Website maintenance options compared. DIY, freelancer, in-house or a maintenance plan.
Every option can work. What differs is who watches your site at 3 a.m., what happens when the one person is away, and what each choice really costs you. Here is a fair comparison.
Side by side
How the four options compare.
| Do it yourself | Freelancer | In-house developer | Maintenance plan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost shape | Your own time, plus tools and plugins you pay for. | Hourly rate or a monthly retainer. | A salary, plus tools and management time. | A fixed monthly fee, month to month. |
| Who covers absences | Nobody. Jobs wait until you are free. | Usually the same one person. | Usually the same one person, unless you hire two. | A team, so the work does not depend on one person. |
| Security monitoring | Only what you set up and remember to check. | Depends on the agreement; often on request. | Depends on the tools you buy and who watches them. | Included, and runs continuously. |
| Backups and restore tests | Only if you set them up and test them. | Often set up once; testing is not always included. | Possible, and needs a planned routine. | Included, with tested restores. |
| Custom development | Whatever you can build yourself. | Strong: a person who learns your site. | Strongest for large, changing sites. | Small changes within your hands-on hours; larger builds are quoted. |
| Best for | Small, simple sites and owners with time. | Sites that need regular tailored changes. | Large sites with weekly development work. | Sites that need dependable cover without hiring. |
The first three columns describe the usual pattern, and every arrangement is different. Ask any provider to confirm the points above in writing.
Where WebXSentry fits
A team and a fixed price.
A WebXSentry plan is the fourth column: Essential at $99, Business at $199 and Priority at $399 a month, with 2, 6 or 12 hands-on hours included. Month to month, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If a freelancer or an in-house developer suits your site better, that is a good answer too, and a plan can sit beside them for security, backups and cover.
New to the terms? Use the glossary. To see where your own site stands, ask for a free website audit. If you are changing providers, our switching guide and the post on taking over a site help, the monthly packages show what a plan holds, and our WordPress update routine shows the kind of care involved. More in the blog.
Last updated: .
Straight answers
Questions about your options
Is doing it myself ever the right choice?
Yes, for a small, simple site where you have the time and are comfortable with updates and backups. The risk is that jobs get skipped when you are busy, and nobody notices until something breaks.
When is a freelancer a good fit?
When you want one person who knows your site and the work is mostly changes and fixes. Ask what happens when they are ill or on leave, and who watches security and backups in between.
When does an in-house developer make sense?
For large or fast-changing sites where a full-time person is busy every week. Even then, security monitoring, backups and cover for absences need to be planned.
What does a maintenance plan add?
A team instead of one person, monitoring and protection that run continuously, tested backups, and a fixed monthly price with hands-on hours for changes. You give up some custom flexibility in exchange for coverage.
Ready when you are.
Tell us what your website needs. A real person replies by your next business morning, Eastern time, with how we would handle it and which plan fits.
- From $99/mo with hours included
- Month to month
- 30-day money-back guarantee