Building a Website from Scratch vs. Using Website Builders: Pros and Cons

18 minutes reading


Building a website from scratch is intimidating. It’s borderline impossible for a single person, considering the vast knowledge you need to have on various topics. That, however, doesn’t mean building a website from scratch is an outdated practice with no implementation in real-life situations. On the contrary, creating a unique, tailored experience for your audience can significantly benefit your business.

However, the hurdles along the way are not to be underestimated. Thankfully, there is a much easier alternative – website builders. These platforms have been a blessing for small businesses and one-person online businesses. Regardless of their web developing knowledge, they allow anyone to build an astonishing, professional-looking, user-friendly website that can conquer even the biggest names in their niche. In short, website builders are a game-changer.

Still, as an online business owner, you might be wondering which one is better. Well, it depends on a whole lot of things. And today, we will shed some light on the pros and cons of both practices. We will uncover the hidden hurdles along the way. Most importantly, we will reveal which one is better for your business – Building a website from scratch or using a website builder.

What Does Building a Website from Scratch Mean

Building a website from scratch means starting with a completely blank canvas. You must create the website’s design, functionality, and structure from nothing. Naturally, you must have advanced knowledge in various fields of web development.

First, you must be fluent in languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Moreover, you must be familiar with frameworks like React, Angular, or Laravel to add functionalities. But that’s far from enough. You also have to know the first thing about user experience, designer best practices, storytelling, funnel-building, and a lot of marketing.

For example, even before you start building your website, you must have an extensive business plan. It will help you determine your website’s role in your marketing strategy. Thus, you will build your website according to your needs and according to where in the funnel your website will be.

Unfortunately, planning the website is the easy part. Building a website from scratch is where things get really complicated.

Building-a-website-from-scratch-requires-coding

Now, you will have to learn HTML to create the structure of your content. Next, CSS will bring in the style. JavaScript will add interactivity into the mix. But that’s just the front end. Things really become nightmarish when you go behind the scenes.

The back-end is where all your functionalities are powered. This is where you will handle the database, user authentication, security, and server communication. To build this infrastructure, you must learn coding languages like PHP, Python, Ruby, and others. Naturally, you can use some frameworks like Laravel for PHP and Django for Python to help you streamline the process. However, you will still need a lot of knowledge to even start.

That’s why, typically, entire teams create such websites. No one has the knowledge to build a website from scratch on their own.

Pros of Building a Website from Scratch

Of course, building a website from scratch has its extensive benefits. They greatly contribute to many aspects of your business and marketing. But most importantly, creating a website from nothing is undoubtedly the most flexible way to establish your online presence. So, let’s discuss the biggest benefits of building a website through coding.

Complete Customization and Control

This is by far the biggest upside of investing the time and effort into building a website from scratch. There are no boundaries except, of course, good taste and usability. You can create unique designs, functionalities, and unparalleled user experiences using well-known web-developing languages and frameworks. Building a website from scratch allows for a limitless experience, bounded only by your creativity and vision.

Booking’s website is the perfect example. It offers a dynamic interface with custom algorithms, allowing users to filter properties by particular criteria. Want a refrigerator in your room? Booking will show you only properties with this perk. But you can also combine your preferences to get the perfect solution. For instance, you might want an entire apartment near the city center with a kitchen, air conditioning, parking spot, and at least a 9 out of 10 rating. Booking will show you the available options instantly. This is the power of a custom-build feature on a website.

Customization also extends to branding. If you have a unique vision for your website, such as incorporating non-standard layouts or animations, building from scratch ensures your brand stands out. In 2025 and beyond, this will actually play a huge role in your SEO efforts, as 38% of users already refuse to engage with unattractive or dull websites. Moreover, 59% of users prefer beautiful designs over simplicity.

So, if you are interested in a specific niche feature, a magical design, or an extensive filter, building a website from scratch is definitely the way to go.

Building a Website from Scratch Enhances Performance and Speed

When building from scratch, you write only the code necessary for your site’s functionality. Seems logical. Yet, very often, templates and website builders bloat their code, which slows down your entire website. Speed, as we know far too well in HostArmada, is everything. In fact, Google reports that as page load time increases from 1 to 3 seconds, the probability of a user bouncing increases by 32%. The bounce rate will go as high as 90% if your website hasn’t loaded in 5 seconds. As you can imagine, losing nine-tenths of your business is not a great way to reach your goals.

