Comparison
ThemeSmith vs a freelancer from Fiverr or PeoplePerHour.
On a marketplace such as Fiverr or PeoplePerHour you hire a freelancer to build your website, from a fixed-price offer or a proposal for your project. ThemeSmith builds it from a chat about your business, then hosts it and makes changes when you message us. The difference is mostly what happens after launch. Below: what to ask a freelancer, who each suits, and what to add up in the first year.
£74 for four pages (£29 for the first, £15 for each one after), then the Business plan after a free first month. No contract.
What is the difference between a freelancer and ThemeSmith?
A freelancer: one person, one project
You choose a fixed-price offer, or post your project and compare proposals. On PeoplePerHour you pay a deposit to start a custom project, and the money is held in escrow until you release it.
What happens once the site is delivered, who hosts it, who updates it and what a change costs, is whatever you agree with that freelancer. Ask before you start.
ThemeSmith: we build it and look after it
Tell us about your business in a chat on our site or on WhatsApp. We write the words, make the photographs and draw two logo designs, and you approve the home page before the rest is built.
After launch, a change is a message: send it in your dashboard or on WhatsApp, and we make it and put it live. Hosting and changes are one monthly plan, with no contract.
How do a freelancer and ThemeSmith compare, side by side?
| Side by side | A freelancer from a marketplace | ThemeSmith |
|---|---|---|
| Making the site | ||
| Who makes it | A freelancer you choose, on the terms of their offer or proposal. | We do, from a chat about your business. |
| Price | Set by the freelancer, in their offer or quote, plus the marketplace’s fees. | One published price list, the same for everyone. |
| Words, photos, logo | Whatever the offer includes. Check before you order. | Written and made for you, with two logo designs. |
| Before it goes live | The revisions your offer or the marketplace’s terms allow. | Up to five changes and one complete rethink before you approve the home page. |
| Running it | ||
| Hosting | Agree who hosts it and who pays, before you start. | Included in the monthly plan, with SSL, a firewall and quality checks. |
| Changes after launch | A new arrangement with the freelancer, if they’re available. | Message us in the dashboard or on WhatsApp. We make the change and put it live. About thirty small edits a month are covered on Business. |
| If they move on | Ask now for the logins, the files and the domain in your name. | No contract. Cancel from your account. |
Freelancers set their own prices and terms, and each marketplace sets its own fees, so read the offer and the marketplace’s help pages before you order. The ThemeSmith details are on our price list →
Who is each one right for?
A freelancer is the better choice if
You want a particular person to build a one-off site.
- You know what you want and can write the brief.
- You’re happy to manage the project and the handover yourself.
- You already have a plan for hosting and updates after launch.
ThemeSmith is the better choice if
You want it built and kept up to date.
- You’d rather describe your business than write a brief.
- You want the same people to make changes after launch.
- You have no photos, words or logo yet.
- You want one price list and no contract.
What does the first year cost?
A four-page site: home, services, about and contact. The ThemeSmith column is our price list; for a freelancer, we list what to add up and where its figures are kept current.
ThemeSmith, four pages
- Build, paid once: £29 first page + 3 × £15£74
- Hosting, month one£0
- Hosting, months two to twelve: 11 × £29£319
- First year in all£393
£29 a month, and it stays £29 for as long as you're with us. New customers from 1 April 2027 pay £39.
Included: two logo designs, photos and copy made for you, a privacy page, your own domain connected, and about thirty small edits a month, done for you from a message.
A freelancer
The freelancer’s price, the marketplace’s fees, and whatever comes after launch.
- The buildtheir offer or quote
- Marketplace feeson the marketplace’s help pages
- Hosting and domainagree who pays
- Changes after launchagree it before you start
The build is rarely the whole cost. Add up hosting, the domain and a year of changes before you compare prices.
Questions people ask before choosing
- Is it cheaper to hire a freelancer on Fiverr or PeoplePerHour?
- The build can cost less. Add up hosting, the domain and a year of changes before you compare; on ThemeSmith those are one monthly plan, after the build.
- What should I ask a freelancer before they build my website?
- Who hosts it and who pays; whether the words, photos and logo are included; how many rounds of changes you get; what a change costs after launch; and that the domain and the logins will be in your name.
- Is my money protected on PeoplePerHour?
- PeoplePerHour says it holds your money in escrow until you tell it you’re satisfied and ready to release the funds.
- Can ThemeSmith take over a site a freelancer built?
- Yes. Site Rescue rebuilds an existing website, keeping the content worth keeping.
What we read about the marketplaces, and when
- PeoplePerHour, How it works ↗, read 28 October 2026.
ThemeSmith builds and looks after websites for UK small businesses. Fiverr and PeoplePerHour are trade marks of their owners; this page compares ways of getting a website and is not endorsed by either.
Tell us about your business. We build the website.
A chat, a choice of design and a yes to your home page. Then a change is a message.