The four usual ways to get it built
Do it yourself on a store platform. The cheapest way to start in cash, and the costliest in time. You pay the platform's plan, usually a ready-made design and a few paid apps on top, and every change, fix and update is yours to make.
A freelancer. A one-off build fee, often $3,000 to $15,000 for a custom store. After launch you're on your own, or you pay by the hour each time something needs changing.
An agency. Usually $10,000 or more, with a team, a process and meetings to match. It makes sense for big catalogs and big budgets, and it's a lot of overhead for a brand with ten products.
A flat monthly studio. A lower launch fee and a monthly fee that covers hosting, care and changes. That's how Ascenta Studio works: $1,500 plus $300 a month for a store, $500 plus $100 a month for a site without checkout.
What a monthly fee should cover
If you're paying every month, you should get more than a server. Hosting, the domain, security, backups and your content changes (new products, prices, photos, copy) should all be inside the fee, without a ticket system or an hourly rate.
Ask what happens if you want to leave. A fair monthly plan publishes its buyout up front. Ours is $6,000, the same figure from day one.
The costs people forget
Payment processing. Every card payment carries the processor's fee, whoever builds the site. It's not a website cost, but it's part of selling online.
Apps and add-ons. On store platforms, reviews, bundles, subscriptions and translations are often separate monthly apps. They add up, and they slow the store down.
Photos and words. Good product photos and clear copy sell more than any design trick. Budget for them, or at least for improving them over time.
The exit. Switching stores later costs time and sometimes a new build. Knowing the exit price before you start is cheaper than finding out on the way out.
Five questions to ask before you pay anyone
Who owns the site and the content? What does it cost to leave? What's included every month, in writing? How fast is a change made after launch? Can I open live work you've built, on my phone, right now?
You can check all five for Ascenta Studio on our pricing and in the live builds on the homepage.
Side by side
| Option | To launch | After launch | Who makes changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | Platform plan, design and apps | Plan and app fees every month | You |
| Freelancer | Often $3,000 to $15,000 | Hosting, plus hourly for changes | The freelancer, when they're free |
| Agency | $10,000 or more | A retainer or a new project | The agency's team |
| Ascenta Studio | $1,500 with a store, $500 without | $300 or $100 a month, everything included | We do, as part of the fee |
Two prices. Published, not quoted.
Website with online store
$1,500USD to launch, then $300 USD/month
It's your own store: product pages, bag, delivery and payment, all on your site.
- Design and build of every page, on desktop and phone
- Hosting and domain, set up, secured and maintained
- Monthly changes: new products, photos, prices and copy
- Month to month, cancel any time
- Fixed buyout: $6,000, published from day one
Website, no online store
$500USD to launch, then $100 USD/month
It's a site of your own without checkout: who you are, what you offer and how to reach or book you. Anything you sell elsewhere is one tap away.
You'll get the contract and invoice from La Factoria LLC, a company registered in Delaware, USA.
Three steps. No meetings.
-
01
Tell us about your brand
What you sell and where. We'll reply by email within 24 hours with the plan and a link to start.
5 minutes -
02
Send your material
Pay the setup and send your logo, photos and anything you want said. No photos yet? We work with what you have.
Same day -
03
Go live
You review the site before it's public. Once you approve it, it goes live on your domain. Changes after that are one message away.
Under 48 hours
What founders ask first.
How much should a small product brand spend on a website?
Enough that the site sells, and no more. For most small brands that means a custom store with a sane monthly cost, not a five-figure agency project. At Ascenta Studio it's $1,500 to launch and $300 a month with an online store.
Is a monthly website plan worth it?
It is if the fee covers the work that actually comes up: hosting, security, backups and content changes. Check what's included and what leaving costs before you sign anything.
What's included in Ascenta Studio's monthly fee?
Hosting, your domain, security, backups and changes every month: new products, new photos, new prices and copy. You send them, we update the site.
Can I own the website outright?
Yes. The buyout is $6,000 at any time, the same figure from the day you start, and your content is always yours.
Is it cheaper to build it myself?
In cash, at first, yes. In time, rarely. Most brands that go it alone end up paying for a design, a stack of apps and someone to set it all up anyway.
Tell us about your brand.
A few lines is enough. We'll reply by email within 24 hours with the plan and a link to start. Prefer Instagram? Message @ascenta.studio.