So, having a clean, well-maintained code allows your website to appear as fast as your hosting provider allows. Now, of course, if you have HostArmada as your hosting partner, you can count on a lightning-fast speed, resulting in higher CTR, better user experience, and, ultimately, better conversion rate.

Building-a-website-from-scratch-enhances-performance

Amazon is the perfect example. Their custom-built infrastructure ensures there are no unnecessary lines of code that would delay the product showing on the user’s screen. For a company that prides itself on fast delivery, this is a must. This goes double during high-traffic periods like Christmas or Black Friday. Having a custom-made website from scratch truly pays off during such times.

Ownership and Independence

When you build a website from scratch, you own the code, the design, and every other aspect of your site. This independence means you’re not tied to a third-party platform. Moreover, there will be no pricing changes, policy updates, or limitations.

For example, some website builders restrict customization options or impose fees for additional features. With a custom-built website, you can implement whatever features you want without relying on external providers. This is instrumental if you have long-term plans and budgeting.

Building a Website from Scratch Ensures Scalability and Flexibility

Scalability is the showstopper when it comes to the benefits of building a website from scratch. Just like your business, your website will also grow and evolve. By relying on your own code, no limitations can constrain you from adding new features, bettering the user experience, or following the design trends. Something more: by using your own code, you can become a leader in innovation in your industry, especially when it comes to design. Yes, it’s a bit risky, but authority comes with a risk, and big brands must take it.

Take the case of Shopify, which started as a niche eCommerce solution for selling snowboards but later scaled into a global platform. This level of scalability is only possible with a flexible and robust foundation.

So, if you’re a SaaS business, you are likely to start small. However, SaaS businesses are most likely to explode overnight, forcing you to quickly introduce new features, innovative solutions, and better user experience. Having a custom-built website will allow you to do that with small hurdles and at your own pace.

Building a Website from Scratch Enhances Security

Finally, we have the security. This is one of the most significant issues of our time. In fact, according to a report by Cybersecurity Ventures, global cybercrime damages are expected to reach $10.5 trillion annually by the end of 2025, making robust security measures essential.

Building your website from scratch gives you complete control over your security. You don’t rely on someone else to make the needed safeguards. More importantly, you don’t depend on third-party plugins to enhance your security. You can infuse all your website’s protection directly into your code.

Cyber-security-is-one-of-the-biggest-benefits-of-building-your-website-from-scratch

More importantly, you can implement security measures tailored to your industry-specific needs. For example, a custom-built eCommerce store can include advanced security protocols, such as two-factor authentication, secure payment gateways, and end-to-end encryption. Yes, you can have the same on website-building platforms like WordPress. However, you need to rely on third-party providers, who often put astronomical prices on their service and are much more attractive to hackers.

Most importantly, building a website from scratch allows you to fix, patch, and enhance your security without depending on a third party to update their system. Instead, you can react much faster when preventing possible threats.

Cons of Building a Website from Scratch

While building a website from scratch offers unparalleled control and customization, it’s not without its challenges. The process demands significant resources, technical expertise, and ongoing effort. So before you charge to build a website from scratch, consider the following downsides first.

Building a Website from Scratch is Pricey

Custom websites often come with a hefty price tag, especially if you lack the technical skills to handle development yourself. As we already mentioned, creating a website on your own is extremely difficult (if not impossible), especially for a business owner. Most often, brands that go for a tailored website hire professional web developing teams with designers, content writers, coders, UX experts, and other professionals. Paying your cousin to scrap something up will definitely not bring all the benefits we already listed. Instead, it will only bear the downsides.

So, if you’re going to build a website from scratch, either hire an outside web development company or hire experienced developers, designers, and content writers, along with a project manager or two. As you can guess, neither option is very cheap.

Businesses can pay up to 50,000 dollars (or even more) for a tailored website, depending on the complexity of its features and design. This is a hurdle most new businesses are not ready to jump over. And it makes sense. If you expect to earn 15,000 dollars of clean profit in your first year, investing 10,000 dollars into a custom-made website is not a wise business decision. Especially when there are more affordable and comparatively reasonable solutions out there.

Building a Website from Scratch is Time-Consuming

Creating a website from the ground up is a lengthy endeavor. Every aspect—designing layouts, writing code, integrating functionality, and testing—requires a lot of time. This extended timeline is a deal-breaker for businesses looking to establish an online presence quickly.

