The AI builders promise you a website in 60 seconds. Some of them almost mean it. I've been building my own sites since 1998, and when a real redesign landed on my desk this year, I ran the field and picked one. Spoiler: it was Framer.
Registered your own domain. Picked a tool that fits. Shipped the imperfect version.
ONLINE SINCE 1998 ✓The tool
Every builder advertises the first bill. Nobody advertises the fourth year. Our calculator adds up the real multi-year cost, renewal jumps, domain renewals, and partner seats included.
Start here
Every "I need a website" problem comes down to what you're building and how much you want to touch. These three get you moving today.
The flagship guide: the three honest paths, the five decisions that matter, and my picks for each kind of site, from a quarter century of doing it.
Read the guide →Real prices, real tradeoffs, and why Framer is the one I run with. The honest cases for the others included.
See the comparison →I'm rebuilding my entire portfolio of 90s-era sites with today's tools, in public, with real numbers. First up: the coupon site.
Follow the rebuild →Hands-on reviews
Every review here comes from actually building a real site with the tool. Screenshots included, annoyances included.
The one I actually run with. Real free tier, honest $10/mo pricing, and output that looks designed.
Full review →Site, hosting, domain, and email on one bill from $1.99/mo. Read the renewal math first.
Full review →The biggest name, seen through 1998 eyes. Better than its old reputation. Know the lock-in first.
Full review →The rest of the AI builder field gets the same treatment: same brief, same honesty.
IN THE WORKSHOPBest builder for...
Picks by what you're actually building, backed by live sites I run in each category.
Shows, music links, and a mailing list the algorithm can't throttle. Picked by someone who runs real music sites.
See the picks →Look real this week, show up on Google Maps, take the phone call.
IN THE WORKSHOPThe soul of the old web, with 2026 tools. I run two fan sites older than Wikipedia.
IN THE WORKSHOPField notes
Short, opinionated, and written to be useful, not to fill a content calendar.
Three questions that filter the hype, and the deliberately boring stack that rebuilt a 27-year-old portfolio.
Read the note →AI answers killed the filler site. What survives is the site that does a job. The bookmark test, and why 1999 had it right.
Read the note →Friday: domain and one sentence. Saturday: the ugly complete draft. Sunday: ship it. Hour by hour.
Read the note →One short email when a new build log entry or review ships. Real numbers from the portfolio revival, no filler, unsubscribe anytime.