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Free, AI-built or custom?

You can build a website without spending anything, or have AI generate one in minutes. What you really get, what’s left out and when it’s worth hiring a professional.

By Alessandra De Luca · Updated

In short

A free website is possible, but with limits: on the free plans of services like Wix and WordPress.com the address belongs to the platform, its ads appear and you need a paid plan to use your own domain. AI website builders produce pages, copy and images from a description in minutes, but everything has to be checked by hand. A professional costs more, but designs the site around your business, builds it to get found and looks after it over time. The right choice depends on how much you need to be found and how much time you have.

The three paths, in short.

  • Free, with a website builder such as Wix, WordPress.com or Google Sites: you do it yourself, starting from ready-made templates.
  • With artificial intelligence: you describe your business and the tool generates pages, copy and images. That’s what the AI builders from Wix, Hostinger and Squarespace, for example, promise.
  • With a professional: the site is designed and written for your business, then looked after over time.

What free plans really include.

  • Wix: a free site shows a Wix banner ad at the top of the page, the address looks like name.wixsite.com/site, and you need a paid plan to connect your own domain.
  • WordPress.com: the free plan uses an address like yoursite.wordpress.com, shows ads and doesn’t include your own domain, which requires a paid plan.
  • Google Sites: you create it with a Google account and it has an address like sites.google.com/…. You can connect your own domain, but only the site owner can do it and the domain is bought separately.

For a business, the address matters more than it seems: it’s what you say on the phone, print on your business cards and add to your social media profiles. What a domain is, and why it should be in your name, is explained in our guide to domain, hosting and email.

A website built with artificial intelligence.

AI builders ask you to describe your business and, within minutes, suggest a complete site with layout, copy and images. For a first draft they’re handy. What Google says:

  • appropriate use of AI is not against its guidelines, but it gives content no special advantage: what matters is that it’s helpful, accurate and relevant;
  • everything generated should be checked by hand before publishing, including the title and description shown on Google, structured data and image alt text;
  • generating many pages with no value for readers can fall under what Google calls scaled content abuse, no matter how it’s created.

In practice, there are three limits to watch out for: generic copy that could describe any business like yours; information to check one item at a time, such as opening hours, services and address; and made-up images instead of real photos of your premises. If you use generated images that look real, since 2 August 2026 the EU AI Act requires you to disclose it: we explain this in our guide The AI Act and your business.

Can you take it with you? It depends on the platform.

  • Wix: the site has to run on Wix’s servers and can’t be exported to another service; the domain, however, can be connected or transferred.
  • Squarespace: only part of the content can be exported, into a file meant for WordPress; styles and many features are left out.
  • WordPress.com: exporting content to another site is supported.

Before choosing, ask yourself what happens if one day you want to switch: your copy and photos are yours, but a site built on a platform often can’t come with you. That goes for us too: with Aleryc the website and its code remain ours, and we tell you so before you sign.

What you need anyway to get found.

Whichever path you choose, the tool won’t do these for you:

  • Your own domain, registered in your name.
  • A site that opens quickly on a phone, where people look for you when they’re out and about.
  • Copy that answers your customers’ real questions, in the words they use: that’s how Google and assistants like ChatGPT find you. More in our guide to SEO, AEO and GEO.
  • Privacy and cookies done right, as explained in our privacy and cookies guide.

When DIY is enough, and when it isn’t.

DIY can be enough if you’re just starting out, have a minimal budget, only need a page with your contact details and have time to learn the tool and keep it up to date.

A professional makes sense if customers look for you on Google and on maps, if you want to stand out from others in your line of work, if you’re short of time, if you need bookings, several languages or an online store, or if you want someone to answer when something goes wrong. To compare the most popular platforms, read WordPress, Wix or a custom website?; for costs, how much a website costs.

With Aleryc.

Aleryc designs every website from scratch around your business: we write the copy based on what you tell us; for us artificial intelligence is only a support tool in some parts of the work, while the project, the choices, the copy and the final check remain ours (we explain it in How we use artificial intelligence). Photos keep the real features of your premises and products, the domain is registered in your name, the website and its code remain Aleryc’s, and routine changes are included in the monthly fee. A brochure website starts at €483 plus €36 a month, with the domain and the privacy and cookie policies separate, priced in tiers by type: you’ll find all our prices on one page. If you’re based in another European Union country (we only work with clients who have a VAT number), any taxes or mandatory costs for that country are shown in your written quote, before you sign. A DIY tool can be enough to get started: during the consultation we’ll tell you honestly which path makes sense for you. See how we work on websites.

Sources.

Sources checked on 27 October 2026. Platform plans and terms change often: always check them on the official website before choosing.

FAQ

The questions we get asked most.

Yes, with builders such as Wix, WordPress.com or Google Sites. On the free plans of Wix and WordPress.com, though, the address belongs to the platform, its ads appear and you need a paid plan to use your own domain.

It can help write copy or pieces of code, but the site still has to be published, connected to a domain, kept up to date and made compliant on privacy and cookies. And everything it produces needs checking by hand, as Google also asks for AI-generated content.

Google says appropriate use of AI is not against its guidelines, but that it gives content no special advantage: what matters is that the content is helpful, accurate and checked by hand. Generating lots of pages with no value for readers can be treated as spam.

Write to us

Tell us about your business. We’ll build the rest together.

Write to us in English by email or WhatsApp: we’ll listen, ask you a few questions and tell you honestly what we would do in your place. Video calls and phone calls are in Italian.

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