How much does your digital catalog really cost? Ponukan vs. hidden costs of alternatives

Every small business owner and creator knows that an online presence is essential today. Whether it's a simple profile with service offerings or a more extensive product catalog, the question is: How much will it cost? And more importantly, what are the real, total costs, including your valuable time?

At Ponukan, we offer clear and transparent pricing:

• Service catalog from €4.20 per month.
• Full-featured product catalog for €9 per month.
• Advanced connection to warehouse system for €99 per month.

But how do these prices compare to common alternatives? Let's take a closer look and reveal the often-overlooked costs.

Alternative 1: web builders (Wix, Squarespace, etc.)

The appeal: Low entry prices, often "free" plans, simple drag-and-drop. Reality and hidden costs:

• Limitations of free plans: Builder ads on your site, inability to use your own domain, limited storage and features. It looks unprofessional.
• Need for paid plans: If you want to remove ads, connect a domain, get more space, or use e-commerce features, you have to upgrade to a paid plan. Prices quickly climb to €15 - €30 per month or more, depending on the features.
• Transaction fees: When selling through their platform, they often charge a percentage of each transaction (in addition to payment gateway fees).
• Time investment: Even though they are "simple," you still have to spend hours choosing a template, adjusting the design, learning the interface, and setting up all the details. Your time has value!

Comparison with Ponukan: Ponukan's plans are designed specifically for catalogs, without unnecessary features that make web builders more expensive. For €4.20 or €9, you get exactly what you need for a professional presentation, without ads and with a clear price.

Alternative 2: DIY - own website (e.g., WordPress + hosting + domain)

The appeal: Full control, a vast number of plugins and themes, potentially low initial costs. Reality and hidden costs (the tip of the iceberg):

• Domain: approx. €10-15 per year.
• Hosting: approx. €5-15 per month (basic shared hosting).
• Theme/Template: Free ones are limited, quality premium themes cost €50 - €100 one-time (sometimes with an annual update fee).
• Plugins: Basic functions (contact form, SEO, security, gallery) often require plugins. Many quality ones have paid versions with an annual fee (tens to hundreds of € per year for all necessary ones). The e-commerce plugin (WooCommerce) is free, but extensions for payment gateways, shipping, and other features may be paid.
• SSL Certificate: Sometimes included with hosting, sometimes another annual fee.
• SECURITY AND MAINTENANCE: This is a HUGE hidden cost. You have to take care of regular updates for WordPress, themes, plugins (and hope they don't break anything), deal with security vulnerabilities, back up data. It is extremely time-consuming and requires technical knowledge.
• Time sink: Installation, configuration, learning the system, troubleshooting, maintenance... You will spend tens, if not hundreds, of hours. How much is an hour of your time worth? Multiply that.
• Repair costs: When something goes wrong (and it will), and you don't know how to fix it, you have to pay a programmer or "WordPress fixer" (€30 - €100+ per hour).

Comparison with Ponukan: For €4.20 or €9 per month, Ponukan includes hosting, SSL, security, automatic updates, and maintenance. You don't have to deal with any technical issues or waste time. You pay a predictable amount for a working solution.

Alternative 3: hiring a professional (programmer, agency)

The appeal: You don't have to do anything yourself, you get a custom solution. Reality and hidden costs:

• High initial investment: Creating a simple custom website or catalog (or even just modifying a WordPress template) costs hundreds to thousands of euros.
• Maintenance costs: They often charge a monthly or annual fee for maintenance, updates, and small adjustments (tens to hundreds of € per month).
• Costs for changes: If you want to add new features or make bigger changes, you pay additional hourly rates.
• Dependence: You are dependent on the availability and pricing of your provider.
• Still your work: You still have to provide all the texts, photos, products, and communicate with the provider, which also costs time.

Comparison with Ponukan: Ponukan represents a fraction of the initial costs. For €99 per month, you even get an advanced feature like warehouse integration, which would cost thousands of euros just for implementation in custom development, not to mention maintenance. With Ponukan, you have full control over the content without needing to pay for every small change.

Ponukan: transparent value for your money

When you compare Ponukan with the alternatives, it's clear that our prices are not just competitive – they are extremely advantageous when you consider all the hidden costs and the value of your time.

• Predictability: You know exactly how much you will pay each month. No unexpected expenses for repairs or expensive plugins.
• Time saving: Hours saved on technical administration can be invested in your business.
• Simplicity: You don't have to be a technician or designer to have a professional catalog.
• Comprehensive solution: Hosting, SSL, security, updates – everything is included in the price.

Investing in an online presence doesn't have to mean a financial burden or a technical nightmare. Choose a solution that respects both your budget and your time.

See our fair prices or Try Ponukan for free and see for yourself the value we bring.