For example, your online presence is a must if you are eager to set foot on the market. Currently, about 20.1% of all global purchases are done online. Moreover, 81% of the US population actively buys through the internet. So, the sooner your business has a website, the faster you can tap into this ever-growing pool of potential customers. Thus, a 4-6 month delay on your website can harm your business’s fast growth and success. This goes double if you are a season-specific brand.

Building a Website form scratch is time-consuming

For example, if you offer mountain bikes, you must be on the market as soon as Christmas. This is when MTB riders usually start to gear up for the new season and look for special deals. So, if you miss this window of opportunity, you will have to delay your business endeavors for a full year. Not the ideal scenario, indeed.

The Learning Curve is Impossible For a Single Person

Building a website from scratch requires a strong understanding of coding languages. This includes but is not limited to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Moreover, you must learn at least PHP if you want your own custom back-end. Naturally, you must familiarize yourself with some appropriate frameworks, depending on the language you are learning.

For someone without prior experience, the learning curve can be overwhelming, to say the least. Even with resources like online tutorials or coding bootcamps, gaining the skills to build a functional, professional-grade website can take months or even years.

For example, a small business owner with no coding background and a tone of other tasks on his head will never be able to dedicate the time and effort to learning the skills needed to build their own website.

The Maintenance is Nightmare

Then again, building a website from scratch is not a one-time event. After launch, it requires ongoing maintenance to ensure that it remains functional, secure, and compatible with evolving technologies. Tasks like applying security patches, updating code for compatibility with new browsers, and fixing bugs are impossible for a single person to follow. Thus, you will need a full-time team to maintain your website.

Of course, you can always delegate these tasks to an outside company, but then you open the gates for security risks.

So, even if you pay the steep price of getting your tailored website, this is just the tip of your investment.

You Are on Your Own

Finally, you can’t count on any professional support. If you build a website from scratch, you are on your own. No one knows your code. That’s the whole point, after all. So, there is no one that can offer you a quick and easy solution if a problem occurs. Then again, if you built your website from scratch, you already know how to deal with any issue.

Still, it’s always easier to have someone take care of your problems.

Now, you can always hire a team for that too. But you will need to invest time and effort into teaching them everything they need to know about your code.

This lack of support can be particularly daunting for small businesses or individuals without technical expertise. For example, troubleshooting a broken feature or fixing a security vulnerability could mean hours of searching for solutions or expensive developer fees.

Who is Building a Website from Scratch for

As you can see, building a website from scratch is not for everyone. Usually, it’s a good idea to have the budget and financial stability to hire a team. Then, they can build and maintain your custom-built website without a problem.

Naturally, these types of websites are mostly owned by big brands or financially backed start-ups that can afford them.

Still, if you are interested in building a website from scratch, ask yourself

  • Do you need a unique, custom-designed feature on your website?
  • Is your business model prone to rapid and abrupt scales?
  • Do you work with documents and other information that needs to be protected from cyber threats at all costs?
  • Do you have the budget to afford building a website from scratch?

What Are Website Builders?

Website builders are typically platforms that enable users to create a website without any web development skills or coding knowledge. Instead, they use intuitive drag-and-drop functionalities. This allows users to assemble their unique website, much like building a Lego. All you have to do is align and modify some blocks to your preferences and needs.

Website builders allow small business owners with tight budgets to have a cost-efficient, fully functioning website without breaking the bank. This being said, website builders are not a one-size-fits-all solution. Still, they managed to avoid some gate-keeping skills and allow users to build websites quickly and efficiently.

Screenshot of using a website builder

However, website builders are not just for those without experience building websites. Many professional web developers use them to streamline their work and create their own outstanding templates and building blocks. The website builders are an entire ecosystem on their own, offering ample opportunities for everyone.

Website builders can operate as plugins within the WordPress ecosystem or as stand-alone platforms. Most often, they offer an easily navigable dashboard with a real-time drag-and-drop feature. This allows users to make changes to their websites and see the results instantly. Naturally, this will enable users to make quick fixes when an element is out of place without having to find the correct class, div, and so on.

Today, over 18 million websites on the internet are built using website builders. Forecasts suggest that by 2032, website builders will double their market to 3.47 billion dollars, almost doubling their market size in under a decade. Naturally, the market is saturated with great solutions like Elementor, Beaver Builder, and Divi Builder. More importantly, the tight competition ensures that the platforms continue developing. This will allow users to build their websites even more efficiently.

