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How LevelledUp compares

If you already do work for a living, you have probably looked at a few ways to get online: a directory listing, a DIY site builder, a mate or a local freelancer, or just leaving it. Here is an honest comparison, no jargon, so you can see where LevelledUp fits.

	LevelledUp	Yell / Checkatrade listing	Wix / GoDaddy DIY	Local freelancer	One-off template site	Do nothing
What you pay up front	£0	Free listing, or a fee for featured placement (varies)	£0, but templates and add-ons cost extra	Typically £150 to £1,000 or more, varies	Typically £300 to £700, paid before anything is built	£0
Per month	£29	£0 to a few hundred pounds, varies by package	£9 to £30 for the usual plans, more for business tiers	Varies, some charge for hosting, some don't	£0, but a renewal fee arrives every year from year two	£0
Time until it is live	48 hours (the demo is already built)	Same day for a basic listing	Days to weeks, depending on your time	Weeks to months, varies	A week or two, after you pay and send your photos	Never
Who builds it	We do, before you decide	You fill in a form	You, using their templates	Them, on their schedule	They do, from a fixed template you pick and pay for first	Nobody
Your own .co.uk domain	Yes, included	No, you're a listing on their site	Extra cost, or a free address with their brand in it (yourname.wixsite.com)	Usually, but paid for separately	Usually included in year one, then part of the renewal fee	No
Business email	Yes, one forwarding address included	No	Often an extra monthly cost	Sometimes, ask first	Often included in year one, ask about renewal	No
Updates included	Yes, small updates included	You edit your own listing	You do it yourself	Usually charged separately	No, extra pages and changes usually cost extra	N/A
Contract	None, cancel any time	Often a 12 month minimum term	Monthly, sometimes cheaper if paid upfront for the year, varies	Varies, get it in writing	None, but a renewal fee applies each year to stay live	N/A
What you have to do	Look at it, say yes or no	Manage your own listing and reviews	Design it, write it, keep it updated	Brief them and wait for a slot	Pay first, then send photos and details, then wait	Nothing, and miss the work
What you get when you leave	Your domain, transferred to you	Nothing, the listing is theirs	Your site, if you paid for the domain yourself	Depends what you agreed	Depends what you agreed, ask before you pay	N/A
Readable by Google and AI assistants	Yes, proper page structure and business details they can read	The directory is readable, but your listing is one entry among many	Depends how you build it	Depends who you hire	Depends how the template is built	No

LevelledUp

What you pay up front: £0
Per month: £29
Time until it is live: 48 hours (the demo is already built)
Who builds it: We do, before you decide
Your own .co.uk domain: Yes, included
Business email: Yes, one forwarding address included
Updates included: Yes, small updates included
Contract: None, cancel any time
What you have to do: Look at it, say yes or no
What you get when you leave: Your domain, transferred to you
Readable by Google and AI assistants: Yes, proper page structure and business details they can read

Yell / Checkatrade listing

What you pay up front: Free listing, or a fee for featured placement (varies)
Per month: £0 to a few hundred pounds, varies by package
Time until it is live: Same day for a basic listing
Who builds it: You fill in a form
Your own .co.uk domain: No, you're a listing on their site
Business email: No
Updates included: You edit your own listing
Contract: Often a 12 month minimum term
What you have to do: Manage your own listing and reviews
What you get when you leave: Nothing, the listing is theirs
Readable by Google and AI assistants: The directory is readable, but your listing is one entry among many

Wix / GoDaddy DIY

What you pay up front: £0, but templates and add-ons cost extra
Per month: £9 to £30 for the usual plans, more for business tiers
Time until it is live: Days to weeks, depending on your time
Who builds it: You, using their templates
Your own .co.uk domain: Extra cost, or a free address with their brand in it (yourname.wixsite.com)
Business email: Often an extra monthly cost
Updates included: You do it yourself
Contract: Monthly, sometimes cheaper if paid upfront for the year, varies
What you have to do: Design it, write it, keep it updated
What you get when you leave: Your site, if you paid for the domain yourself
Readable by Google and AI assistants: Depends how you build it

Local freelancer

What you pay up front: Typically £150 to £1,000 or more, varies
Per month: Varies, some charge for hosting, some don't
Time until it is live: Weeks to months, varies
Who builds it: Them, on their schedule
Your own .co.uk domain: Usually, but paid for separately
Business email: Sometimes, ask first
Updates included: Usually charged separately
Contract: Varies, get it in writing
What you have to do: Brief them and wait for a slot
What you get when you leave: Depends what you agreed
Readable by Google and AI assistants: Depends who you hire

One-off template site

What you pay up front: Typically £300 to £700, paid before anything is built
Per month: £0, but a renewal fee arrives every year from year two
Time until it is live: A week or two, after you pay and send your photos
Who builds it: They do, from a fixed template you pick and pay for first
Your own .co.uk domain: Usually included in year one, then part of the renewal fee
Business email: Often included in year one, ask about renewal
Updates included: No, extra pages and changes usually cost extra
Contract: None, but a renewal fee applies each year to stay live
What you have to do: Pay first, then send photos and details, then wait
What you get when you leave: Depends what you agreed, ask before you pay
Readable by Google and AI assistants: Depends how the template is built

Do nothing

What you pay up front: £0
Per month: £0
Time until it is live: Never
Who builds it: Nobody
Your own .co.uk domain: No
Business email: No
Updates included: N/A
Contract: N/A
What you have to do: Nothing, and miss the work
What you get when you leave: N/A
Readable by Google and AI assistants: No

When a directory is enough

If you get all the work you want from word of mouth and one listing on Checkatrade, you may not need anything else. A directory listing is fine for topping up an already full diary. It won't give you your own domain or business email, and you're one of many names on someone else's page, but for some trades that's genuinely enough.

When a freelancer is better

If you need something LevelledUp doesn't do, a multi-page site, online booking, a shop, custom design work, a good local freelancer who understands what you want is the right call. Expect to pay more and wait longer, and get everything agreed in writing before you start.

When to do nothing

If you're fully booked, not planning to grow, and happy to rely on repeat customers and referrals, doing nothing costs you nothing today. Just know that a customer who searches for you and finds nothing will usually ring the next name down the list instead.

Questions we get asked

Is LevelledUp cheaper than a directory listing?

It depends on the package. A basic Yell or Checkatrade listing can be free, but featured placement and lead packages often cost more than £29 a month and still leave you without your own domain or email.

Why not just build it myself on Wix or GoDaddy?

You can, and plenty of people do. It takes time to design, write and maintain, and the free plans usually mean a subdomain instead of your own .co.uk. We build it for you and you decide after seeing it.

What happens if I cancel?

You can cancel any time, no notice period, no penalty. Your domain is yours and we transfer it to you.

Do I have to sign a contract?

No. It's a rolling £29 a month. There's no minimum term, unlike some directory and agency packages.

How is it live in 48 hours?

We build the demo before you've paid anything, so most of the work is already done. Once you say yes, getting your domain and email forwarding set up is quick.

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