are based on your goals and preferences. Everything is fully customized to reflect your business and create the perfect user experience for your customers. Such a website is optimized for ultra-fast loading, better SEO visibility, and higher conversion rates – meaning more visitors turn into customers.

Pros of a Custom Website:

✅ The exact look you want
(Graphic design, headings, texts, images, graphics, interactions, animations, contact forms, etc.)

✅  Features tailored exactly to your needs
(Examples of features: advanced search, categories and filters, integration with CRM and ERP systems, user registration, interactive maps, customized contact forms, booking systems, dynamic pricing, multilingual support, real-time inventory display, various payment systems, advanced analytics for tracking visitor behavior, review and rating systems, etc.)

✅ WordPress CMS
You can also opt for WordPress (or another CMS you are familiar with) to manage and upload content to your website. However, WordPress is not ideal for very large websites.

✅ Only 100% verified plugins
(We install only plugins (add-ons, extensions, upgrades) from long-established companies that regularly update their products, ensuring your website’s features always function properly.)

✅ Exceptionally fast website loading
(Clean programming code that includes only what you actually need, without unnecessary add-ons, ensures better SEO optimization (something Google loves). It also means the website will load quickly, update easily, and upgrade smoothly.)

Cons of a Custom Website:

❌ Longer development time
It takes a bit longer to create a custom website because the design needs to be built from scratch and then programmed from scratch as well.

For simpler projects (e.g., business cards, blogs, or small shops), the development time is only up to 20% slower (compared to template website), as we have pre-prepared pieces of our own code that can be quickly adapted.

❌ Higher initial investment
A custom website can be up to 50% more expensive than a template solution. This is primarily because both a graphic designer and a programmer work on your project, starting from scratch. The programmer develops the logic and functionality, while the designer creates the visual part of the website.

❌ WordPress CMS is not suitable for large and complex projects
WordPress is excellent for smaller and medium-sized projects but is not ideal for large companies that require advanced analytics, ERP integrations, and more complex e-commerce features. While WordPress allows for easy content editing, specific needs of larger companies, such as integrations with advanced payment systems, always require a fully custom approach. These complex functions demand adjustments that go beyond WordPress’s capabilities.

❌ Higher complexity with specific integrations and analytics
Advanced analytics, personalized CRM systems, or complex conversion-enhancing features always require a custom solution. While WordPress offers certain plugins, these are limited for some of the demands companies have for their websites. A custom website is therefore the only choice for businesses seeking a fully tailored solution.

Who do we recommend a Custom Website to?

A great choice for:

👍 Larger companies,
that have outgrown their existing website and need new features their current site doesn’t offer.

👍 Long-term projects
if you know from the start that you need a stable, ultra-fast, and optimized website that will work even under increased pressure/traffic (e.g., Black Friday) and allow for easy upgrades and solutions.

👍Advanced functions and process automation
When you need a reliable connection with other systems without errors (integration with CRM/ERP systems, advanced search, categories and filters, user registration, booking systems, dynamic pricing, multilingual support, various payment systems, advanced analytics, review systems, etc.).

👍 SEO optimization
If you’ve heard a thing or two about SEO and marketing and know that, in addition to the website’s appearance, you can ensure good visibility on Google and an excellent user experience.

👍 Companies with greater ambitions
If you understand that a technologically advanced website, which maximizes revenue and works on your behalf, requires a larger investment. You also know that good planning is necessary from the start, and it takes a bit longer than just 2 hours.

A custom website is the ideal choice for those who have already tried a template website and have maximized its potential, now expecting more from their website and wanting a long-term solution that saves time and generates more income.