Key takeaways
- Published prices range from tens of dollars a month for DIY builders to thousands upfront for agencies — but the software price is rarely the real cost.
- For a mortgage site, the hidden costs are your time, compliance checks, calculators, an application and follow-up.
- Compare first-year cost, not monthly sticker price: setup fees and annual discounts change the picture.
- Measure against one closed loan: how many closings does the site need to help with to pay for itself?
- All competitor prices here were checked on the date shown and will change — check the source before you decide.
“How much does a website cost?” is the wrong first question for a loan officer. The better question is: how much does it cost to have a site that’s live, compliant, and turning visitors into conversations — including your time? That number is very different from the sticker price on a website builder’s pricing page.
This guide compares the main options with public prices we checked on 2026-10-19, explains the costs most comparisons leave out, and gives you a simple way to decide. (Disclosure: we sell one of these options. We’ve linked the source for every competitor price so you can check them yourself.)
What are the options, and what do they cost?
| Option | Public price we found | Source (checked 2026-10-19) |
|---|---|---|
| DIY builder: Squarespace | about $16–$39/mo on annual billing (Basic–Plus) | stylefactoryproductions.com Squarespace pricing 2026 |
| DIY builder: Wix | about $17–$39/mo on annual billing (Light–Business) | websitebuilderexpert.com Wix pricing 2026 |
| Mortgage CRM with site builder: BNTouch | solo plan $165/mo | bntouch.com mortgage CRM pricing guide 2026 |
| Custom agency build | $3,000–$15,000 upfront (range) | morty.com LO website cost guide |
| Done-for-you: GetsMortgageNow | from $79/mo; setup waived yearly | our pricing page |
Monthly prices hide setup fees, annual discounts and upfront costs. First-year cost is a fairer comparison:
What do those prices leave out?
Your time
A DIY builder gives you a blank page. For a mortgage site you still have to write a bio, program pages, calculator explanations and an FAQ; add the compliance block; set up forms; connect a domain; and test everything on a phone. Even a few evenings is real time for a loan officer who could be on calls with agents.
At that median, an hour of your time is worth roughly $37 before taxes (2,080 working hours a year). A “free weekend” of building costs more than a year of most builder subscriptions.
Mortgage-specific features
General builders don’t ship with mortgage calculators, a 1003-style application, NMLS and licensing blocks, or loan-program page templates. You can add them with apps, embeds or custom code, each with its own cost and maintenance.
Compliance
Somebody has to check every page for NMLS IDs, licensing lines, Equal Housing, trigger terms and consent language, then get your company’s approval. With a builder, that somebody is you.
Follow-up
A form that emails you is not a CRM. Leads need an instant reply, an alert, and a follow-up sequence. That’s another tool, another subscription, or another manual habit.
Changes after launch
Agencies often bill changes hourly. Builders make you do them yourself. A done-for-you plan should include reasonable edits.
Monthly or yearly billing?
Annual billing is usually cheaper. With our plans, yearly billing is 15% off and waives the setup fee:
Choose monthly if your situation might change soon — a company switch, a move to a brokerage — so you’re not locked into a year of the wrong plan.
How do you decide what’s worth it?
Compare the yearly cost with what one closed loan pays you. Your compensation per loan is your number, not ours, so plug it into the ROI calculator. For many loan officers, the question becomes “will this site help with one extra closing a year?” — which reframes the decision from cost to contribution.
A simple decision guide
Which option fits
DIY builder
Best if you have time and enjoy building
- Lowest software cost
- Full control
- You write and check everything
- Mortgage tools are add-ons
Mortgage CRM platform
Best if you want deep automation
- Mortgage-specific campaigns
- All-in-one
- Higher monthly cost
- Setup time
Agency
Best for fully custom needs
- Bespoke design
- In-person
- Large upfront cost
- Changes often billed hourly
Done-for-you
Best if you need to be live this week
- Written, checked, launched for you
- Tools included
- Monthly subscription
Questions to ask any provider
- Who owns the domain? It should be registered in your name.
- What happens to my content if I leave? Get an export promise in writing.
- Who writes the content and checks compliance? “You do” is a valid answer — just know it.
- Are calculators and an application included?
- Where do leads go, and how fast am I alerted?
- How are changes handled after launch?
- What’s the total first-year cost, including setup?
- Is there a long contract?
The hidden-cost worksheet
Before you compare prices, fill in this worksheet for each option. Most of the real difference between options shows up here, not in the monthly fee.
| Cost line | DIY builder | Mortgage CRM platform | Agency | Done-for-you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software or plan | Monthly plan | Monthly plan | Usually hosting extra | Monthly plan |
| Setup | Your time | Onboarding, your time | Project fee | Setup fee (often waived yearly) |
| Copywriting | You | You | Often extra | Included |
| Compliance check | You | You | Varies | Checklist + packet |
| Calculators + application | Apps or code | Usually included | Custom build | Included |
| CRM follow-up | Separate tool | Included | Separate tool | Included on higher plans |
| Changes after launch | You | You | Often hourly | Included edits |
| Domain | Registrar | Registrar | Registrar | Registrar (in your name) |
Put an hourly value on your own time — even a conservative one — and the cheapest-looking option often isn’t.
What does it cost to switch providers later?
Switching is where lock-in costs appear. Ask now, not later:
- Domain: if it’s registered to the provider, moving it can take days and sometimes a fee. Keep it in your name from the start.
- Content export: can you get your pages, images and blog posts out in a usable format?
- Redirects: will the old provider redirect your URLs while you move? If not, plan your redirect map before you cancel.
- Leads and contacts: can you export your CRM data, and are you allowed to use it?
- Minimum terms: annual commitments and cancellation notice periods.
What should each situation budget for?
Newly licensed, solo
Prioritize being credible and reachable: a compliant site with your bio, programs, calculators and application. Add a CRM by month two and decide on content or an AI receptionist once you see where conversations come from.
Switching companies
Budget for the move itself: migration, redirects and updated materials, plus follow-up so partner leads don’t fall through the gap. A monthly plan can be safer in your first months at a new company.
New brokerage
Budget for a company site plus profiles, lead routing, a company Google Business Profile and phone coverage. One company site is usually cheaper and simpler to keep compliant than separate sites for each LO.
Red flags in a website quote
- The domain is registered to the provider.
- No mention of NMLS, Equal Housing or compliance review for a mortgage site.
- “Guaranteed page-one rankings.” Nobody can promise that.
- Unlimited revisions with no process — usually means slow ones.
- No clear answer on who owns the content if you leave.
- A long contract on the very first quote, before you’ve seen the work.
A good provider answers all six questions in writing without hesitation.
Our plans, for reference
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly (15% off) | Setup (monthly billing) |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Desk | $79/mo | $67/mo | $249 |
| Moving Day | $119/mo | $101/mo | $349 |
| Own Shop | $229/mo | $195/mo | $649 |
Whichever way you go, decide on first-year cost and your own time — not the number in the biggest font on a pricing page.
Sources
- Website Builder Expert — Wix pricing 2026 — checked 2026-10-19
- Style Factory — Squarespace pricing 2026 — checked 2026-10-19
- BNTouch — Mortgage CRM pricing comparison 2026 — checked 2026-10-19
- Morty — loan officer website costs — checked 2026-10-19
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Loan Officers — retrieved 2026-10-19
Educational content, not legal, compliance or financial advice. GetsMortgageNow is not a lender.


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