There are two honest ways to pay for a professional website: a large upfront invoice with smaller ongoing costs, or a flat monthly subscription with no upfront cost. Neither is “wrong”, but for a small service business, the math and the incentives are very different.
The 3-year math for a typical 5-page site
| Traditional build | ArcaDev subscription | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront build | CAD $3,000–$5,000 (typical small-business range in Canada) | CAD $0 |
| Hosting + maintenance | ≈ $50–$200/month, billed separately | Included |
| Small content changes | Hourly (often $75–$150/h) | Included, unlimited small updates |
| Technical support | On request / care plan | Included |
| 3-year total | ≈ CAD $4,800–$12,200 | CAD $1,796.40 (36 × $49.90) |
The traditional range assumes a CAD $3,000–$5,000 build plus $50–$200/month in hosting and maintenance: the mid-market figures Canadian agencies published for 2026. It excludes hourly change requests, which vary by usage.
When upfront makes sense
Paying upfront is reasonable if you need a large custom platform, want to own the code from day one, and have an internal team to maintain it. Ownership is the real trade-off of subscriptions: with ArcaDev, we own the source code, and you can buy it out for CAD $499, a term we publish openly in our terms, because surprises are how this model gets a bad name.
When the subscription wins
- Cash flow: CAD $49.90/month instead of thousands before your first lead.
- Aligned incentives:we only keep earning if your site stays fast, online and updated: maintenance isn't an upsell, it's the product.
- One accountable provider: build, hosting, SSL, updates and support in one plan, instead of a designer, a host and an hourly maintenance contract.
- Predictability: the 12-month commitment is the only condition, and it is stated before you sign, not after.
Questions to ask any subscription provider
- What exactly is included per month, and what counts as a “small” update?
- Who owns the source code, and what does a buyout cost?
- Is there a minimum commitment? What happens after it ends?
- Is the domain yours? (It always should be. At ArcaDev the domain is registered by you.)
If a provider answers those four questions in writing, you can compare offers fairly. Ours are answered on our pricing section and terms page. For full 2026 market pricing, see how much a website costs in Canada.