Freelancer or Web Agency? A Complete Guide for Business Owners
Who should you commission your website to — a freelancer, an agency, or a software house? Concrete scenarios, questions to ask, and a pre-contract checklist.
The website services market in Poland is split into three segments: freelancers, advertising agencies, and software houses. Each operates with a different model, a different risk profile, and different use cases. This article will help you choose the right one — without pushing any single option as the only sensible choice.
Comparison Table: Three Types of Contractors
| Criterion | Freelancer | Advertising Agency | Software House |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | PLN 800–3,500 | PLN 2,500–8,000 | PLN 1,500–10,000 |
| Delivery time | Flexible | 3–8 weeks | 2–6 weeks |
| Code ownership | Usually yes | Usually yes (without a contract clause) | Yes — git repo on handover day |
| Post-launch SLA | None | Email (no guarantee) | Defined (e.g. 24h for 3 months) |
| Deadline guarantee | None | Rarely | Written into the contract with penalties |
| Performance | Variable | Variable | Lighthouse ≥90 (or guaranteed) |
| Business integrations | Limited | Selected | CRM, ERP, API — standard |
Three Decision Scenarios
Scenario 1: Small business, first time online, budget PLN 1,500–2,500
You have a craft workshop, a law firm, or a dental practice. You need an online business card — address, opening hours, contact, a few photos. You are not planning a blog or integrations.
Recommendation: a freelancer or a software house Start package. A freelancer will be cheaper, but — before you sign — ask about domain and code ownership. A software house Start package delivers the same in a better wrapper: performance guarantee, code ownership from day 1, deadline in the contract.
Scenario 2: Service company, wants to generate leads, budget PLN 3,000–6,000
The website is a sales tool. You need a contact form integrated with CRM, a blog for SEO, a landing page for campaigns.
Recommendation: a software house or an agency specialising in web development. An advertising agency has good creative resources, but may lack technical depth (Core Web Vitals, JSON-LD, performance). A software house combines both competencies.
Scenario 3: Ambitious company, wants a platform, budget PLN 6,000–15,000
A client portal, online reservations, ERP integration, or an e-commerce platform with custom logic.
Recommendation: a software house only. A freelancer and an advertising agency lack the resources for long-term maintenance of a complex system. Ask about architecture, documentation, and a maintenance plan.
10 Questions You Must Ask a Contractor Before Signing
- Who owns the code after launch? — this should be stated in the contract, not just verbally.
- Whose account holds the domain and hosting? — they should be on your account.
- What Lighthouse score does the delivered site achieve? — minimum Performance
≥80, ideally≥90. - How many revisions are included in the price? — and what happens when you exceed that number?
- What does post-launch support look like? — SLA, response time, what is covered by the warranty?
- What are the consequences of delays on your side? — a contractual penalty or just “we’ll try our best”?
- Who sets up the CMS and trains users? — is it included in the price or quoted separately?
- Is the site responsive and tested on mobile? — this is a standard, not an extra.
- What access do I receive when the engagement ends? — FTP, hosting panel, repo, CMS admin.
- Is the price gross? — if it is net, add
23%VAT.
Pre-Contract Checklist
Before signing, make sure the contract includes:
- A clause transferring copyright to the code
- A completion date with a specific date (not “approx. X weeks”)
- Consequences of delay on the contractor’s side
- A defined scope of revisions (how many rounds are included)
- A clause on transferring access (repo, FTP, DNS panel, CMS)
- SLA or scope of post-launch support (at least
30days)
QA10 meets all of the above checklist points as standard. Three packages from PLN 1,500 gross, deadline in the contract with penalty, Lighthouse ≥90 guaranteed, code yours from day 1.