Key facts
- Freelancers and agencies can both do excellent work; the bigger risk is unclear ownership of the domain, hosting and site files.
- A sole-trader freelancer under the £90,000 VAT registration threshold does not charge VAT (GOV.UK), which can make their quote look cheaper.
- Agencies usually cover design, development, copywriting and SEO in one team; a freelancer may subcontract or skip some of these.
- Continuity matters: if one person builds and hosts your site, illness or a career change can leave it stranded.
- Check that the contract says you own the website and domain, and that you hold admin logins from day one.
- dijitul is a UK limited company (DIJITUL LTD), trading since 2006, VAT registered.
The short answer
The label matters less than the person or team and the way they work. Some freelancers are excellent, experienced and reliable. Some agencies are slow, expensive and pass your project to whoever is free. What you are really choosing between is a single specialist and a small organisation, and each has a different set of strengths and risks.
We are on the agency side of this question, as a limited company, so weigh our view accordingly. We have tried to set out both honestly.
Freelancer and agency compared
| Freelance web designer | Web design agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Often lower; fewer overheads, and no VAT if under the £90,000 threshold | Often higher, plus VAT; covers more roles |
| Who you speak to | The person doing the work | May be a project manager or account manager |
| Skills | Depth in one or two areas | Design, build, copy and SEO under one roof |
| Cover for holidays and illness | Limited | Usually someone else can step in |
| Speed of decisions | Fast, direct | Can be slower with more process |
| Capacity | One project at a time, sometimes a waiting list | Can run several projects in parallel |
| Long-term support | Depends on the person's plans | More likely to have care plans and hosting in place |
| Contract and paperwork | Varies widely | Usually a written proposal and terms |
The risk nobody mentions
The most common problem we see is not poor design. It is a business that cannot get into its own website. The designer registered the domain in their name, hosts the site on their account, and has stopped answering emails. This happens with freelancers and with agencies, but it is more likely when everything depends on one person.
Protect yourself whoever you hire:
- Register the domain in your business name, or have it transferred to you at launch.
- Get administrator logins for the website, hosting and Google accounts (Analytics, Search Console, Business Profile).
- Make sure the contract says you own the finished site and content.
- Ask how backups are taken and where they are kept.
When the other option is better
Being a company ourselves, here is when we would genuinely point you to a freelancer instead:
- You already know and trust a local freelancer with a strong portfolio in your sector.
- You want one person who will also take photos, manage your social media and pop in for a coffee.
- The job is small and specialist, such as a single landing page in a specific tool the freelancer knows well.
- You are not VAT registered and the VAT saving makes a real difference to your budget.
An agency is the safer pick when the site is central to how you win work, needs several skills such as copywriting, technical SEO, ecommerce and integrations, has a fixed launch date, or will need support for years by someone who will still be there.
How to judge a portfolio
A portfolio shows taste, but look further than the screenshots. Open a few live sites on your phone. Do they load quickly? Can you find the phone number in two seconds? Does each service have its own page? Search for one of those businesses by service and town and see whether the site turns up. Run a page through Google's PageSpeed Insights to check its Core Web Vitals. And ask the owner, if you can, whether the site actually brings in enquiries. A beautiful site that nobody finds is not much use to them, or to you.
Questions to ask either one
- Can I see live sites you built, and speak to the owners?
- Who will actually design and build my site?
- Is the price fixed, and what is not included?
- Who owns the domain, hosting account and site files?
- What happens if you are ill or stop trading?
- How will you make the site fast and accessible to WCAG 2.2 AA?
- What does support cost after launch?
Our answers are on how we work and pricing. If you are comparing quotes, send us your brief.
Frequently asked questions
Are freelance web designers cheaper than agencies?
Often, because they have fewer overheads and, if their turnover is under the £90,000 VAT threshold on GOV.UK, they do not add VAT. But compare what is included. A cheaper quote that leaves out copywriting, SEO setup or training can cost more once you pay for those separately.
Is dijitul a freelancer or an agency?
dijitul is a UK limited company, DIJITUL LTD, based in Mansfield and trading since 2006. We work remotely with businesses across the UK, publish our starting prices, give a fixed price before work starts, and you own the finished site and domain.
What if my freelancer has disappeared?
First, check who the domain is registered to with a WHOIS lookup or your registrar. If it is in your name, you can point it to a new host. If not, you may need to contact the registrar. We help businesses recover access, then rebuild or take over the site.
Do agencies outsource the work?
Some do, to freelancers or overseas teams, which is not always bad but should be disclosed. Ask directly who will design and build your site, and get the answer in writing. You are entitled to know who will have access to your site and your customers' data.
Should I hire a local web designer?
Local can help if you value face-to-face meetings, but it is not essential. Most web design work happens over video calls, email and shared documents. Choose on portfolio, process and ownership terms first, then location. We work remotely from Mansfield with businesses across the UK.
What should a web design contract include?
The scope, pages and features, a fixed price and payment stages, a timeline, who supplies content, the number of revision rounds, ownership of the site and domain, what happens after launch, and how either side can end the agreement. If a quote has none of this, ask for it in writing.
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