Bundled vs unbundled,
a different way to build your art website
March 2026. Prices in USD.
Most website builders follow the same model: pay one monthly fee and get everything in one place: hosting, domain, analytics, forms, email, and the builder itself. It sounds convenient. But bundling has a hidden cost: you pay for everything whether you use it or not, you're locked into one provider's version of each tool, and if you ever want to leave, you lose everything at once.
Webdoline takes a different approach. It does one thing: builds beautiful, elegant websites for artists, and lets you pick the best tool for everything else. You only pay for what you actually use, and nothing is locked to a single platform.
The bundled model
Platforms like Squarespace, Wix, and ArtLogic bundle the following into a single monthly subscription:
- Website builder
- Hosting
- Domain (sometimes, usually first year only)
- Analytics
- Forms
- Email marketing
- E-commerce
The monthly fee pays for all of it, regardless of whether you use it. For a gallery artist who needs a website and a contact form, you're subsidizing e-commerce infrastructure, email marketing tools, and booking systems you'll never touch.
And if you want to switch platforms one day, everything moves together, or doesn't. Your domain may be locked, your content may not export cleanly, and you start over.
The unbundled model
Webdoline covers the website builder. For everything else, you pick the right tool independently.
Here's a suggested stack for an independent artist, assembled from free or very affordable services:
Website builder
Webdoline $70 one-time. Built around artworks, not pages. The minimal aesthetic the art world expects, right out of the box.
Hosting
Your Webdoline website is a static site, a folder of files you upload anywhere. Two excellent free options:
Netlify free plan, fast global CDN, built-in form handling, easy drag-and-drop deployment Cloudflare Pages free plan, extremely fast, built-in form handling, great for technical users
Either comfortably handles a typical artist's website at no cost.
Domain
Your domain is your address on the internet. Buy it independently so you own it outright, regardless of where you host.
- Namecheap affordable, straightforward, good privacy protection included
- Porkbun often cheaper than Namecheap, clean interface
- Cloudflare Registrar sells domains at cost with no markup, best value if you're already using Cloudflare
Expect around $10–$15/year for a .com domain.
A professional email address at your own domain is worth having. Two solid options at low cost:
- Namecheap Email. included with many Namecheap domain plans, simple and reliable
- Migadu flat-rate pricing regardless of how many addresses you need, excellent for independent professionals
Both let you use your own domain (e.g. hello@yourname.com) without paying for a Google Workspace subscription.
Newsletter
Webdoline includes an RSS feed from your News section. Any newsletter tool that supports RSS can pull your posts automatically and send them to your list, no manual copy-pasting.
- Mailchimp free up to 500 contacts, widely used, RSS-to-email campaigns built in
- Substack free, growing audience built in, good for artists who write regularly
- Buttondown simple, affordable, RSS import supported, good for smaller lists
Analytics
Paste a script into your Webdoline site and you're done.
- Google Analytics. free, industry standard, detailed but complex
- Umami free self-hosted or affordable cloud plan, privacy-friendly, simple dashboard
- Plausible paid but lightweight, privacy-first, easy to read at a glance
Forms
For a contact form, you have several options:
- Netlify Forms. if you're hosting on Netlify, forms are built in and free up to 100 submissions/month
- Cloudflare Workers if you're hosting on Cloudflare, form handling is possible with a small setup
- Tally free, clean embeddable forms, generous free tier
What does the full stack cost?
| Service | Tool | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Website builder | Webdoline | $70 one-time |
| Hosting | Netlify or Cloudflare | Free |
| Domain | Namecheap / Porkbun | ~$12/year |
| Migadu | ~$19/year | |
| Newsletter | Mailchimp / Substack | Free up to 500 contacts |
| Analytics | Umami | Free (self-hosted) |
| Forms | Netlify Forms | Free |
| Year 1 total | ~$101 | |
| Year 2+ total | ~$31/year |
Compare that to Squarespace Basic at $180/year, Wix Core at $324/year, or ArtLogic Essential at $696/year, and you're paying for a bundle where most of what's inside doesn't apply to your practice.
The unbundled advantage
You own everything independently. Your domain, your hosting, your email, none of it disappears if you change your website builder one day.
You use the best tool for each job. Mailchimp for newsletters, Umami for analytics, Tally for forms, each chosen because it's the best option for that specific need, not because it was bundled in.
You pay only for what you use. If you don't need a newsletter tool yet, you don't pay for one. When you're ready, you add it.
Your costs don't grow with your success. Bundled platforms often charge more as your traffic or contact list grows. With an unbundled stack, most of these tools have generous free tiers that cover independent artists indefinitely.
Is unbundled right for everyone?
No. If you want everything in one login, one bill, and one support team, bundled platforms are more convenient. There's a real value to simplicity, especially if you're not comfortable with a small amount of initial setup.
But if you're willing to spend a couple hours getting your stack in place, the unbundled approach gives you more control, lower cost, and no lock-in, for as long as you have a website.
Start with the website
$70, one time. Works on Mac.