The Honest Breakdown

SITE DOC
VS EVERYONE

Etsy takes 6.5% of every sale. Shopify charges $105/mo before apps. BigCartel limits your growth. Site Doc gives you a custom site that's yours — flat rate, no surprises.

See the Full Breakdown
No Transaction Fees ✦ Custom Design ✦ You Own It ✦ Flat Monthly Rate ✦ No Revenue Share ✦ Real Human Support ✦ No Transaction Fees ✦ Custom Design ✦ You Own It ✦ Flat Monthly Rate ✦ No Revenue Share ✦ Real Human Support ✦
Feature Comparison
Side by Side
Feature Site Doc Etsy Shopify BigCartel Squarespace Wix
Custom domain & branding ✔ Fully custom ✘ Etsy.com/shop/you ✔ Yes ✔ Yes ✔ Yes ✔ Yes
Transaction fees ✔ $0 — none ✘ 6.5% per sale+ listing fees + payment processing ✘ 0.5–2% per sale+ 2.9% + 30¢ Stripe fee ✔ $0 ✔ $0 ✔ $0
Monthly cost ✔ $99–$149/mo flat ~ $0 basebut fees add up fast ✘ $39–$399/mobefore apps & plugins ~ $0–$19/molimited features ✘ $23–$65/mo ✘ $17–$159/mo
Design quality ✔ Fully bespoke ✘ Generic shop layout ~ Templates only ✘ Very basic ~ Templates only ~ Templates only
You own the site ✔ Yes — yours forever ✘ No — Etsy can close you ✘ No — locked in ✘ No — locked in ✘ No — locked in ✘ No — locked in
SEO control ✔ Full control ✘ Limited — Etsy's SEO ✔ Yes ~ Basic ✔ Yes ✔ Yes
Algorithm dependency ✔ None — direct traffic ✘ High — Etsy buries you ✔ None ✔ None ✔ None ✔ None
Booking / scheduling ✔ Built in (select plans) ✘ Not available ~ App required ($) ✘ Not available ✔ Yes (Acuity) ✔ Yes (Wix Bookings)
Ongoing support ✔ Real person — text/call ✘ Support tickets only ✘ Chat/email only ✘ Email only ✘ Chat/email only ✘ Chat/email only
Updates & changes ✔ Included — just ask ✔ DIY — instant ✔ DIY — instant ✔ DIY — instant ✔ DIY — instant ✔ DIY — instant
Setup required ✔ We do it for you ~ Easy DIY ✘ Moderate — steep learning curve ~ Easy ✘ Moderate ✘ Moderate
Real Cost at $5,000/mo Revenue
What You Actually Pay
Site Doc
$75
Flat rate. Every month. No matter how much you sell.
Etsy
$475+
6.5% transaction + listing fees + payment processing on $5k revenue
Shopify (Basic)
$239+
$39/mo + 2% transaction + required apps avg $60–$100/mo
Squarespace
$65
Cheaper — but you build and maintain it yourself. No support.
Wix eCommerce
$159
Business plan required for online store. DIY only.
BigCartel (Platinum)
$19
Cheap but capped at 500 products. Minimal design control. No support.
One-on-One
Site Doc vs. Each Platform
vs. Etsy
"But everyone's already on Etsy…"
  • ✘Etsy takes 6.5% of every dollar you earn — forever.
  • ✘You don't own your store. They can suspend or close you overnight.
  • ✘Your shop looks identical to 5 million others. No brand identity.
  • ✘Etsy's algorithm controls who sees you. You play by their rules.
  • ✔Site Doc: your own URL, your own brand, 0% transaction fees.
Best for: Sellers doing $1,000+/mo who are tired of paying Etsy a cut of every sale.
vs. Shopify
"Shopify is the gold standard…"
  • ✘$39–$399/mo base — before you add any apps. Most stores need $100–$200/mo in apps.
  • ✘Still charges 0.5–2% transaction fee if you're not using Shopify Payments.
  • ✘You need to learn the platform, manage themes, handle updates yourself.
  • ✘Support is chat bots and help docs — not a real human who knows your business.
  • ✔Site Doc: done-for-you, flat $99–$149/mo, real support. Shopify-level results without the Shopify headache.
Best for: Business owners who want a pro online presence without becoming a Shopify developer.
vs. BigCartel
"It's free and does the job…"
  • ✘Capped at 500 products on the top plan. Growing brands hit the ceiling fast.
  • ✘Minimal design control — your store looks like every other BigCartel store.
  • ✘No booking, no custom integrations, no real features beyond basic store.
  • ✘Zero support — you're on your own when something breaks.
  • ✔Site Doc: built to your exact needs, real support, no growth ceiling.
Best for: Merch brands and artists who've outgrown BigCartel and want something that looks as good as their products.
vs. Squarespace
"I can just do it myself on Squarespace…"
  • ✘You're paying $23–$65/mo AND doing all the work yourself.
  • ✘Template-only — customizing beyond the template requires code knowledge.
  • ✘Time spent building and maintaining = time not spent on your actual business.
  • ✘When something looks off or breaks, you fix it. Nobody's in your corner.
  • ✔Site Doc: we build it, we maintain it, we update it. You focus on your business.
Best for: Business owners who tried DIY and realized their time is worth more than the money they're saving.
vs. Wix
"Wix ads are everywhere, it must be good…"
  • ✘$17–$159/mo depending on what you need — costs balloon quickly.
  • ✘Wix branding shows up on lower plans. Looks unprofessional to clients.
  • ✘Still fully DIY — you drag and drop everything yourself.
  • ✘Moving away from Wix later is painful — your site is locked into their builder.
  • ✔Site Doc: cleaner code, faster load times, fully custom, and we do the work for you.
Best for: Business owners currently on Wix who are frustrated with slow load times and hitting walls on customization.
vs. Doing Nothing
"I'll get to it eventually…"
  • ✘Every month without a real site is revenue going to competitors who have one.
  • ✘Customers Google you, find nothing professional, and move on.
  • ✘Word of mouth only scales so far. A site works for you 24/7.
  • ✘Social media platforms change their algorithms — your own site doesn't.
  • ✔Site Doc: live in 5–7 days. One flat monthly rate. No excuses left.
Best for: Everyone. There is no good reason to not have a professional web presence in 2026.

Ready to Stop Paying
Etsy's Cut?

Site Doc builds you a custom, professional website for a flat $99–$149/mo. No transaction fees. No algorithm. No surprises. Just a site that works as hard as you do.

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