A website without a subscription with btlabs Core means: There are no ongoing license fees for the delivered core system. You invest once in strategy, design, development, and technical implementation. This is separate from ongoing operating costs such as domain and hosting, as well as optional services for maintenance, content, or further development.
A website without a subscription is therefore not free to operate. The difference lies in the commitment: you don't pay indefinitely for the right to continue using the agreed-upon core system. The contract should clearly state which content, data, access rights, usage rights, and technical components will be transferred if you later switch providers.
“Without subscription” describes the licensing model of the core system – not the elimination of operating, maintenance and further development costs.
Website without a subscription: What are you actually buying?
When you purchase a website outright, you're not just paying for designed pages. Depending on the agreed-upon project, the one-time investment includes strategic planning, information architecture, design, programming, content structure, and setup of the core system.
With btlabs Core as the digital website foundation, this means: The delivered system is provided without ongoing license fees for the core system. There is no per-user license and no mandatory support package that must be purchased for continued use.
After over 20 years in web design and development, one distinction is particularly important to me: A one-time purchase only creates independence if it's not just the bill that's a one-time thing. The technical and contractual structure must also allow for realistic continued operation and an orderly transition.
The website cost model consists of three levels.
A transparent website cost model separates development, operation, and optional services. This separation makes offers comparable and shows you the realistic total costs.
1. One-time investment in website and core system
The one-time investment can include the following services:
- Analysis of goals, target groups and business requirements
- Website strategy and content structure
- UX/UI design and visual development
- technical development and setup of the core system
- Adoption or creation of agreed content
- Setting up languages, forms and interfaces
- Testing, quality assurance and publication
- Instruction and technical documentation
The offer must clearly state which items are actually included. Terms like "complete website" or "turnkey" are too vague without a concrete description of services. Therefore, our strategic website development doesn't begin with colors and page numbers, but with the question of what the system should achieve for your business in the long term.
2. Ongoing operating costs
Even a website without a subscription requires a technical environment. Typical ongoing operating costs include:
- Domain: Registration or renewal of the internet address
- Hosting: Server, storage, database, data traffic and technical provision
- Email: provided that mailboxes or other email services are associated with the package
- External services: for example, shipping services, cards, payment providers or specialized interfaces
- Third-party licenses: if paid fonts, image databases, software libraries or services are used
A domain is typically registered for a limited period and must then be renewed. The fees and terms are set by the respective registrar. ICANN also points out limited registration periods and possible renewal fees in its information on domain renewals. Therefore, a permanently accessible domain is usually not a completely free, long-term service.
3. Optional care
Optional support can be useful, but it shouldn't be confused with the basic usage rights. For example, you can arrange support for the following tasks:
- Safety maintenance and technical inspections
- Backups and recovery tests
- content updates
- Search Engine optimization
- new pages, functions or interfaces
- Website performance analysis
- Consulting and ongoing development
Some businesses prefer to manage their own content. Others want a reliable contact person. The crucial point is that support is presented as a separate service and not as a hidden requirement for continued operation.
No subscription commitment does not mean no maintenance.
A website without a subscription doesn't automatically solve all operational issues. Software, servers, and interfaces change. Security vulnerabilities are discovered, browsers evolve, and external services adapt their technical requirements.
Therefore, you should consider three statements separately:
- No subscription commitment: No continuous core license is required for the agreed use of the delivered core system.
- No maintenance obligation by the same provider: You can voluntarily arrange care or – insofar as technically and contractually possible – organize it differently.
- No maintenance required: This statement would be incorrect. Every business-relevant website requires checks, updates, and clear responsibilities.
An independent model does not replace maintenance. It allows you to plan maintenance transparently and clearly define responsibilities.
What should be available to you at the handover?
A full export doesn't mean the same thing for every project. The term must be specifically defined in the offer and contract. Depending on the agreed scope, a handover can include the following components:
- published content and structured datasets
- uploaded images, documents and media
- Data exports in documented, reusable formats
- Administrator and hosting access
- Access to the domain registrar or a regulated domain transfer
- the agreed source code or access to the repository
- transferable and operational configuration files
- technical documentation and instructions for provision
- An overview of external services and third-party licenses
- Information on non-transferable access data or licenses
The decisive factor is the agreed scope of delivery. According to Italian case law, in the case of a contract for the creation of a protected work, the client may be entitled to the economic exploitation rights necessary for the purpose of the contract. However, the release of open and editable source files is not automatically included if it was not part of the contract. This is referred to in Decision No. 19335/2022 of the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation.
