Freelancer or web agency: which suits your project?

What's the difference between a freelancer and a web agency?

A freelancer is one self-employed person who does the work themselves. Sometimes that's a designer, sometimes a developer, sometimes someone who can do both. A web agency is a company with several people: often a project manager, designers, developers and sometimes marketers.

In practice the line is blurrier. Some freelancers work with regular partners for copywriting or photography. And some small agencies of two or three people are more like a freelancer than a big agency. So don't look at the label; look at how someone works.

Pros and cons of a freelancer

Having your website built by a freelancer can work out very well, especially for smaller projects.

• Pro: you talk directly to the person doing the work. No layers in between.
• Pro: often lower costs, because there's less overhead.
• Pro: quick to act on small changes.
• Con: when they're ill or on holiday, the work stops.
• Con: one person can't do everything equally well. A strong designer isn't always a strong developer.
• Con: sometimes no fixed agreements on maintenance, backups and security after delivery.
• Con: if the freelancer stops, you have to find someone who understands their code.

Pros and cons of a web agency

• Pro: several specialists, so design, tech and marketing are all covered.
• Pro: fixed processes for planning, testing and delivery.
• Pro: continuity, because if someone drops out, a colleague takes over.
• Con: usually more expensive, because you also pay for project management and an office.
• Con: you often talk to an account manager rather than the builder.
• Con: small clients sometimes get less attention at big agencies.
• Con: staff change, so knowledge of your site can disappear.

When to choose a freelancer and when an agency

A few rules of thumb help you choose:

• Lean towards a freelancer for a small site, a clearly defined job or a limited budget, and if you know well what you want.
• Lean towards an agency for a large project with many parts at once, such as a webshop with integrations, a campaign and a new brand identity.
• Lean towards a small studio with fixed agreements if you want personal contact but also certainty about maintenance, security and backups.
• Not sure what you actually need? First decide whether you're after a regular website or a system with logins and its own features. That matters more than the choice between freelancer and agency.

More important than the form is whether someone understands your goal. A freelancer who asks why you want a website is often better than an agency that sends a quote straight away.

Questions to ask a freelance web designer or agency

These questions quickly show how someone works, regardless of size:

• Who exactly does the work, and who do I deal with?
• What happens when you're ill or go on holiday?
• Who owns the code, the design and the domain after delivery?
• How do you handle hosting, backups, updates and security?
• Is the price fixed or hourly, and what counts as extra work?
• Can I see previous work similar to what I need?
• If we stop working together, do I get all the files and access?

You'll find more general questions in choosing a web agency. If you already have quotes in, comparing web agency quotes helps you set them side by side.

The biggest risk: depending on one person

A freelancer and a small agency share the same risk. If the knowledge about your site sits with one person, you're vulnerable. You don't solve that by only looking at big agencies, but by making good agreements.

• Make sure the domain is in your name, not the builder's.
• Put in writing that you own the code and the design after payment.
• Ask for access to the hosting and admin environment, or for a place where those details are stored safely.
• Choose mainstream technology, so another developer can take it over later.
• Ask for short documentation: what runs where and how to update it.

Read how to arrange that in who owns your website, code and domain.

What does a freelancer cost compared with a web agency?

Freelancers usually charge a lower hourly rate than agencies, but the final amount says more than the rate. A cheap builder who needs twice as many hours isn't cheaper. So compare what you get: design, tech, copy, the SEO basics, training and what happens after launch. Also watch for costs that come later, such as hosting, licences and maintenance.

For every quote, also ask what happens after delivery. Who installs updates, who makes backups and who fixes an outage? With a freelancer that's sometimes not arranged; with an agency it's sometimes in an expensive package you don't need. Both are worth knowing up front. A cheap build with expensive or unclear aftercare is often the most expensive choice in the long run.

How Violexa works: small, with fixed agreements

Violexa is a small studio. You work directly with founder Hisham, with no account manager in between. At the same time we work with fixed prices and fixed agreements, as you'd expect from an agency. A custom website or web application starts from €1,799 excl. VAT (€2,177 incl. VAT). That includes design, build, a design that works on every screen, the SEO basics and Google Analytics, CMS integration and training.

If you want maintenance, updates and backups taken care of, that's possible with a maintenance plan from €179 excl. VAT (€217 incl. VAT) per month. Larger projects get a fixed price up front, in writing. See what we've built before in our work.

Still unsure which approach suits you? Book a free quickscan. In 30 minutes, online or on site, we discuss your plans. Afterwards you get short written advice with a price indication, with no obligation.

Frequently asked questions