Speaking figuratively, in the context of the lifespan of the internet, pre-made templates and website themes have basically been around since the dawn of time. Over the years, many an internet marketer has spoken about “professional grade” templates or “enterprise level” themes. Perhaps at one point many years ago, these sorts of “turnkey” website templates had their place in the world – and maybe they still do. The fact of the matter is that building a custom website carries with it many benefits when compared to buying a pre-made template and “filling in the blanks,” so to speak, and the role that pre-made templates serve in the modern landscape of the internet is progressively shrinking each year.
Are custom websites better than pre-made templates?
As a full-service website design and development house that specializes in unique websites and custom tailored solutions, we are undoubtedly a little biased when it comes to answering this question. That said, our team collectively has decades of experience in the web development field. We’ve used this experience to form the opinion: Yes! Custom websites are better than pre-made templates for any organization or individual needing a professional website that prioritizes performance, customization, and longevity. Here are just a few reasons why we strongly believe that custom websites are the right choice at least 90% of the time:
Long-term, custom websites have fewer recurring costs and are far more transparent than many pre-made templates or website builders.
Believe it or not, there was once a time where website builders like Squarespace and Wix, who have built businesses on offering pre-made templates, simply did not exist. Back when these platforms first hit the market, everyone with two thumbs and enough self agency to write a text message was asking us: why would we need to hire a developer when we can just get Squarespace or Wix? Both of these services have ongoing monthly costs for the simple pleasure of using their platforms every month your website is online from the day you sign up. That’s on top of other recurring fees, like domain registration, that they will try to persuade you into using their platforms for. Working with an honest custom website development company like MBM means that you aren’t pushed into binding contracts or ongoing monthly fees. Even getting so-called “enterprise level” themes for an open-source platform like WordPress regularly comes with ongoing subscription or license fees that simply do not exist when you get a custom theme built by MBM.
Website builder platforms make money by getting as many subscribers as possible, and use questionable tactics to bring in subscriptions.
We strongly believe that making a website is a collaborative experience that hinges on the person-to-person business relationship between designer/developer and client company. Pre-made template sites like Squarespace and Wix are simply trying to sell subscriptions to their platform, rarely offering the opportunity for personalized service from a real human being. On top of that, website builder platforms frequently try to persuade into signing up by making it seem like their services are free, and pulling you into their web of subscribers by giving you convoluted intake flows that manufacture a “sunk cost fallacy” of time you spend on their site during which they intentionally try to overwhelm you. At the time of writing this blog post in March 2026, Squarespace’s homepage literally says “Start for free. No credit card required.” and makes it very challenging to find their Pricing page which clearly does not have free-tier subscription levels. Working with a custom website development company like MBM means we are up front with you every step of the way, have no ongoing costs or subscription fees for the pleasure of working with us, and do everything we can to simplify the process and guide you through the steps needed from day one to having a fully functioning website.
Pre-made templates make it more difficult to customize the design, content and functionality of your website.
One major benefit of getting a custom website developed is that it’s, well, customizable! To be fair, pre-made templates are customizable as well – but only up to a certain point. Using a pre-made website template is going to mandate that you make some compromises on the things that you both want and need from a website. We’ve met many people who have approached us after living through the frustration of using a pre-made template or theme, and here are just a few of the things they’ve run into that have turned their focus away from the cookie cutter solutions across the internet:
- Pre-made templates make it difficult to customize the design of a website, and often lead to frustration or “just giving up” when approaching small visual changes.
- Website builders often offer a clunky interface which in theory make content editing easy, in practice are confusing and difficult to use. This starts to get totally out of hand over time as you add more and more pages (even just simple blog posts like this one!)
- Pre-made themes, often provided by website building platforms, require you to keep spending more and more money on add-ons to include basic online business functionality like e-commerce. Check out our article on some of the pitfalls of using Shopify for your website.
Pre-made themes or frameworks are often bloated and can lead to slow loading times and poor website performance.
Out of the box, pre-made themes (even those marketed for “enterprise use”) try to cast a wide net in terms of what they offer and the capabilities they include. The idea there is to try and provide as much opportunity for customization as possible, with the ultimate goal being to sell as many subscriptions or licenses as possible to a wide variety of organizations and businesses. This sort of set up runs the risk of being bloated – including more “stuff” than your own website will actually ever need – which frequently results in websites with slow loading times, high bounce rates, and poor overall website performance, which Google has begun penalizing websites for in their search results. Sometimes, pre-built themes even include third-party plugins that have little or no actual connection to the pre-made theme or template itself which – in worst case scenarios – can result in code conflicts and cause problems on your website or even periods of downtime. In a world that is chronically online, reliability is key, and getting a custom website developed by a company like MBM is often the safest way to make sure your business is covered where you need it most.
When should I consider using a pre-made theme or a website builder platform instead?
Biased in this debate though we may be, we are always committed to giving credence to both sides of the coin. With that in mind, there are some situations where it will make sense to look into using a pre-made template or website builder. Personal projects without revenue and with wiggle room for stylistic and functional compromise are often great cases to use a basic and inexpensive template or building service. Prototyping is also another great use for website builders and templates – sometimes, you just need to get something set up that’s temporary by design to cover short term needs. Short term needs again prevail in the budgetary sense – a year of using a pre-made template or website builder is often cheaper than getting a custom site developed.
Custom Websites are better for the long term and big picture than pre-made templates.
Practically speaking, getting a custom website created by MBM or a similar company of professionals is simply a better long term decision. We build websites with longevity in mind, and many sites we’ve worked on have been online and generating business for our clients for over a decade. We’re also all about building personal relationships when we work together, something that almost never happens when you go the pre-made theme or template route. We’re ultra transparent about our pricing and estimates, and never have subscription or license fees or ongoing costs – you pay for what you need when you work with us, and nothing outside of that. We take a custom-tailored approach to every website we build – so whatever your ideas are, the sky is really the limit. If there’s a way to make things come to life, we will find a way to make it happen, and go to great lengths to make sure you never have to compromise in terms of what you need your website to look or behave like.
At the end of the day, sometimes it’s best to have a team of professionals guide you through what otherwise can be a convoluted and confusing process, and serving as your “internet sherpa” is just one of the many things that sets MBM apart from the myriad of other options out there on the web. To see how we can help you realize your goals on the web and create success for your business online, send us a message using our contact form and we’ll begin the journey together.
