Freelancer or web agency: when you have a website built in Switzerland, the main difference lies in how the project is organised. An agency usually divides the work among several people, such as a project manager, a designer, a developer and sometimes a copywriter, and you mostly deal with the person who coordinates them. A freelancer, or independent consultant, does most of the work personally and talks to you directly, sometimes calling on other independents for photography or translation.
The quote follows this organisation. An agency quote often combines the time of several specialists and project management, while a freelancer’s quote mainly reflects their own working time. After launch, an agency may hand ongoing support to a dedicated team, whereas with a freelancer the person who built the site usually looks after it. Neither model suits every project: to choose, examine each provider’s proposal and the work they have already produced.
What is the difference between a freelancer and a web agency in Switzerland?
Between a freelancer and a web agency, the difference in organisation shows in the price. In French-speaking Switzerland, a business website of 1 to 5 pages costs CHF 1,500 to 4,000 with a freelancer and CHF 3,000 to 8,000 with a specialised agency, according to the ranges Bleeze published on 24 February 2026 (page in French).
An agency is the right choice in three situations:
- the project needs several skills at the same time;
- your organisation requires a team that keeps the project going if one person is away;
- the volume of pages or features is more than one person can deliver by the date you need.
Freelancer vs web agency: the differences across 8 criteria
Each row describes common practice. A given provider may work differently, so their written proposal is what counts.
| Criterion | Freelancer or independent consultant | Web agency |
|---|---|---|
| Your contact | The person who builds the site | Usually a project manager |
| Who does the work | The independent, sometimes with a freelance photographer or translator | Several people: design, development, sometimes copywriting |
| Budget | Lower for a comparable site (ranges below) | Higher: several specialists plus project management |
| Continuity during an absence | One person: the handover must be planned in writing | A colleague can take over the file |
| Skills covered | The independent’s own, with partners where needed | Several skills under one contract |
| Ongoing support | Usually by the person who built the site | Sometimes handed to a dedicated team |
| Ownership of code and access | Depends on the contract | Depends on the contract |
| Suitable projects | A business website or landing page with a defined scope | Projects involving several skills, a large volume or a tight deadline |
Source for the budget and continuity rows: Bleeze, 24 February 2026.
How much does a website cost with a freelancer or an agency in French-speaking Switzerland?
In French-speaking Switzerland, for a more advanced business website of 5 to 15 pages, Bleeze gives CHF 4,000 to 8,000 with a freelancer, CHF 6,000 to 15,000 with a specialised agency and CHF 12,000 to 25,000 or more with a large agency (24 February 2026). The same source puts maintenance and updates at CHF 500 to 3,000 a year.
Klickstudio, a Geneva web studio, places a business website of 1 to 5 pages for a tradesperson or small business at CHF 2,500 to 5,500 with traditional agencies in Switzerland (20 January 2026, page in French).
From one quote to the next, the amount mainly depends on:
- the number of pages and what each one presents;
- the copy and photos, whether you supply them or the provider produces them;
- the number of languages;
- the features and connections to other tools, such as booking or payment.
The guide to website prices in Switzerland adds the yearly costs of the domain, hosting and email. If your offer fits on a single page, first compare a landing page and a business website.
When is a web agency the better choice?
According to Bleeze (24 February 2026), a web agency brings a multidisciplinary team (strategy, design, development and SEO) and continuity of service, at a higher cost than a freelancer. These strengths matter in the following cases:
- A launch with several strands. The website, the copy, a photo shoot and a campaign must be ready on the same day. The agency plans them in one schedule under one contract.
- A large volume by a fixed date. Several people work in parallel on the pages, features and content.
- Continuity required in writing. Your board or IT department asks for a team that can take over the project without delay.
- One provider for the website and marketing. Campaigns, social media and regular publishing stay with the provider that built the site.
Web agency or independent consultant: when the independent is the better fit
An independent consultant, or independent developer, is a good fit when:
- the website is defined: a few pages, one or two languages, known features;
- you want to discuss decisions with the person who carries them out, with no intermediary;
- your budget matches the freelancer range given above;
- you want the same person to look after the site after launch.
