// 3-YEAR TCO
ModernGrindTech
The full cost of "just use Webflow."
No-code platforms look cheap on day one. Across 36 months, once plugin fees, per-seat pricing, and migration-out costs stack up, custom builds come out ahead on almost every project type. This simulator posts the real math.
Project type
MGT 3-year cost
$5,120
Cheapest no-code option
$13,504
Most expensive option
$23,100
Vercel + Neon + Stripe, your code, unlimited users, custom features.
Good MVP speed, hits walls at scale, token-based usage fees.
Performance ceiling at ~1000 users, expensive plugins, no real code export.
Fast internal tooling, per-user pricing gets ugly, external auth is clunky.
// ASSUMPTIONS
How the numbers are built.
Upfront is the cost to launch day one: MGT build fee, no-code setup + designer fees, template purchases, first-month subscription.
Monthly is the standard tier for each platform at typical usage. Enterprise tiers would push the no-code options higher.
Hidden yearly covers plugins, apps, transaction fees above card-processing, and support add-ons that most platforms push onto paid tiers.
Exit cost is what it takes to migrate off if you outgrow the platform: redesign, content port, data export, SEO cleanup. MGT exit cost is zero because you already own the code.
Ceiling risk is qualitative: low means the platform scales with you, medium means you will hit a wall eventually, high means you will hit the wall inside 18 months of growth.
Numbers calibrated against actual client quotes, platform pricing pages (checked 2026-Q1), and 7 forwarded no-code exit invoices.