The Problem with "Easy" Website Builders
For years, my father-in-law's architecture firm TENUR Arquitectura ran its website on a popular drag-and-drop platform. Nice templates, SSL included. Set-it-and-forget-it simple.
But nobody tells you you're paying a premium for simplicity you might not need.
These services cost €25/month for a business site. That's €300/year. For a portfolio that gets a few hundred visitors a month and barely changes.
The site was basic:
- Homepage with company info
- Gallery of 16 architecture projects
- Contact page
- Legal pages
Static content only. No e-commerce. No logins. No complexity.
€300/year for what was basically a fancy PDF.
The Real Costs of "Convenience"
Beyond the subscription:
Limited Control – Their editor, their rules. Custom tweaks? Forget it.
Performance – Extra JavaScript and tracking slowed everything down.
Vendor Lock-in – Content trapped in their system. Exporting was a nightmare.
Forever Fees – Miss a payment, site goes dark. You own nothing.
How I Fixed It
I took over and migrated everything to Astro + Traefik on Oracle Cloud Always Free. Took me 15 minutes total.
Result: €0/month forever.
Oracle's Always Free tier + Astro + Traefik = perfect combo:
- Blazing fast static site from Astro
- Traefik handling routing/SSL termination
- Free hosting/bandwidth/compute from Oracle
- Total control
What Changed
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| €300/year | €0/year (Oracle Always Free) |
| Locked to website builder | Full ownership |
| Their templates | Astro + custom design |
| Their servers | Oracle Cloud + Traefik |
| Limited tweaks | Total control |
Now it loads in milliseconds. Astro's clean HTML/CSS + Traefik efficiency. No platform bloat.
Want to change anything? Astro rebuilds instantly. Traefik auto-configures. Move elsewhere? Just copy files.
The 15-Minute Migration
- Downloaded all content (images, text, pages)
- Built new site with Astro (imported content, styled projects gallery)
- Set up Traefik for routing/SSL on Oracle
- Deployed to Oracle Cloud Always Free static hosting
- Updated domain DNS
- Tested live
Zero downtime. Zero data loss.
Is This for You?
If you're not technical, stick with website builders. Your time is worth €300/year.
But if you:
- Know some tech (or know someone who does)
- Run a simple/low-traffic site
- Hate recurring hosting fees
- Want real control
Astro + Traefik + Oracle Always Free is your answer.
The Math
5 years website builder: €1,500
5 years Astro + Traefik + Oracle: €0
That's a nice camera lens. Weekend trip. Or just cash in your pocket.
The Takeaway
We think websites must cost money. Not true for simple portfolios.
Astro + Traefik + Oracle Cloud Always Free = free, fast, fully owned.
I spent 15 minutes migrating TENUR's site. Paid for itself instantly.
Sometimes the smartest optimization is just saying no to subscriptions.
The TENUR Arquitectura site now runs on Astro + Traefik + Oracle Always Free. Same content, no monthly bill. Dad, you're welcome.