Pros of Using Website Builders

There is a reason why over 22 million websites on the internet are created with website builders. They are easy to use and fast and can provide anyone with a fully functioning website, regardless of their web development knowledge. Indeed, website builders offer a vast array of benefits that building a website from scratch can never compete with. Let’s have a look:

Instant Deployment

This is the most significant advantage of using a website builder. You can literally deploy your website within a day. This is simply impossible when you’re building a website from scratch.

Many professional web developers actually use such builders, as they allow them to streamline their work. Indeed, they add custom code but use the blocks and frames already provided by the website builder.

More importantly, website builders allow small brands to build and deploy their websites instantly and without outside help. Website builders are invaluable for freelancers, one-person businesses, and small start-ups that are looking for quick success.

For example, you can see the perfect product for dropshipping. Usually, these products perform best, when caught early on. If you want to start selling it immediately, you need a quick but professionally-looking website that sells the product. Using Elementor, for example, you can deploy your product’s website in a matter of hours. This way, you can enjoy the hype surrounding your product and capitalize on it going viral on an undersaturated market.

Anyone Can Do It Alone

The next outstanding feature of website builders is their ease of use. Anyone can build a gorgeous website through the vast collection of templates and pre-build elements. Website builders are designed to be intuitive, even for beginners with no coding experience. The drag-and-drop functionality allows users to easily customize their website by placing elements like text boxes, images, and buttons exactly where they want them. Platforms like Beaver Builder or Elementor make experimenting with different layouts and designs easy without worrying about breaking the site.

This allows you to A/B test various looks of your landing page without extensive changes to your website and months of preparation time. It’s a goldmine for today’s fast-paced market, where products come and go in days.

It’s Cost-Efficient

One of the biggest draws of website builders is their affordability. Unlike custom-built websites, which often require significant upfront costs for development and ongoing maintenance, website builders offer low-cost subscription plans. Many platforms provide free or trial versions for users who want to test the waters.

Website builders are cost-efficient

Thus, you won’t break the bank for a business idea that may turn out to be a flop. Instead, you can get a professional-looking website for as low as 10 to 50 dollars an annual subscription to a WordPress Theme.

On the contrary, a custom-built website costs around 5000 dollars for the basics.

Effortless Maintenance

The maintenance of a web portal created with a website builder is practically non-existent. The platform updates its system automatically to ensure compatibility with the latest web standards, browsers, and security protocols. Users don’t have to worry about manually implementing updates or fixing bugs. These are handled by the platform’s teams.

Effortless maintenance is particularly beneficial for small business owners who don’t have the time or technical expertise to handle ongoing upkeep. Imagine running a boutique where your focus is on managing inventory and customer service. The last thing you want is to spend hours troubleshooting website issues. Website builders remove this hassle, allowing you to focus on what you do best—running your business.

Great Support Ecosystem

Perhaps the biggest benefit that draws users with little IT experience is the ongoing support. Most website builders have a well-built support ecosystem. For example, WordPress has one of the biggest communities, which will take your problem as if it’s their own. Even if you can’t find a solution for yourself, the theme you chose will most likely offer premium 24/7 support, which will take care of your issues.

As you can imagine, this saves time, effort, and, most importantly, a lot of nerves. For example, a small business owner using a website builder can easily resolve technical issues or learn how to improve their site through video tutorials or live assistance. This support reduces the stress of managing a website and ensures a smoother experience. More importantly, it allows the owner to focus on the business rather than its sales infrastructure.

Cons of Using Website Builders

While website builders offer an accessible, cost-effective, and quick solution for creating websites, they’re not without their downsides. So, before entrusting your website to a website builder, let’s talk about the most significant downsides of website builders.

Little Flexibility

The controlled environment that website builders provide is a huge benefit. However, this also means little to no flexibility and creativity for some industries.

While the structured templates and tools are user-friendly, they often limit flexibility when it comes to advanced customization. Users are restricted to the features, designs, and functionality offered by the platform.

For instance, if you want to integrate a niche payment gateway or develop a custom application for your website, you may find it impossible with a website builder. Even adding advanced SEO features or unique animations might be challenging without coding access.

Security Issues

Typically, website builders are pretty secure. They invest heavily in top-notch security measures and have entire teams ensuring your data remains untouched.

