Every business owner asks this before they ask anything else, and every answer online is either vague or a sales pitch. Here's the honest version: what each option actually costs, what you get for it, and where Cayo fits in — including the parts that aren't flattering to us.
Freelancers
A freelance designer or developer can build you a site for anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand US dollars, depending on scope and experience. This is the widest-ranging option on this list — quality varies enormously, from a genuinely skilled local freelancer who'll do excellent work, to someone learning on your dime. You usually own the result outright, but ongoing changes, hosting, and support are on you to arrange separately unless you negotiate that up front.
Agencies
A proper web agency build typically runs $3,000–$10,000 or more, scaling with how custom the design and functionality need to be. You're paying for a team — designer, developer, project manager — and usually get a more polished, tested result than a solo freelancer, plus a formal contract and support structure. It's the right call for a large or complex business, but it's a lot of money for a five-page restaurant site.
DIY builders (Wix, Squarespace, and similar)
These run $16–50 per month, forever, and you build the site yourself using templates. It's the cheapest entry point in raw monthly terms, but the real cost is your own time — and if you add booking or online ordering, most DIY platforms charge transaction fees on top of the monthly subscription. Fine for a simple brochure site; frustrating fast for anything with real booking or ordering needs.
Booking & ordering SaaS platforms
Dedicated booking and restaurant ordering platforms typically charge $200–500 per month, billed indefinitely, and some take a commission of 15–30% on top of every order or booking made through the platform. You get a purpose-built system without needing your own developer, but the meter never stops running, and the commission structure means your busiest month costs you the most.
Cayo
Cayo charges $149/month for six months for the Launch plan ($894 total) or $249/month for six months for the Growth plan with bookings and ordering ($1,494 total). After six months, the site stays live and hosted at $0/month, for life. Small updates are included for the first 90 days; after that, changes are billed per request rather than folded into a forced monthly fee. No commission on bookings or orders, ever. It's a project cost that ends, not a subscription that doesn't.
| Option | Typical cost | Ends? | Commission on orders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelancer | $300–$3,000+ one-time | Yes, but hosting/support extra | No |
| Agency | $3,000–$10,000+ one-time | Yes, but hosting/support extra | No |
| DIY builder | $16–$50/mo forever | No | Often, on bookings/orders |
| Booking/ordering SaaS | $200–$500/mo forever | No | Often, 15–30% |
| Cayo — Launch | $149/mo × 6 mo ($894 total) | Yes — then $0/mo for life | No, ever |
| Cayo — Growth | $249/mo × 6 mo ($1,494 total) | Yes — then $0/mo for life | No, ever |
Frequently asked questions
Why are websites so expensive?
A real website isn't just a page with your logo on it — it's design, copywriting, booking or ordering logic, payment integration, SEO setup, and ongoing hosting and maintenance. Most of the cost is the labor of building and connecting those pieces correctly, not the website itself.
What should a restaurant website include?
At minimum: an up-to-date menu with photos, clear hours and location, a way to contact or message you directly, and ideally online ordering or reservations so a customer doesn't have to call during service to book a table or place an order.
Do I need a .tc domain?
No — a .com domain works fine and is what most visitors expect to type. What actually helps local search is consistent local signals: your correct address and phone number everywhere online, a claimed Google Business Profile, and location mentioned naturally in your site's content.
What happens to my Google ranking if I rebuild my site?
If you keep the same domain and set up proper 301 redirects from old page URLs to their new equivalents, your existing ranking and backlinks are generally preserved. Ranking loss usually happens when a rebuild changes domains or drops redirects, not from the redesign itself.
If the math above pencils out for you, see the full breakdown at madebycayo.com/pricing.