Don't rely on verbal assumptions regarding the source code, repository, and export formats. Document in writing what is being transferred, when the transfer takes place, and what rights are associated with it.
Ownership, source code, and usage rights are not the same thing.
In everyday language, it's often said: "The website belongs to you." However, from a legal and technical perspective, a website consists of different layers. A carefully drafted agreement distinguishes at least the following:
- Contents: Texts, images, videos, documents and structured company data
- Source code: individually developed program components and configurations
- Rights of use: the contractually regulated right to use, edit or have edited protected components
- Open-source components: Software used under the terms of its respective license
- Third-party licenses: Services and components whose rights cannot be freely transferred
- Access and accounts: Domain, hosting, analytics tools, email services and other technical accounts
- Data sovereignty: the practical ability to fully retrieve, back up and reuse one's own content and data
Open source doesn't mean "without rules." Each component follows its own license. Conversely, custom development doesn't automatically mean that all conceivable usage rights or all source files are transferred without explicit agreement. You can find a more in-depth explanation in my article about open-source websites and digital independence.
For SMEs, a blanket promise of ownership is less important than practical operational capability: Can you back up data? Do you have the necessary access? Is another developer allowed to maintain the system? Are the licenses used documented? Can the website be migrated to a different infrastructure?
Which dependencies the model should avoid
The cost and handover model of btlabs Core is designed to avoid the following commitments:
- No perpetual license per user for the core system
- no mandatory childcare package as a prerequisite for use
- No binding of content to a proprietary website builder without a usable export function.
- no restriction of central access
- no mixing of one-off development costs and external operating costs
External dependencies can still arise if, for example, you use a payment service, a newsletter provider, or a licensed font. Transparency doesn't mean avoiding all external services. However, all relevant dependencies and associated costs must be known and traceable.
Practical example: From flat fees to clear responsibilities
In my work with small businesses, I regularly encounter a similar situation: The website has been running for years and a monthly fee is deducted, but no one in the company knows the exact scope of services. Only during a redesign does it become apparent that the domain is registered to an external party, hosting access is missing, or content can only be partially exported.
Initial Situation
- flat monthly fee without clear breakdown
- unclear scope of services for maintenance and support
- no separate access to domain and hosting
- restricted or unstructured data export
- Dependency on the existing system with every change
After the reorganization
- Separate positions for development, operation, and support
- documented administrator, domain and hosting access
- defined export formats for content and structured data
- written agreement regarding source code and usage rights
- Planned supplier change with technical handover
The benefit isn't necessarily in lower monthly expenses. The crucial factor is transparency: the company knows what is being paid for, what costs are being incurred, and what options exist if a change is made.
Offer checklist for a website without a subscription
Before you accept an offer, it should clearly answer the following points.
Project scope and ongoing operation
- Scope of services: What strategic, design, technical and content-related services are included?
- Payment plan: When are the down payment, interim payments and final balance due?
- Core system: What license or usage terms apply after full payment?
- Hosting: Who provides the hosting, what does it cost, and how can it be switched?
- Domain: In whose name is the domain registered and who has access to the registrar?
- Maintenance: Which controls and updates are included or available as options?
- updates: Which updates affect the delivered system and which further developments are commissioned separately?
- Third-party licenses: Which external components or services incur one-time or ongoing costs?
Export, rights and transfer
- Full export: What content, media, and structured data can be exported, and in what formats?
- Source code: Which individually developed components will be transferred and is repository access provided?
- Additions: Which administration, domain, hosting, and service accounts will your company receive?
- Documentation: What technical and editorial documentation is included in the handover?
- Rights of use: What is your company allowed to change and develop itself or through third parties?
- Termination: What are the termination, export, transfer, and deletion rules for optional services?
If several questions are answered with "We'll sort that out later," an avoidable risk remains. Strategic consulting for digital projects should address these issues before technical implementation, not just when switching providers.
The 5-minute check for your existing website contract
The following questions will help you quickly identify whether your current model contains unnecessary constraints:
- Is the domain demonstrably registered to your company?
- Does your company have its own administrator access?
- Can you export all content and media?
- Is it described whether and how you will receive the source code?
- Are usage rights and editing rights regulated in writing?
- Do you know which third-party licenses are being used?
- Are hosting and support costs listed separately.
- Can another technical service provider take over the website?
- Is there up-to-date documentation of the interfaces and access accounts?
- Can you provide a comprehensible estimate of the total costs for the next few years?
