Golden oak-dotted hills of San Benito County at sunset
Compare plans

Own it, or lease-to-own it?

Same website either way — and you end up owning it either way. The difference is whether you pay once at launch or pay it off over 36 months with hosting and support handled.

Get my scoped priceOwnership details
Short answer

Own it if you have the cash and want the lowest total cost: you pay once, get the source code at launch, and owe nothing monthly. Lease-to-own it if cash flow matters more: you start at $1,500 down plus $100 a month, and after 36 payments the site and its code are yours — hosting, updates, and support included the whole way. Your domain and your content are yours from day one either way. Smart Sites continue on a required $297/mo tech stack subscription after payoff.

What changes, and what doesn't.

Own it outright

Upfront
Simple $4,999 · Custom $7,999 · Smart $15,000
Monthly
None required (Smart: $297/mo tech stack)
End of term
You own it at launch
Domain
Yours, in your name, always
Content and photos
Yours
Source code
Delivered at launch — host it anywhere
Hosting
You arrange it (we can help)
Support and small edits
Quoted as needed or via a Care Plan
Smart Site tech stack
$297/mo from launch
Best for
Established businesses with budget on hand
If you leave early
Nothing changes — you already own it

Lease-to-own (36 months)

Upfront
Simple $1,500 down · Custom $2,500 · Smart $5,000
Monthly
$100 · $200 · $500 by tier, for 36 months
End of term
Paid off at month 36 — you own it
Domain
Yours, in your name, always
Content and photos
Yours
Source code
Delivered at payoff, or earlier if you buy out
Hosting
Included through the term
Support and small edits
Included every month of the term
Smart Site tech stack
$297/mo after payoff
Best for
New or seasonal businesses protecting cash flow
If you leave early
30 days' notice, or buy out and take the code
Run the numbers

What each costs to own outright.

Lease-to-own payments include hosting, updates, and support, and month 36 is the payoff — the site and its code become yours. Owned builds pay for hosting separately, typically $10 to $30 a month, so the real gap is smaller than the sticker math suggests. Smart Sites carry a $297/mo tech stack subscription once they're paid off.

Simple Site

Owned

$4,999

Lease-to-own, 36 months

$1,500 + 36 × $100 = $5,100, then yours

Custom Site

Owned

$7,999

Lease-to-own, 36 months

$2,500 + 36 × $200 = $9,700, then yours

Smart Site

Owned

$15,000

Lease-to-own, 36 months

$5,000 + 36 × $500 = $23,000, then $297/mo

Compare the 3 tiers
Us vs DIY builders

Should you just build it yourself on Wix or Squarespace?

Short answer

A DIY site builder is the right call if you have time to learn it, no competitors bidding on your keywords, and a simple 3-page site. Hire a studio when your website has to bring in work: you get original design, local search and AI-answer optimization, copy written for your trade, and code you can host anywhere. DIY costs $200 to $500 a year plus your evenings; a built site starts at $4,999 owned or $1,500 down plus $100 a month leased.

Doing it yourself

Real cost
$200–$500/yr in subscriptions, plus 40–80 hours of your own time
Design
A theme thousands of other businesses also bought
Local search
Basic title tags; local intent is on you to figure out
AI answers
Usually unstructured, so assistants skip or paraphrase you
Speed
Heavy builder scripts; mobile scores often suffer
Copywriting
Placeholder text you rewrite yourself at midnight
Portability
Locked to the platform — you can't export a working site
When it breaks
A support chat queue and community forums
Best for
A hobby, a side project, or a placeholder while you decide

Hollister Websites

Real cost
From $4,999 owned, or $1,500 + $100/mo leased — your hours stay in the business
Design
Built for your trade — nobody else in San Benito County has it
Local search
Local schema, town pages, service pages, and internal linking done for you
AI answers
FAQ and business schema so ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI can cite you
Speed
Hand-built and image-optimized for fast mobile loads
Copywriting
Written in your voice for the customer you actually want
Portability
Owned builds ship the full source code; host it anywhere
When it breaks
You email or call us and reach a person in San Benito County
Best for
A business whose phone needs to ring
Get my scoped priceSee live examples
Own vs lease-to-own questions

Costs, payoff, and early buyouts.

Is it cheaper to own or lease-to-own a website?

Own it if you have the cash and want the lowest total cost: you pay once, get the source code at launch, and owe nothing monthly. Lease-to-own it if cash flow matters more: you start at $1,500 down plus $100 a month, and after 36 payments the site and its code are yours — hosting, updates, and support included the whole way. Your domain and your content are yours from day one either way. Smart Sites continue on a required $297/mo tech stack subscription after payoff.

What does owning versus leasing-to-own cost over 3 years?

Simple: $4,999 owned versus $5,100 across 36 payments. Custom: $7,999 owned versus $9,700. Smart: $15,000 owned versus $23,000. In every case the lease-to-own path ends with you owning the site and its code, and the payments include hosting and support that owned builds pay for separately.

Do I own my domain if I lease-to-own?

Yes. Your domain is registered in your name on both paths, and your content and photos are yours from day one. The source code transfers to you at payoff, or earlier if you buy out.

Can I pay a lease-to-own off early?

Yes. Tell us and we'll quote the payoff based on your tier and the payments you've already made, then deliver the code exactly the way an owned build gets it.

What happens if I cancel before the 36 months are up?

Give us 30 days' notice. We release your domain, export your content and photos, and give you a clean handoff. You don't take the source code unless you pay the site off, and there's no exit fee.

What's included in the monthly payment?

Your payoff toward ownership, plus hosting, SSL, security updates, uptime monitoring, backups, and a reasonable allowance of small content edits — hours, pricing, staff, seasonal specials — handled by us.

Why do Smart Sites cost $297 a month after payoff?

A Smart Site is software, not just pages: databases, AI answering, booking and quoting flows, and integrations that all run on paid infrastructure. The $297/mo tech stack subscription keeps that stack licensed, hosted, monitored, and updated once the build itself is paid off.

Which option do most Hollister businesses pick?

It splits by cash flow, not by size. Established shops usually own; newer and seasonal businesses lease-to-own, then finish the payoff once revenue is steady. If you're unsure, email hello@hollisterwebsites.com with your situation and we'll tell you plainly which one costs you less.

Browse all Hollister FAQs →