What is a pay-monthly website (and when it makes sense… or not)
A pay-monthly website — also sold as “website as a service” (WaaS) — is exactly what it sounds like: instead of paying €1,500-3,000 for a closed project, you pay a monthly fee and in exchange someone builds your website, hosts it, maintains it and keeps updating it. Like leasing a car: no down payment, and servicing, insurance and tyres are part of the deal.
The model has been mainstream in the UK and US for years and is growing fast across Europe, with typical fees of €30-90/month + VAT.
What it should include (and what you should demand)
A serious subscription covers, at minimum: the design and build, hosting with https, technical maintenance (updates, security, backups) and some volume of content changes per month. The best ones add copywriting, images and GDPR legal pages.
And here is what you should always demand — it separates serious services from traps:
- The domain, in your name. Not the provider’s. It’s your address on the internet; losing it means losing everything.
- Published conditions: setup fee (if any), lock-in (if any) and exactly what happens when you cancel.
- Measurable improvements: “maintenance included” means nothing; “1 monthly hour for improvements and updates” means something.
- Standard technology: if your site only runs on the provider’s proprietary system, you’re renting a cage.
The real advantages
No entry barrier. You don’t decapitalise the business to get online: you start paying when you start having a website.
Aligned incentives. The advantage nobody mentions: with a one-off project, the provider gets paid even if your site rots afterwards. With a monthly fee, the provider only wins if you stay happy. Maintenance stops being an upsell — it’s the condition of their business.
One throat to choke. Domain, hosting, design, changes, security: one fee, one invoice, one person to call. No more “that’s the hosting company’s problem”.
Always current. New prices, new services, new photos: you ask, it appears. A living website ranks and converts better than a frozen brochure from 2021.
The honest downsides
Long-term, you pay more than a well-maintained one-off project. If you have someone to maintain the site (in-house skills, time and will), one-off can be cheaper over 5 years.
You depend on the provider. That’s why the fine print matters so much: domain in your name, your content yours, clear exit terms. Locked down properly, the risk is small; ignored, it’s enormous.
Lock-ins exist. Many services, including Relógica, require an initial commitment — typically 12 months, sometimes 24 — because they build the whole site with nothing upfront. That is a legitimate trade if it is published and explained, and a trap if you discover it while trying to leave. On the Relógica pricing page it is in plain sight: 12 months initially; after that, the selected billing option continues without a new minimum term and can be cancelled before the next renewal.
Who is it for?
It fits small businesses and freelancers without technical staff who want a professional website with no upfront investment, and who value someone answering when they need a change. It’s the middle ground between the €3,000 agency and fighting Wix on your weekends.
Skip it if you genuinely enjoy DIY and have the time (a builder will do), or if you need complex custom development with an in-house team (that’s a bespoke project).
How Relógica runs it
For transparency, the Relógica model has no setup fee, a first version in 24 working hours once payment, a sufficient form and the contract signed by both parties are confirmed, copy and images included, 1, 2 or 4 monthly hours for improvements and updates by plan, the domain always in your name and every condition published — pricing and terms. Compare calmly: that is why it is all written down.