If you can't confidently answer three or more questions, you should first gather access information and contract documents. This isn't evidence of poor work by your current provider, but it does show that your company isn't adequately prepared for a disruption or a change of provider.
Switching providers: Here's how to proceed step by step
1. Request a full export
Request content, media, databases or structured data, and the contractually agreed-upon source files. Check not only whether files are delivered, but also whether the formats are actually reusable.
2. Check all access points
Create a list for domain, hosting, administration, email, analytics, maps, newsletters, payment services, and interfaces. Change passwords, control access, and document who in the company has access.
3. Prepare domain transfer
Verify the domain owner, the registrar, and the required transfer codes. Plan the transfer so that the website and email remain accessible with as little interruption as possible.
4. Migrate hosting
Set up the new environment before the old one is shut down. Transfer files and data, adjust technical settings, and check certificates, redirects, and forms.
5. Document dependencies
List all external services, license terms, and recurring fees. Determine which accounts need to be transferred, created anew, or replaced.
6. Test the technical handover
Test the website before the final switchover. This includes pages, forms, languages, redirects, search engine approvals, structured data, and business-critical interfaces.
7. Only shut down the old system afterwards.
Only cancel hosting or support once the new website is running stably, backups are in place, and all necessary data has been transferred. A short, controlled overlap reduces the risk of outages and data loss.
Here's how to calculate the realistic total costs
Don't just compare the initial purchase price or a monthly payment. Calculate the total costs over a period that makes sense for your business. A proper calculation takes the following into account:
- one-time strategy, design and development costs
- Domain and hosting for the entire period
- necessary safety maintenance
- optional support and content creation
- planned expansions
- Third-party licenses and external services
- internal working time for care and coordination
- potential costs of a later migration
A low initial price can lead to high overall costs over several years if every customization requires an additional package or exporting is difficult. A higher one-time investment can be more economical if the core system remains usable long-term. The decision depends on actual needs, internal resources, and the planned lifespan.
Questions and answers about the website without a subscription
Is btlabs Core really usable without a subscription?
Under the described model, no ongoing license fee is charged for the core system delivered as agreed. Domain, hosting, external services, and optional additional services are considered separately and itemized in the offer.
Why does hosting still cost money?
Hosting provides server capacity, storage, data transfer, and technical availability. This infrastructure is continuously operated and is therefore a recurring operating cost, not a license fee for the core system.
Do I need to book ongoing support?
Optional support is not a mandatory part of the core system model. However, you should still define who will be responsible for security checks, backups, technical maintenance, and necessary updates.
Are all future updates included in the one-time purchase?
No. A one-time investment covers the contractually defined project and delivery scope. Subsequent functional enhancements, major customizations, or additional interfaces are considered new services and should be offered separately.
Will I automatically receive the entire source code?
No. The transfer of the source code and access to a repository must be clearly described in the offer and contract. Editing rights, third-party components, and non-transferable elements should also be explicitly identified.
What does "full export" mean?
A full export should include the agreed-upon content, media, and structured data in documented, reusable formats. Which technical files, configurations, and source files are included must also be specified in writing.
Who owns the domain?
The domain should generally be registered to your company or the intended rights holder. Your company should also have access to the registrar or a clear contractual agreement for management and transfer.
Can I switch providers later?
Switching providers is a realistic option if data exports, access rights, usage rights, source code scope, and technical documentation are clearly defined. Before switching, the domain, hosting, external services, and all business-critical functions should be thoroughly tested.
Does a website without a subscription need security maintenance?
Yes. Subscription-free and security are two different things. Servers, interfaces, and software components need to be monitored and updated as needed, regardless of who performs this task.
Can btlabs Core be extended later?
The foundation is designed for future expansion, but not every function is included as standard. Shops, protected areas, booking functions, apps, or additional output channels must be strategically reviewed and agreed upon separately.
Evaluate a website without a subscription
A website without a subscription can be a good option for SMEs if the company wants to remain independent in the long term and plan costs transparently. This model is particularly suitable if you want to build your own digital foundation instead of paying continuously for access to a closed platform.
Don't base your decision solely on the term "one-time purchase." Examine the entire website cost model: scope of services, ongoing operating costs, maintenance responsibilities, data sovereignty, usage rights, third-party licenses, export options, and rules for switching providers.
A transparent website model reveals what costs are incurred, why they are incurred, and which decisions remain with your company.
The quality of a website without a subscription is demonstrated by a clear contract, documented technical handover, and well-defined responsibilities. This ensures that your business and the service provider remain operational even in the event of future changes.
