No setup fee. The question is what that is hiding.
We do not charge a setup fee and never have. Nor do a lot of the people you are comparing us against, which is why the phrase on its own tells you almost nothing. Here is what a waived build fee usually buys the provider, and what we do instead.
Free homepage rebuild in 48 hours · no deposit · no card · no obligation
The short answer
There is no setup fee here: no build fee, no deposit and nothing to pay before the site is live. One monthly plan covers the build, hosting, SSL, backups, security updates and content changes, with no minimum term. The domain, site, content and reviews transfer into your name on the first payment and stay yours whether the plan continues or not. Setup fees do still exist elsewhere in this market, from a double-digit entry fee to four figures; the table on this page names the published ones.
Worth asking
Three questions “nothing upfront” does not answer
Ask these of us and of everyone else you are comparing. The answers are where the offers stop looking alike.
Who owns the domain and the site?
A free build is often free because the provider keeps what was built. Ask whose name the domain is registered in, and what you are allowed to take with you. Ours transfer to you on the first payment and stay yours whether the plan continues or not.
What is the minimum term?
A waived build fee is frequently recovered over twelve, twenty-four or thirty-six months you cannot leave. Ask for the term in writing before the price. There is no minimum term here: the plan is month to month and you can stop it whenever you like.
What happens when you stop paying?
On most no-fee offers the site goes off and the address stops resolving, which is the moment the customer searching for you finds nothing. Yours keeps working because it is yours — the domain, the site, the content and the reviews.
For comparison
Setup fees that do exist
Publicly advertised build fees elsewhere in this market, for the reader holding more than one quote. Listed as facts about published pricing, nothing more.
| Provider | Advertised upfront | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Yell (Websites) | £399 – £3,499 | Upfront build fee plus a monthly plan, on a twelve-month term. |
| Trade Pixels | £1,499, or 12 × £150 | The instalment option is finance on the build, not an ongoing care plan. |
| 5 Star Trades | £350 | Build fee ahead of a £49 monthly plan. |
| Get A Trades Website | ≈ £99 | Entry fee ahead of a subscription. |
| TradesPlace | £0 | No build fee, no deposit, no minimum term. £49 a month plus VAT. |
Figures as advertised publicly by each provider at the time of writing and subject to change; check them yourself before you decide. Plenty of other providers also advertise no build fee — this table is the upper end of the range, not the whole field.
What the monthly plan covers
Everything below is inside the plan. There is no second invoice for any of it.
The build itself
Design, writing and the whole site, done for you. Not a template you fill in, and not an hourly bill at the end.
Hosting, SSL and backups
The padlock, the nightly backup and minute-by-minute uptime checks are part of the plan. Nothing for you to renew.
Changes when the work changes
New photos, a new service, a price that moved: send it over and we do it. Content updates are included rather than quoted for.
Found on a phone
Built for the search that actually happens, and connected to your Google Business Profile with the setup done properly.
No setup fee, ever — and you own the domain, site, content and reviews from day one.
Straight answers
Questions people ask about the price
Is the setup fee waived, or is there no setup fee?
There is no setup fee. It is not an introductory offer or a discount that ends, and there is no build cost recovered later in the plan or on exit.
So how is the build paid for?
Out of the monthly plan, over time. That is the trade: we carry the build cost and earn it back by being worth keeping. It only works if the site keeps doing its job, which is the incentive you want your provider to have.
What is the catch?
The plan is monthly and ongoing, so over several years you will pay more than a one-off build would have cost — and you get hosting, security, backups and unlimited content changes across those years, which a one-off build does not include. The guide on monthly versus one-off sets both out with numbers.
Do I have to sign a minimum term?
No. There is no minimum term and no notice period. Cancel whenever you like and the domain, site, content and reviews stay with you.
What does the website cost in total?
£49 a month plus VAT, with no setup fee, no minimum term and no fee per enquiry. That covers the build, hosting, SSL, backups, security updates, uptime monitoring and content changes. Before you pay anything, we rebuild your homepage free so you can judge the work first.
Not ready to talk yet?
Run the free check on your current website instead. It looks at how fast it loads on a phone, whether your contact form actually delivers and when your security certificate runs out. About 30 seconds, and you don't have to give us anything.
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