Self-hosting means you own the whole stack: the host, the theme, the plugins, the updates and the security. A hosted builder takes that stack off your desk. Here is what each route asks of you.
With self-hosted software such as WordPress you pick a host, a theme and plugins, write the pages, and keep it all updated and secure. Website Builder Studio is hosted. The pages are written from a conversation, and each one passes a check that runs before anything publishes. Do it yourself if you need plugins, a blog or a store. Choose the builder for a business site written and kept in shape.
If you need a plugin for something specific, a blog you write today, or an online store, self-hosted software such as WordPress is the better choice. Website Builder Studio does not offer plugins, blog posts or store checkout today.
It is also the better choice if you want full control of the server, custom code, or a developer already on hand who knows the stack. Control is the whole appeal of self-hosting, and it is real.
Self-hosting is a list of jobs, and each one is yours. Choose a host. Choose a theme. Choose plugins for forms, backups, security and the rest. Write every page. Keep the software and every plugin updated. Keep backups. Renew the certificate.
None of those jobs is hard on its own. Together they are a standing chore, and the site is only as healthy as the last time you did them.
None of this is a criticism. It is the deal you make for control, and for many people it is the right deal. The question is only whether you want those jobs on your list.
Hosting, the SSL certificate, a version of every publish and the not-found page are handled for you. You go live on a free address, or on your own domain with one DNS record, a CNAME. The assistant walks you through that record for your registrar.
Every site carries clean addresses, a title and description per page, one main heading per page, breadcrumbs and internal links. It also carries a sitemap and structured data that says who you are and what you offer. The not-found page is branded and served with a real 404 status.
Every publish keeps a version you can roll back to, and a site can be scheduled to publish at a date and time in your own time zone. There is no update to run and no backup to remember.
With self-hosting, you write the pages and you decide when they are ready. Here they are written from a conversation. You answer questions about your services, areas, who you serve and what makes you different. The builder writes titles, descriptions, headings, copy and the questions people ask. The pages are genuinely useful only if your answers are true and specific, so give it real ones.
Then every page passes a check validated against Google Search Essentials and modern web standards. A page that fails does not publish, and the in-app assistant says why. The uniqueness check strips city, state and industry names before it measures, so a page that is a copy with the town swapped fails.
Be clear about this before the trial. There is no plugin catalog, no drag-and-drop editing, no store checkout, no blog posts, and no language other than English today.
There is no separate public REST API. A developer key for MCP clients, such as Claude Desktop, is generated on the Settings screen. It reads what your dashboard shows, and every write goes through the same checks.
If any of those is a must, the do-it-yourself route is the right one and you have saved yourself a trial.
A lead form on every page, delivered to HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho CRM, Pipedrive, GoHighLevel, Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign, Slack, Microsoft Teams, SMS, email or any webhook. Every lead has a status and a note, and you can export them all to a spreadsheet in one click.
Page views and conversions counted on the server, with no analytics script and no cookie unless you add your own. A field for your Google Analytics 4 measurement ID and one for your Search Console token. Cookie-less A/B testing. A publish you can schedule in your own time zone, and a version you can roll back to.
Plans run from $99 to $399 a month, every plan includes every feature, and every plan starts with a 15-day free trial with a card. Cancel before day 15 and you pay nothing.
The assistant can read your existing website address to fill gaps, and builds the new site from what it finds plus your answers. It does not import the old pages as they are.
No. You answer questions in a chat, and if you want to write a page yourself, plain paragraphs are enough.
No. What the builder does is built in. For booking, add a link from Calendly, Cal.com, Acuity, Square Appointments, YouCanBookMe, Microsoft Bookings, Google Calendar or HubSpot Meetings and the site gets a book-a-time section.
Both are included. Connect your domain with one CNAME record and an SSL certificate is issued for you. Until then the site lives on a free address.
15-day free trial. Card required. Cancel before day 15 and you pay nothing.