This comparison includes my own plan, so here's the rule I held myself to.
Every price below is one the business publishes on its own website, read on 13 October 2026, with a link to the page it came from.
Every year 1 total is arithmetic on those prices, and the working is underneath the table.
Where a provider publishes nothing, the row says so, and I'm cheaper than some rows and dearer than others.
The published prices, side by side
Plans that include hosting come first, ordered by the lowest year 1 figure each one publishes, then the build-only prices.
| Provider | What it publishes | GST, as stated | Year 1, worked out |
|---|---|---|---|
| BackPocket | $0 setup for approved trades, or a $699 setup fee otherwise. $20 a month until 3 real enquiries, then $80 a month. | Includes GST (its terms of service) | $240 to $900, plus $699 where the setup fee applies |
| The Free Tradie Website Crew | Build free, then $79 a month for hosting and support. | Not stated | $948 |
| 5 Star Tradie | $0 setup. Plans at $237, $487 and $887 a month. | “No GST added” | $2,844, $5,844 or $10,644 |
| free-websites.com.au (me) | $0 setup. $297 a month for 12 months, which pays for the website in full. | Includes GST | $3,564 |
| Dossis Digital | Spark $100 a week with no setup fee. Growth $250 a week and Domination $450 a week, each with a $1,500 setup. | Plus GST (its terms of service) | $5,720, $15,950 or $27,390 including GST |
| Tradie Web Guys | Full websites from $5,600. Care plans for hosting and maintenance at $197 or $550 a month. | Build: not stated. Care plans: labelled “in GST / Month” | $7,964 with the $197 care plan |
| Websites for Tradies | Web design packages from $990. Starter site from $1,500, custom site from $2,500, premium custom site from $4,900. | Not stated | From $990 for the build. No ongoing price on the page |
| WebApex | Its cost guide puts a basic trade and construction website at around $7,500. | Not stated | From $7,500 for the build |
| TradieMate | No price published. Its quote page lists projects under $3,000 and marketing spends under $800 a month among the work it doesn't take on. | Not applicable | Can't be worked out from the site |
How each year 1 figure is worked out
- BackPocket. With fewer than 3 enquiries all year, 12 x $20 = $240. With all 3 in month 1, $20 + 11 x $80 = $900. My assumption: the $80 starts the month after the 3rd enquiry.
- The Free Tradie Website Crew. 12 x $79 = $948.
- 5 Star Tradie. 12 x $237 = $2,844, 12 x $487 = $5,844, and 12 x $887 = $10,644.
- Mine. 12 x $297 = $3,564, and that's the total for the 12 payments, which pay for the website in full.
- Dossis Digital. 52 x $100 = $5,200, plus 10% GST = $5,720. 52 x $250 + $1,500 = $14,500, plus GST = $15,950. 52 x $450 + $1,500 = $24,900, plus GST = $27,390.
- Tradie Web Guys. $5,600 + 12 x $197 = $7,964, as published, with the GST position of the build price unstated.
- Websites for Tradies and WebApex. These are build prices, so hosting and changes come on top at a rate the pages I read don't give.
Reading the table: compare what the total buys
A year 1 figure compares like with like only when the plans include the same things, and these ones cover different ground.
Some rows are a build on its own, some add hosting and care, and some bundle ongoing SEO or Google Ads management into a weekly fee.
Read each provider's own page for what's inside its price, then put your shortlist's totals next to each other.
Mine covers the build, Australian hosting, daily backups and ongoing website changes through the client portal, with the site built SEO-ready at launch, and the full list is on the pricing page.
3 questions to put to any provider on your shortlist
Price is the part every provider can publish, and these are the parts worth getting in writing before you sign.
- Whose name is the domain registered in? Ask for it to be your business, and check the registrant field yourself.
- What happens to the site if you stop paying? Ask whether the code and content leave with you, and what the move costs.
- What does a change cost after launch? A new page, a new photo and a new service area each have a price somewhere, even when it's $0.
My own answers, with the clause of my agreement for each, are in the ownership checklist on the pricing page, and who owns your website walks through checking each asset yourself.
Which suits which tradie
- The lowest monthly outlay for a starter site. The plans at the top of the table, and the price that applies once enquiries start arriving is the one to budget for.
- Somebody running ads and SEO as well as the site. The bundled marketing plans, judged on the year 1 total including GST and any setup fee.
- A custom build paid for once. The build-price providers, with hosting and changes budgeted separately.
- $0 upfront, a site you own from day 1, and a guarantee. That's what I built this offer around. If your website has not produced a lead from SEO within the first 90 days, you stop paying me until it does. There is no refund, and I do not promise rankings.
When you want to see the work behind a price, the tradie websites page links to live trade sites I've built on this offer, and the results page counts the form enquiries my $297 sites sent their owners over the last 30 days.