The short answer: a simple one-off NZ build runs $650–$4,000, pay-monthly designers run $95–$299 a month, and both buy you human judgement and custom work. LaunchPad is the productised version of the same idea: one professional page, done for you, for $1 a day ($365 + GST a year, $419.75 incl. GST), domain, hosting and five updates included. The right pick depends on the size of the job, not the size of the designer’s talent.
The honest case for hiring a designer
A good designer or agency earns their fee. You get discovery (“what should this site actually do?”), custom design that fits your brand rather than a template, proper copywriting, and the capacity for complex work — e-commerce, bookings, member areas, many pages, integrations. If your website is your shopfront — you sell online, you’re brand-led, you need custom features — hire professionals and pay properly. That end of the market is not what LaunchPad replaces. (It’s what our parent team GoDigital does, so we’re hardly against it.)
The honest problem is in the middle: thousands of NZ businesses need one good page, and the market quotes them four figures or $200+ a month to get it.
What designers cost in NZ
From the NZ market data in our full cost guide:
| Route | Typical cost | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| One-off build (simple) | $650–$4,000 | Hosting, edits and SEO usually extra; care plans add monthly cost |
| One-off build (custom/e-com) | $4,000 and well up | Right answer for complex jobs |
| Pay-monthly designer | $95–$299/mo (most $199–$250) | Edits often capped (15 min or one change/mo); SEO often a separate bill; check who owns the domain |
| LaunchPad | $419.75/yr incl. GST | One page; five updates a year included; domain in your name |
Two habits protect you at any price point: confirm the domain is registered in your name, and ask what’s metered — the sticker price and the yearly cost are different numbers in the pay-monthly world.
The three-year maths
| Route | Cash over 3 years | Your hours |
|---|---|---|
| One-off build + care plan | ~$2,500–$11,000+ | Low |
| Pay-monthly designer | ~$3,400–$10,800 | Near zero |
| LaunchPad | $1,259.25 incl. GST | About two minutes of brief |
Who should hire a designer
- Your brief is genuinely bigger than one page: store, bookings, member content, many pages
- Brand and custom design materially affect your sales
- You have the budget for the job to be done properly — under-paying for a big brief is how half-finished sites happen
Who should pick LaunchPad
- You need to be findable, credible and contactable, and one strong page does that
- Four figures upfront isn’t happening this year — but “no website” is costing you customers
- You want a fixed, GST-inclusive price and a local team on email — and a clean upgrade path to a bigger build when the time comes
Comparing the DIY route instead? See vs Wix, vs Squarespace, vs Rocketspark, or the broader DIY vs done-for-you guide. Or just see your site free — the two-minute version of this whole article.