The honest comparison.
The honest version, including when not to hire us.
| Grow with Brooks £39–£119/mo | Squarespace DIY £12–£17/mo | Freelancer £500–£1,500 one-off | Agency £2,000+ plus retainer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | £0 — built free | £0 | £500–£1,500 | £2,000+ |
| Monthly cost | £39–£119 | £12–£17 | Hosting & domain on you | Retainer, often £500+ |
| Your time required | None — we do it | Evenings & weekends, forever | Yours to run after | Meetings & sign-offs |
| Who makes updates | We do — just text us | You do | You do, or pay per change | They do, billable |
| Google / Apple Maps managed | Yes, always | You set it up | Sometimes — ask | Usually, at a price |
| Ads included | From the Found plan | No | No | Extra |
| Photography | Yes, on Growing | No | Sometimes | Yes, extra |
| What happens in year 2 | We keep it current | Still on you | Site ages unless you pay again | Ongoing retainer |
| Best for | High street shops who want to be found, not fiddle | People who enjoy building sites | One-off custom projects | Big budgets & complex needs |
Grow with Brooks
£39–£119/mo
- Upfront cost
- £0 — built free
- Monthly cost
- £39–£119
- Your time required
- None — we do it
- Who makes updates
- We do — just text us
- Google / Apple Maps managed
- Yes, always
- Ads included
- From the Found plan
- Photography
- Yes, on Growing
- What happens in year 2
- We keep it current
- Best for
- High street shops who want to be found, not fiddle
Squarespace DIY
£12–£17/mo
- Upfront cost
- £0
- Monthly cost
- £12–£17
- Your time required
- Evenings & weekends, forever
- Who makes updates
- You do
- Google / Apple Maps managed
- You set it up
- Ads included
- No
- Photography
- No
- What happens in year 2
- Still on you
- Best for
- People who enjoy building sites
Freelancer
£500–£1,500 one-off
- Upfront cost
- £500–£1,500
- Monthly cost
- Hosting & domain on you
- Your time required
- Yours to run after
- Who makes updates
- You do, or pay per change
- Google / Apple Maps managed
- Sometimes — ask
- Ads included
- No
- Photography
- Sometimes
- What happens in year 2
- Site ages unless you pay again
- Best for
- One-off custom projects
Agency
£2,000+ plus retainer
- Upfront cost
- £2,000+
- Monthly cost
- Retainer, often £500+
- Your time required
- Meetings & sign-offs
- Who makes updates
- They do, billable
- Google / Apple Maps managed
- Usually, at a price
- Ads included
- Extra
- Photography
- Yes, extra
- What happens in year 2
- Ongoing retainer
- Best for
- Big budgets & complex needs
When you shouldn't hire us
If you enjoy building websites, genuinely — use Squarespace, it's good. If you need online ordering, bookings across 5 staff, or e-commerce with 200 products, you've outgrown us and we'll happily point you to people we rate. We do one thing: make high street shops findable, and keep them that way.
Still think we're the right fit?
We'll build your shop's site free this week — no logging into anything.