Do you own your website if you pay monthly?
By the Pixiware team · Published · Updated
Short answer: your domain is always yours and you can cancel anytime. The website itself is part of the monthly service. If you want to own it completely, you can buy it outright for a one-off fee and take it anywhere. If you don't, the site comes down when you cancel. Here's exactly how that works, in plain terms.
- Your domain is yours, registered in your name, whatever happens.
- You can cancel anytime. No minimum term, no exit fee.
- You can own the site outright by buying it out for a one-off fee, then host it anywhere.
- If you cancel without buying it out, the hosted site comes down, because hosting and support are part of the monthly fee.
01Do you own the website itself?
While you're subscribed, the website is part of the service you pay for each month, in the same way your hosting, updates and support are. You own your domain and the content you give us, like your words, logo and photos.
If you want to own the built website outright, you can. We'll sell it to you for a one-off buy-out fee, hand over the files, and you're free to host it with anyone. So "do you own it?" has an honest two-part answer: the domain and content, always; the built site, once you buy it out.
02What happens if you stop paying?
This is the question people worry about most, so here's the plain version. If you stop paying and don't buy the site out, the hosted website is taken offline. That's not a penalty, it's simply that the hosting, security and support keeping it live are part of the monthly fee.
Your domain is unaffected. It's registered in your name, so it stays yours and you can point it wherever you like. You can also restart the subscription later, or buy the site out to keep it running elsewhere. Nothing about your business gets held hostage.
03Can you cancel anytime?
Yes. There's no minimum term and no exit fee. If it isn't working for you, you cancel and that's that. We'd rather earn your £25 a month by keeping your site fast and useful than trap you in a contract, because a customer who wants to leave and can't is not a customer for long.
04Who owns your domain?
You do. We register it in your name, not ours. Your domain is the single most important asset your website has, because it's your address on the internet and everything links back to it. Some providers keep the domain in their own account, which quietly locks you in. We don't, and you should check this with anyone you're considering.
05Can you take your website with you?
Yes, by buying it out. Pay the one-off buy-out fee and the built site is yours to keep and host anywhere, with the files handed over. If you'd rather not, you simply cancel and the hosted site comes down while you keep your domain. Either way you're free to walk. You're never stuck with us because you can't get your site back.
06Why we do it this way
Our whole model is £0 to build and £25 a month, so the website is genuinely part of an ongoing service rather than a thing you buy once. Being straight about ownership is the point. If we hid the answer, you'd be right not to trust the offer. So: your domain is yours, you can leave whenever you want, and you can buy the site outright if you want to own it. That's the honest version, and it removes the biggest reason people hesitate over paying monthly. It's also why we wrote an honest pay monthly vs upfront comparison rather than a one-sided pitch.
Frequently asked questions
Do you own your website if you pay monthly?
You own your domain and your content, and with Pixiware you can buy the website outright for a one-off fee to own it completely and take it anywhere. While you're subscribed, the site itself is part of the £25 a month service. If you cancel without buying it out, the site comes down but your domain stays yours.
What happens to your website if you stop paying?
The hosted site is taken offline, because hosting and support are part of the monthly fee. Your domain is registered in your name, so it stays yours whatever happens. You can restart the subscription, or buy the site outright to keep it running elsewhere.
Can you cancel a pay monthly website anytime?
Yes. With Pixiware there's no minimum term and no exit fee. You can cancel whenever you like. Your domain remains yours, and you can buy the site outright if you want to keep it.
Still got a question about ownership?
Ask us anything before you commit. We'll give you the exact terms in writing, including the buy-out fee, so there are no surprises later.