Still, by using plugins in WordPress, for example, you can open additional windows from where your data can be stolen.

Website Builder's security can be better

Furthermore, while website builders provide basic and sometimes robust security, it’s up to you to secure your data with advanced firewalls, two-factor authentication, additional encryption, and others. Thus, for inexperienced users, website builders’ security features can create false security and expectations.

For example, a small eCommerce store built with a website builder may lack the ability to configure advanced firewalls, two-factor authentication, or specific data encryption methods. In such cases, sensitive customer data could be more vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Design and Feature Limitations

Website builders are often associated with the vast array of features they offer to their users. Unfortunately, if you need a more niche feature, you are out of luck. While these platforms can seem to offer you everything you need, unique and advanced functionalities are not among what you can find.

Furthermore, the templates most users get as a base for their website make their online home look a bit generic.

Indeed, some websites disprove this point, but they are usually heavily customized after using the template. Something a novice website owner can never do. So, that’s why most websites in the same niche often look alike and blend.

Problems with Scaling

Website builders are an excellent choice for small businesses or personal projects, but you may encounter scalability issues as your website grows. These platforms are designed for simplicity and may struggle to handle increased traffic, complex functionalities, or growing data requirements.

For instance, website builders often come with limitations on storage, bandwidth, or the number of pages you can create. Upgrading to higher-tier plans can mitigate these issues, but even premium plans may not offer the robust infrastructure needed for large-scale businesses.

Using Website Builders can help you scale

So, if your business plan shows your business will explode and enjoy rapid growth, you need to consider whether a website builder will suffice your needs.

Who Should Rely on Website Builders

Website builders are a great starting point for most businesses. Still, it’s not a solution that can fit all needs. For example, business owners in extremely niche industries may struggle to find the right website features.

Moreover, businesses that expect rapid growth can find it difficult to scale and add new and unique features.

So, before you build your website with a website builder, ask yourself:

  • Will a less-than-unique website suffice your needs?
  • Do you need to deploy your website today?
  • Will your business be predictable and have steady growth?
  • Is a budget-friendly solution a must?

If so, the website builders are the perfect solution for you. That’s why, typically, bloggers, freelancers, eCommerce owners, and dropshippers are often the ones using website builders to start their businesses and gigs.

Building a Website from Scratch vs. Using Website Builders

Now, after all of this, it’s perfectly normal to feel a bit overwhelmed. So, we created an easily digestible table that will help you determine whether you should build a website from scratch or trust a website builder to help you out.

Aspect Building From Scratch Using Website Builder
Cost $5,000 – $50,000 + Free or $10–$50/month subscription fees
Development Time Several weeks to a few months A few hours to a few days
Technical Skills Required Advanced coding, designer, content, and UX knowledge or hiring developers Minimal to none
Customization Options Unlimited, fully tailored to specific needs Limited to platform, templates, and features
SEO Capabilities Full control over optimization for Core Web Vitals Basic SEO tools; advanced features may require third-party apps
Scalability Highly scalable with the ability to add complex features Limited; may outgrow platform within 3 years
Security

Fully customizable security protocols Dependent on the platform’s built-in measures
Maintenance Requires ongoing updates, security patches, and debugging Effortless; automatic updates and maintenance handled by the platform
Performance Optimized for speed and efficiency Potential performance issues due to shared resources and unclean code
Design Options Custom design tailored to brand identity Pre-designed templates with limited flexibility
Support Ecosystem Limited to hired developers or self-research 24/7 support and extensive community resources
Who It’s Best For Businesses with unique needs, advanced goals, or large budgets Small businesses, personal projects, or startups with limited resources

 

The Perfect Infrastructure for Either

Regardless of whether you build a website from scratch or you use a website builder, you need a robust and reliable infrastructure to rely on. In short, you need HostArmada.

Our premium cloud hosting services will ensure your website loading time is as fast as your coding allows it to be. Moreover, we go beyond the basic security features.

Most importantly, with our cloud-based technology, we can ensure your website will always be online, regardless of traffic, malicious attacks, or server overloads. We guarantee 99.9% uptime for all our clients, as our cloud technology renders it practically impossible for a website to lose connection to its data.

So, before you get to coding or before you download your website builder of choice, check out our plans and choose the one that best fits your needs. Don’t forget that your website is only as good as its hosting infrastructure. So, why not use the best?