When Done-For-You Beats a £60k Agency Build
When done-for-you beats a £60k agency build
You've decided to build a proper Magento store. The default next step — hire an agency — isn't the only one, and it isn't always the best one. A done-for-you (DFY) platform set up on your behalf can deliver the same result in days instead of quarters, for a fraction of the cost. Here's an honest look at when each route wins.
The done-for-you option here is the AgenticEcom Suite, set up on your store, but this is an honest look at when that beats an agency and when it doesn't.
The agency build
A custom agency build runs £60,000 to £200,000, takes four to nine months, and then costs 20–40% of the build every year in maintenance. You get something bespoke and you own it — along with the timeline risk, the change-request meter, the key-person dependency, and the slow feedback loop of "we'll scope that and come back to you." For genuinely unique requirements, that bespoke work is justified. For most stores, a lot of that budget pays for re-building things that have been built a hundred times before.
The done-for-you route
DFY flips the model: instead of commissioning a build from scratch, you take a finished, proven platform and have it configured for your catalogue and brand. The headless storefront, the 40+ modules, the speed tuning, the integrations — already built, already tested, already fast. Setup is measured in days. The price is fixed and a fraction of an agency quote, because you're not paying anyone to reinvent the wheel.
The honest comparison
| Agency build | Done-for-you | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | £60k–£200k | A fraction |
| Live in | 4–9 months | Days |
| Speed | Agency-dependent | 96 / 1.1s, proven |
| Risk | Timeline + key-person | Already built |
| Ongoing | 20–40%/yr | Flat subscription |
When the agency build still wins
If your store has genuinely unusual requirements — bespoke integrations, a non-standard buying flow, deep custom logic no product covers — a good agency earns its fee. DFY is the right call when what you need is a fast, modern, feature-complete store done well, not a one-of-a-kind machine. For most merchants, that's exactly the requirement. The full cost picture across every option is in the real cost of a Magento store, and the storefront itself is the AgenticEcom Astro storefront.
A £60,000 build, done in days. The AgenticEcom Suite is the done-for-you platform — the headless storefront and 40+ modules, configured for you, owned not rented, from £9,995 a year. See the Suite →
Frequently asked questions
Is done-for-you cheaper than an agency Magento build?
Almost always. An agency build runs £60k–£200k over months; a done-for-you platform configures a finished, proven stack for you in days at a fraction of the cost, because nothing is rebuilt from scratch.
What's the catch with a done-for-you store?
You start from a proven platform rather than a blank page, so genuinely unique, bespoke requirements may still need custom work. For a fast, modern, feature-complete store — which is most merchants' need — that's an advantage, not a limit.
When should I still use an agency?
When you have unusual integrations, a non-standard buying flow, or deep custom logic no existing product covers. For everything else, done-for-you delivers the same result faster and cheaper.