The main risk with an independent consultant is dependence on a single person. According to Bleeze (24 February 2026), a freelancer who is overloaded, on holiday or changing career can leave a website with nobody to look after it. You deal with this risk in writing, before signing.
The choice of tool comes next, whichever model you pick: the comparison of WordPress and a custom-built website sets out both approaches for a Swiss SME.
What happens if your freelancer falls ill?
The project slows down or stops while the person cannot work. With an independent, a handover to someone else has to be planned in advance. Have the contract state:
- who owns the code, the domain name and the access details (hosting, email, tools), and when they are handed over to you;
- handover documentation: where the code is, how to publish it, which services it uses;
- the usual response time and who to contact if something breaks;
- what happens during a prolonged absence: who takes over the project, and at whose expense;
- the conditions for ending support and passing the site to another provider.
For my own projects, the FAQ on the process page gives this commitment: “I’ll do everything I can to keep working on your project as long as my health allows. If a prolonged or serious illness prevents me from working, I’ll do what’s needed to hand the project over to a trusted developer as quickly as possible, at my expense.”
What should you ask before signing with a freelancer or an agency?
| Question | Good answer | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Who actually builds my website, and which part did you do on your past projects? | Names and roles; a complete website you can open, with the provider’s exact share | A logo in a portfolio, with no site or role |
| Who will be my contact, and how quickly do they reply? | A named person and a response time in writing | “The team will get back to you”, with no name or time |
| What does the quote include, and what will be billed on top? | Pages, rounds of feedback, timing, copy, photos and external costs listed | A single total, or options that appear after signing |
| Who owns the code, the domain and the access details, and when are they handed over? | You do, with a handover condition in writing; the domain in your name | A domain in the provider’s name, code that is never handed over |
| What happens if you are ill or unavailable? | A written commitment and handover documentation | “That won’t happen”, or no answer |
| What checks do you run before launch? | A precise list, like the one below | No list, or “we check that it works” |
| What does support after launch include, and at what price? | The tasks covered, their duration and their price | “We’ll see when it’s needed” |
| How do I get the site back if I change provider? | The files, the access details and handover notes | Exit fees that were never mentioned |
My list before every launch:
- the website works, with no bugs or inconsistencies;
- penetration tests run locally, in proportion to how sensitive the site is;
- data leak tests under the Swiss FADP and the GDPR: no data or requests sent to an unauthorised server, and consent respected;
- a Lighthouse audit, every time;
- a search for known vulnerabilities in the site’s dependencies and their own dependencies;
- publication only if everything is green.
This list is neither a certified security audit nor a guarantee of legal compliance.
How I work
I’m Omar Eljadi, founder of Eljadi WORKS and an independent developer in Geneva. I build each website myself and remain your contact from the first exchange through to ongoing support. You receive a written proposal before committing. The code and access details are handed over after full payment, with handover notes.
Ahmed Ghattour, of the firm Ahmed Ghattour & Co in Tripoli, contacted me to bring his website up to date. When I was starting out, I migrated his WordPress site to a React site (HTML, CSS), with Lighthouse scores above 90. The audit captured at delivery shows the main content load (LCP) falling from 13.4 s to 3.0 s. The desktop SEO score dropped from 100 to 91, an accepted regression: a stricter bilingual canonical setup avoids duplicate content between the languages.
My skills have grown since then. I don’t want a client who trusted me to keep a website below my current level, so I am rebuilding his site at my own expense. In October 2026, this new version is in preparation. The Ahmed Ghattour & Co case study sets out the measurements.
The business website of up to 7 pages in one language is offered at the standard price of CHF 2,500, with a CHF 995 launch offer for the first clients, with 3 months of support included. The steps and timing are described on the process page.
Sources
- Bleeze, guide to website prices in French-speaking Switzerland in 2026 (in French), published 24 February 2026, consulted 5 October 2026.
- Klickstudio, guide to website prices in Switzerland in 2026 (in French), published 20 January 2026, consulted 5 October 2026.
