Renting vs owning your practice website.

Most therapist websites are rented. You pay every month, forever, and if you stop paying, the website goes away. Owning means one payment, then it's in your practice's name, like getting the keys.

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Renting $69–$179 a month, forever

Owning, with Stepflow $0 a month

One payment. Then it's in your practice's name, like getting the keys.

A calm room with two armchairs and tall windows

The simple version

It's like leasing your office instead of owning it.

When you lease an office, you pay rent every month. The landlord owns the walls. If you stop paying, you have to leave, and you can't take the room with you.

Most therapist websites work the same way. A company like TherapySites or Brighter Vision keeps the website on its own account and charges you every month. You can change the words, but it's never really yours.

Owning your website is like owning your office. You pay once. The website and the account it lives on are in your practice's name. Nobody can take it away, and nothing changes if you stop working with us.

Side by side.

A rented website compared with a website you own.

Rented website compared with a Stepflow website
Question	Rented website (TherapySites, Brighter Vision, etc.)	Stepflow
Monthly cost	$69–$179 a month, forever	$0 a month
What you've paid after 3 years	$2,484–$6,444, and still paying	One payment, then nothing
If you stop paying	The website goes away	It stays. It's yours.
Can you take it to someone else?	No	Yes
Fees & insurance page	Usually not	Included
Software to keep patching	Often yes	None

Rented prices are the companies' own listed monthly plans, as listed on their websites, October 2026 (TherapySites from $69; Brighter Vision $99 and $179 plans). Some also charge setup fees. Compare each one with Stepflow.

What "owning" means, in plain words.

No fine print. This is what you get.

It's in your practice's name

The website and the account it lives on are put in your practice's name, like getting the keys.

Your web address stays yours

The only ongoing cost is your web address, about $20–30 a year, which you likely already pay.

You can change it yourself

An easy editor. Change your hours, fees or bios yourself, or ask us to.

You can take it anywhere

If you ever want to work with someone else, you take it with you. No permission needed.

Why owning costs nothing to run.

A typical website

Software running all day, building every page to order. You pay for it every month, and someone has to keep patching it.

A website you own, from us

Finished pages, prepared ahead of time. Storing and sending them costs a hosting network so little that the big ones offer it free for a website the size of a practice's.

It's the same reason it's safer: nothing running means nothing to pay for and nothing to break into. If the free plan ever changes, the website is still yours: finished pages can be moved to almost any host, and we'll help. How we keep it safe.

What happens if you stop paying?

This is where renting and owning are most different.

Rented website

You stop paying
Maybe you're moving to someone better, or cutting costs.
The website goes away
It belonged to the company, so it stops working when the payments do.
You start again
New clients searching for you find nothing, or an old page, until a new website is built.

A website you own

There's nothing to stop paying
No monthly fee. Just your web address, once a year.
The website stays
It's in your practice's name. It keeps working, and your booking system keeps running.
You choose what's next
Edit it yourself, ask us, or take it to someone else. Even the optional care plan can be canceled any time, and the website stays yours.

What is your website really costing you?

Put in what you pay each month. See what it adds up to.

Open the full calculator

Questions.

About owning your website.

What does "you own it" actually mean?

The website and the account it lives on are put in your practice's name. Like getting the keys. If you ever want to work with someone else, you take it with you.

Is there really no monthly fee?

Yes. The only ongoing cost is your web address, about $20–30 a year, which you likely already pay.

What if I want changes later?

Make simple edits yourself with the easy editor, join the optional care plan, or ask us for a one-off update.

Why is there no monthly fee?

Most websites run software on a computer all day, building each page when someone visits. That computer and its software are what you pay for every month, and what has to be patched. Ours are finished pages. Storing and sending finished pages costs a hosting network so little that the big ones offer it free for a website the size of a practice's.

What is the care plan, and do I have to keep it?

It is optional. We make updates for you. Cancel any time, and the website stays yours.

Will my online booking change?

No. Your booking system, schedule and booking link stay exactly as they are, whether that's SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, Jane or something else. Your new website has a "Book now" button on every page.

What does owning a website cost?

One payment. No monthly fees. We'll give you a clear, fixed quote after your free check.

Plain answers to the questions behind this page.

More about owning your website

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Thinking of canceling a monthly website service like Brighter Vision or TherapySites? What's yours to take, what stays behind, and how to leave safely.

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What a therapist website really costs in 2026: website builders, the free SimplePractice page, monthly services, freelancers and owning one outright.

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