Free vs paid website: what's the difference?

What a free plan usually gives you

Most website builders with a free plan follow a similar pattern. The details differ, so always read the plan details of the builder you're considering, but you can usually expect:

• An address on the platform's own domain, such as yourname.example.com, instead of yourname.ca
• The platform's name or badge somewhere on your website, and on some platforms, ads
• Limits on storage, photos or how big the website can be
• Fewer features, with the useful extras kept for paid plans

Take an example cleaner, Tidewell Cleaning. On a free plan its address might be tidewellcleaning.example.com, with a small badge in the footer. On a paid plan it could be tidewellcleaning.ca, with no badge and a booking button.

None of that makes a free website useless. A clear, accurate website on a subdomain still tells people what you do, when you're open and how to reach you. For a new business, that's often exactly what's needed.

What paying usually adds

Paid plans vary. Common additions:

• Your own domain, like yourbusiness.ca. Some plans include the first year of the domain; others expect you to buy it separately.
• No platform branding on your website.
• More storage and more room: extra sections, more photos, sometimes several websites.
• Features that turn visitors into customers, such as booking, online ordering or an online shop.
• More help when something goes wrong.

Notice what isn't on the list: a better position in search results.

Subdomain or your own domain: what changes

A subdomain looks like yourname.example.com: your name, then the platform's. Your own domain is just yours: yourname.ca or yourname.com. Customers can reach you either way, and a subdomain works fine on a QR code or a link in your Instagram bio, where nobody types it. The difference shows when people have to say or type the address, on a van, a radio ad or a business card. A short domain of your own is easier to remember and looks more established.

Email is the other place it shows. An address like hello@yourname.ca matches your website; a free email account doesn't. Email at your domain is usually set up separately, and often costs extra.

Does paying help you on Google?

Not directly. Paying for a plan doesn't buy you a ranking. Google says it doesn't accept payment to crawl a site more frequently or rank it higher.

A domain name with keywords in it isn't a shortcut either. Google's SEO Starter Guide says keywords in a domain name have hardly any effect on their own. Choose a domain because it's easy to say, spell and remember, not because it stuffs in "plumber" and your town.

What a domain of your own does change is practical. With your own domain you can add it to Google Search Console as a Domain property, which covers every subdomain and is verified with a DNS record. On a builder's subdomain you'd use a URL-prefix property instead, which has other ways to verify, if your builder supports them. Either way, Search Console is free, and you don't need a Search Console account to be included in Google Search results.

Costs to check before you choose

• The price after the first year. Introductory prices on plans and domains often go up at renewal.
• Monthly versus yearly. Yearly billing is usually cheaper per month but paid up front.
• The domain itself. If it isn't included, budget for it every year.
• Fees on sales, if the builder runs an online shop or payments for you.
• What happens if you stop paying. Does the website go offline, or drop back to a free version? Can you take your domain with you?

When a free website is enough

Free is a sensible choice when:

• You're just starting and want something real online this week.
• Customers mostly find you through your Google Business Profile, word of mouth or social media, and they need a place to check your hours, prices and phone number.
• Your offer fits comfortably in one place: one menu, one price list, one area you serve.
• You don't need booking or ordering buttons yet.

Just make sure the free website looks finished. A free plan that leaves your website looking broken or covered in ads costs you more than it saves.

When paying makes sense

• Your address is going on things that last: a van, a sign, printed menus. A domain you own can stay the same even if you change builders later.
• You want customers to book, reserve or order straight from your website.
• You have enough to say that it deserves more room: a full menu, a gallery of projects, a team.
• You've run out of photo space or want the platform's branding gone.
• The features you'd pay for will earn back their cost. If one extra booking a month covers the plan, the sums are easy.

Questions to ask any builder

Whichever builder you look at, these questions get you straight answers:

1. What will my address be on the free plan, and on the paid one?
2. Is there branding or advertising on my website?
3. What does it cost after the first year, monthly and yearly?
4. Can I connect a domain I already own?
5. What's actually built today, and what's only promised?
6. If I leave, what can I take with me?

Where Suddn fits

Suddn's Free plan is $0: a one-page website at yourname.suddn.page with every theme and colour, your menu or services, about, photos, hours and location, FAQ and contact, QR codes for your window or flyers, up to 50 photos (500 MB), and a small "Made with Suddn" badge. There are no ads on your website. Pro is $16.67/mo billed yearly ($199.99 a year) or $19.99 monthly. It turns the same details into a multi-page website (Home, Menu or Services, About, Gallery, Contact), removes the badge, raises storage to 5 GB, and adds a Team section plus booking, reservation and ordering buttons that open the services you already use. Connecting your own domain is Coming soon, so for now every Suddn website lives at yourname.suddn.page. Paid plans are "Available at launch": nothing can be bought today.