Hire a team
DKnapp Design vs hiring an agency
A design agency builds a bespoke site or app with its own team, to your brief, through calls and feedback rounds, for a project fee it quotes. DKnapp Design builds yours free to see in about 20 minutes, checked by a designer, from $99 a month, and our studio takes custom projects from $3,250.
Updated
Who does each one suit?
A design agency
Larger projects with a budget and a timeline for discovery, bespoke design and several rounds of feedback.
DKnapp Design
Small businesses that need a professional website or app now, at a monthly price, with changes by email.
How do they compare?
| DKnapp Design | A design agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ||
| Price | Free to see. $99 a month for a website, or $1,499 once to own it; apps from $99 a month | A project fee, quoted for your scope |
| Time to live | ||
| Time to live | Built in about 20 minutes (an app about 15), live within 48 hours of choosing a plan | Set by the project’s scope and the agency’s schedule |
| Who designs it | ||
| Who designs it | We build it from your business; a designer checks every build before you see it | Their designers, to your brief |
| Who maintains it | ||
| Who maintains it | We do: hosting, SSL and changes whenever you email are in the monthly price | Their team, as your contract says |
| Who owns it | ||
| Who owns it | Your domain is registered in your name; pay $1,499 once and the files are yours too | As your contract says; ask for the domain and files in your name |
A design agency’s column is from their own pages where they state it, read on the dates below. Plans change, so check their site for current prices.
When should you choose a design agency?
Choose a design agency when
- Your project is large or bespoke: a new brand, a custom system, deep integrations.
- You want a team you can meet in person in your city.
- You have the budget and the weeks for discovery and feedback rounds.
Choose DKnapp Design when
- You need a professional site or app this week, not this quarter.
- You would rather see it finished before you pay anything.
- You want custom work at a fixed price: our studio starts at $3,250, to a fixed scope.
What does the work cost per hour?
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median pay of web developers and digital designers, the people an agency puts on your project, at $47.85 an hour (May 2025).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Web Developers and Digital Designers, Occupational Outlook Handbook, read
Questions
- When is an agency worth it?
- When the project is large or bespoke, needs a team in the room, and there is the budget and time for discovery and feedback rounds. For a standard small business site or app, see what a plan builds first: it is free to see.
- Does DKnapp Design take custom projects like an agency?
- Yes, through the studio: custom websites to a fixed scope and a fixed price, starting at $3,250. It starts with a discovery call. See the studio
See yours before you decide
Free to see, no card. A designer checks it before you do.