Managed website service vs website builder

The decision is also who writes, updates and takes care of the website.

What you are buying

A website builder gives you tools to create and operate the website. A managed website service includes people doing that work for you. That difference affects your time, your budget and how a change gets from an idea to a finished page.

A builder can remove the need to code while leaving useful decisions with you: what the site says, how the content is organized, which images fit and when to update it. Hiring a specialist can change who does those tasks, but their work is a separate part of the arrangement.

Portus builds static informational sites and keeps them hosted, maintained and improved. You supply business knowledge and feedback; you do not need to operate a CMS or keep a website plugin stack current.

Who does what

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Who does what
Task	With a builder	With Portus
Decide what belongs on the site	You or your chosen specialist directs the work	We work from your business facts, material and interview
Write useful pages	You write, use tools or hire a writer	Content creation and adaptation are included
Choose or create imagery	You select assets and any additional production	We use suitable existing, adapted, stock or AI-assisted images within the normal workflow
Design and build	You use the platform or hire help	We create the website
Hosting and technical care	Depends on the platform and support arrangement	Hosting, SSL, backups and maintenance are included
Routine changes	You edit directly or retain someone	Send requests; unlimited under fair use with no fixed turnaround SLA
Business email	Depends on the products you select	One Google Workspace seat is included
Search and answer-engine work	Tools still need someone to direct and use them	Ongoing technical, content and monitoring work is included

Routine changes include text, images, links, contacts, hours, team details and service descriptions. They do not include a major redesign, migration, application, complex integration or substantial change to the website model. Custom photography, unlimited hand-drawn illustration, video and animation are outside the base production scope.

For email, additional Workspace seats use Google’s applicable list cost plus 20%, with a normal fit ceiling around 20 seats. You may choose direct management with Google.

Budget, control and ownership

A builder subscription and a service fee do not buy the same thing. Include the time needed to finish copy, review a design and keep it current—or the cost of hiring someone to do those things. A low cash price can be sensible when you want that work; delegation can be valuable when you do not.

Portus Lake starts at $99/month USD, with one language and a 12-month minimum. Sea is $249/month and Ocean $449/month, both with English and Spanish and six-month minima. Roughly 50, 100 and 200 pages are scale references over time, not quotas or launch entitlements. Billing begins on day one; after the minimum, subscriptions renew month to month. Leaving early does not cancel the unpaid minimum.

Keep ownership questions separate. Your original materials and domain remain yours. The assembled Portus website files transfer after the minimum commitment is fully paid. That is different from saying the service is an indefinite archive for every original file. For a builder, understand the selected platform and provider’s portability terms.

Read the full plan and ownership details.

Which model fits your business

Choose a builder when editing and direct control are things you want. It can also make sense when your team already has a working content process and reliable technical help.

Choose Portus when your small firm mainly needs clear service, team, resource and contact pages, and would rather have the website work handled. We mainly serve teams of 1–10 people, with a practical boundary around 20. You can bring scattered notes, existing documents or an old site; a focused interview can fill the essentials.

If a store, account system or complex application is central, choose a solution built for that need. Standard Portus plans are informational; lightweight connections are considered within their scope.

For a specific platform decision, compare WordPress, Wix or Squarespace. To hand over the website work, start today.