What website builders do well
Builders have come a long way. Wix and Webflow are among the most-used website builders on Malta sites, according to wmtips, and there's a reason. You pick a template, drag things around and publish. Squarespace has clean templates that suit photographers and small shops. AI builders like Durable can produce a first draft from a few sentences about your business.
If you like design, have a few free evenings and want full control, a builder is a fair choice. You can change things whenever you want without asking anyone.
Where builders can catch people out
The tool is easy. Making a site that looks good and gets people to call you is the harder part. That's where most DIY sites struggle, and it has nothing to do with the builder.
- Time: choosing a template, writing text and resizing photos usually takes far longer than people expect, especially in the middle of the summer season.
- Monthly plans: most builders need a paid plan for your own domain and no ads. Check the current price on their site, including any connected domain.
- Looking like everyone else: popular templates get used a lot, so your site can end up looking like hundreds of others.
- Moving away: sites built on a builder usually stay on that builder. Check what happens to your domain and content if you leave.
- The local bits: WhatsApp buttons, Google Maps, your Google Business Profile and English copy that tourists understand are all things you need to set up yourself.
What hiring a web designer gets you
A designer does the thinking for you: what pages you need, what to say, how it should look on a phone. You get something built around your business, and someone to call when things change.
The catch is price. Malta's range is wide. On the Malta CVS professional-support listing, one provider offers websites to voluntary organisations for €450 one-time plus €100 a year for domain and hosting. Anomaly Arts Web in Gżira lists a marketing website package at €150 a month. A foreign cost guide from Devtechnosys estimates €9,339 to €14,942 for a simple custom-developed website in Malta. For a café or a barber, that last number makes little sense.
Where Boost's €150 option fits
We built Boost for owners who want the done-for-you result without the agency price. AI speeds up the early drafts so we can work quickly. A working designer then shapes every page so it looks like your business. There's no big office to pay for, which is why the price stays low.
For €150 once you get a consultation and brief review, up to 3 pages designed for your business, a site that works on phones, tablets and laptops, WhatsApp and Google Maps buttons, your Google Business Profile set up and your domain registered in your name. After launch, domain, hosting and SSL renewal is from €60 a year. Small changes up to 30 minutes are €25, bigger updates €40 an hour. No lock-in contract.
Side by side: builder, designer or Boost
- Who builds it: builder means you; designer means them; Boost means AI plus a designer.
- Upfront cost: builder usually low or nothing; designer from a few hundred euro upwards; Boost €150 once.
- Ongoing cost: builder has a monthly plan; designers vary; Boost is domain, hosting and SSL from €60 a year.
- Your time: builder needs a lot; designer and Boost need a short brief and a call.
- Design: builder depends on your eye and the template; designer and Boost are shaped to your business.
- Domain ownership: check the terms with builders and designers; with Boost it's registered in your name.
- Changes later: builder you do yourself; designer per their rates; Boost €25 small change or €40/hour.
So which should you pick?
Pick a builder if you enjoy it, have the time and don't mind a monthly plan. Pick a bigger agency if you need something complex and have the budget. If you want a good-looking site that brings people to your WhatsApp and Google Maps, and you'd rather spend your time running the business, send us a brief. Not sure you need a site at all? Read do I need a website? first.