How to choose the right website platform.
CMS vs. custom code, and how to tell which one is actually right for you.
Every platform decision comes down to the same trade-off: how much control do you want, versus how much do you want someone else to maintain for you. A page builder like Squarespace or Webflow gets you a clean site fast and handles hosting, security, and updates for a monthly fee. Custom code gives you complete control and no platform lock-in, but someone has to build and maintain it.
If you'll be editing content yourself — swapping photos, adding blog posts, updating hours — a CMS is usually the right call. If your site needs something a page builder can't do out of the box, or you'd rather not pay a monthly platform fee forever, custom code pays for itself over time.
A good rule of thumb: start with what gets you live fastest for where you are today. A one-page or Basic-tier site rarely needs custom code. A Starter site with a dozen local-search pages, or a Custom Build with real app-like functionality, usually does.
We build on whatever platform actually fits the project — including no platform at all. If you already have a strong opinion one way or the other, tell us and we'll work with it.