Rent or Buy a Website: What Really Pays Off?
With a website rental, you pay EUR 29 to 99 a month, often on a 12 to 48-month contract, and the site usually stays the provider's property. Buying outright costs EUR 1,300 once plus hosting from EUR 59 a month, you own it after full payment, and you can cancel hosting any month.
The Comparison at a Glance
| Criteria | Website builder (e.g. Wix, Jimdo, IONOS) | Website rental / Website-as-a-Service | Buying from an agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | EUR 0–50 a month + your own time | EUR 29–99/month | EUR 1,300 once + hosting from EUR 59/month |
| Contract term | cancel any month | often 12–48 months | no minimum term on the build, hosting cancellable any month |
| Ownership | content exportable, design tied to the provider | contractually stays with the provider | 100% after payment in full |
| Effort | you build and maintain it yourself | provider maintains it, little customisation | built to your spec, maintenance optional |
As of September 2026, based on providers' published list prices. The ANET figures match our own published pricing.
What Does a Website Really Cost Over 4 Years?
A rented website at EUR 69/month costs EUR 3,312 over 48 months (69 times 48), and the site still belongs to the provider afterwards.
Buying from an agency costs EUR 4,132 over the same period: EUR 1,300 once plus EUR 59/month hosting over 48 months (EUR 2,832). That is EUR 820 more than the rental in this example, using ANET's own published prices; run the numbers with your own figures.
The difference shows up afterwards: after the 48 months, you decide month to month whether to keep paying for hosting once you own the site, while a rented website renews automatically unless you cancel in time.
The full price list, including every hosting tier, is on our pricing page.
Who Owns the Website in the End?
With a website rental, the provider contractually keeps ownership of the design, code and often the domain too, both during the contract and afterwards.
When you buy a website, full payment means 100% of the source code is yours, with no licence tie to a specific provider.
At the end of a project, you also get a free handover: full source code, documentation and a portable build you can host anywhere.
What Is an Ongoing Website-Service Contract, and Why Is a 48-Month Term a Problem?
An ongoing website-service contract is a model where a provider builds and hosts a website for a fixed monthly fee, usually with a minimum term of 24 to 48 months.
German courts have classified such contracts as a type of works contract (Werkvertrag): under Section 648 of the German Civil Code (BGB, formerly Section 649), a customer can terminate at any time, though the provider keeps the agreed fee minus expenses it saves as a result (Federal Court of Justice, judgment of 4 March 2010, case III ZR 79/09). This is German law, as of September 2026; check the governing law in your own contract.
In practice, this means early termination is legally possible but rarely free, because the provider and customer often disagree on what expenses were actually saved.
When Does Renting Still Make Sense?
A website rental is not automatically the worse choice. It suits certain situations well:
- The project is time-limited, for example a trade fair, a campaign or a seasonal offer.
- The budget does not currently stretch to a EUR 1,300 deposit, and a later migration is already planned.
- Ownership of the code does not matter, because the site will never be developed further on its own.
In every other case, ownership pays off over time.
What Should You Check Before You Sign?
Before you sign a website rental contract, check these six points:
- Contract term: how many months are you committed for at minimum?
- Automatic renewal: does the contract renew silently, and how much notice do you need to give?
- Ownership of the domain, content and source code: who holds them during and after the contract?
- Export options: can you take text, images and structure to another system?
- Hosting location: where are the servers, and does EU data protection law apply?
- Notice period: how many months before the end date do you need to cancel?
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cancel a website rental before the contract ends?
Under German law, Section 648 BGB lets you terminate at any time, though the provider keeps the agreed fee minus expenses it saves (Federal Court of Justice, 4 March 2010, case III ZR 79/09). Check the governing law and notice terms in your own contract.
What happens when the rental term ends?
It depends on the contract. Check the automatic-renewal clause: without notice given in time, many providers roll the contract forward for further months.
Is a purchased website more expensive than a rental over 4 years?
In this worked example, yes: EUR 4,132 to buy versus EUR 3,312 for a rental at EUR 69/month. After that point the advantage flips, because buying only costs hosting going forward and you can cancel it any time.
Can I switch from a rental to my own website later?
Yes, though usually without keeping the existing design: content can often be exported, layout and code usually cannot. A free first draft shows you what your own version could look like.
Ready for a Website That Is Actually Yours?
Request a free first draft and see what your own website could look like within days, no obligation and no notice period to worry about.
The full price list, including hosting, is on our pricing page, and hosting details are on the hosting page.
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