Ask two web developers whether your site should be built with a page builder or with custom code and you may get two firm, opposite answers. Developers have strong feelings on this. Business owners mostly want to know what it means for cost, speed and whether they’ll be able to change their own opening hours.
Both routes can produce an excellent website. Both can produce a poor one. Here’s how to tell which suits you.
What a page builder is
A page builder is a visual editing tool. You build pages by arranging ready made blocks, such as headings, images, columns, forms and buttons, and you see the result as you go. In the WordPress world, Elementor and the built-in block editor are common examples. Hosted platforms such as Wix and Squarespace work on the same principle.
The builder writes the underlying code for you. That’s its strength and its weakness. You don’t need to be a developer to make changes, but the code it produces has to cover every possible option, so it’s often bulkier than code written by hand for one specific design.
What custom code means
A custom coded site is one where a developer writes the templates directly, in HTML, CSS and a programming language, to match a specific design. It’s often still built on a content management system, so you can edit text and images through forms in an admin screen. What you can’t usually do is rearrange the layout yourself.
“Custom” covers a wide range, from a hand written WordPress theme to a fully bespoke web application.
How the two compare
Up front cost and time. A page builder site is generally quicker and cheaper to produce, because common pieces don’t have to be written from scratch.
Editing. With a builder, you or your team can add sections and create new pages without a developer. With custom code, content edits are easy but layout changes usually need one.
Performance. Custom code can be leaner, since it only includes what the design needs. A well configured builder site can still be fast. A carelessly built one, with nested sections and a stack of add-ons, will be slow.
Design freedom. Modern builders handle most layouts. Unusual interactions, complex animation or highly specific designs are easier to get exactly right in code.
Complex features. Custom pricing calculators, customer portals, stock linked to another system. This is where custom development earns its cost.
Upkeep. A builder is one more piece of software to keep updated and licensed, and a major update can occasionally affect layouts. Custom code has fewer moving parts, but it depends on having a developer who understands it.
Moving away. Content created in one builder doesn’t transfer neatly to another. Switching later usually means rebuilding the pages. Custom themes tie you to whoever can maintain them. Neither is free of lock-in, so ask about it either way.
The tool matters less than the person using it. A disciplined builder site will beat sloppy custom code, and the reverse is also true.
When a page builder is the right choice
- You need a brochure, service or lead generation site with standard features.
- You want to edit pages and add new ones in house.
- Your marketing changes often: new landing pages, offers, seasonal campaigns.
- Budget and timescale matter, and you’d sooner spend on content and photography than on engineering.
When custom code is worth it
- The site has to do something specific that plugins don’t do well.
- It must integrate closely with other systems, such as stock, bookings or a CRM.
- It carries very high traffic, or speed is critical to revenue.
- The design is central to the brand and can’t be compromised.
- You have a long term relationship with a developer, in house or agency.
The middle route
It isn’t always one or the other. Many good sites use a page builder for the pages the business edits often and custom code for the few parts that need it, such as a calculator, a product configurator or an integration. That gives you editing freedom where you want it and precision where it counts.
Questions to ask before you commit
- Which page builder, theme or framework will the site use, and why that one?
- What will I be able to edit myself, and what will need you?
- Are there licences to renew each year, and who pays for them?
- How will the site score for speed on mobile, and will you show me before launch?
- If I move to another supplier, what can I take with me?
- Who can maintain this if you’re not available?
What we use
We build most sites in WordPress with a page builder, kept lean and tested for speed, because it lets clients run their own content. Where a project needs more, we write it. Standard builds come through website design and development, and the parts that need engineering through custom development.
