Fixed price · Quote

Should I choose a fixed price or a quote?

Choose a fixed price if what you need already fits within a plan's set scope, and a quote if features outside that scope are essential. If it's hard to decide, write down "what customers will do on your website" and check whether every one of those actions is in the plan description.

For businesses that mainly need an introduction, location and contact options, a fixed price is usually enough. When your own business rules come in, such as membership tiers, recurring payments or connections to other systems, a quote is the right fit.

There's also a middle option: start with a fixed-price plan and add only the features you need as options or a separate quote. For a small business, this approach tends to make it easier to balance budget and features.

If you're not sure which fits, write down what you want and get a consultation. Whether a fixed price is enough or a quote is needed can usually be judged right away once the agency hears which features you want.

How is the price of a website quote determined?

A quote is generally calculated by converting "the amount of work involved" into the hours people will spend on it. The number of screens, the number of features, connections to outside services (payments · text messages · maps, etc.) and who prepares the materials largely determine the amount of work.

For public-sector software projects, there are standards such as the cost estimation guide published by the Korea Association of AI and Software Industry (KOSA). It isn't applied as-is to small-business websites, but it helps explain why quotes vary with features and workload.

That's why quotes for the same "booking website" can differ from agency to agency. Rather than comparing prices alone, it's important to line up what each quote actually includes.

In particular, the price varies a lot depending on whether the design is built from scratch or adapted from an existing template. If the quote doesn't say, ask.

What should I send to get an accurate quote?

The more specific your request form, the faster the quote, and the less likely the price is to change later. You don't need to know technical terms; writing from your customers' point of view is enough.

For a Pilates studio, listing your own rules, like "deducting sessions from membership passes," "timetables by instructor" and "automatic reminders the day before class," makes it possible to tell right away whether a fixed-price plan with options will do or a quote is needed.

Your request form doesn't have to be perfect. If you write "I'm not sure" for the parts you don't know, you can decide them together during the consultation. Filling in unknowns with guesses can get features you don't need added to the quote.

1. 01Write in one line what you want the website to achieve. (e.g., I want to take sign-ups for trial classes)
2. 02Write down, in order, what customers do on the website. (e.g., choose a class → pick a date → pay → get a notification)
3. 03List the pages you need.
4. 04Write down the admin tasks you'll handle yourself. (e.g., processing booking cancellations, downloading the member list)
5. 05Add the addresses of sites you'd like to reference and what you like about them.
6. 06Note whether materials like photos and text are ready.
7. 07Write down your preferred launch date and budget range.

What should I compare when I get quotes?

Compare the line items, not the total. A quote that looks cheap may have left out upkeep or outside costs.

When comparing quotes from several agencies, send the exact same request form to all of them. If the requests differ, it's hard to tell whether a price gap comes from a difference in scope or in pricing.

If terms in a quote are unfamiliar, don't just skip past them; ask. Whether an agency explains in a way you can understand what each line item pays for is also a good test when choosing one.

• Whether both included and excluded items are listed
• Number of revisions and build time
• Whether monthly upkeep and hosting costs are separate
• Who pays outside costs such as domain fees, payment processing fees and text message charges
• Whether the build time counts from the contract date or from the day materials are received
• Payment terms, such as a deposit and final balance
• How the quote is reset if the scope changes

When do extra costs come up with a fixed-price plan?

Even a fixed-price plan can incur extra costs if you go beyond the set number of pages, features or revisions. Knowing this in advance helps you pick the right plan from the start.

For example, if a hair salon building an introduction website wants a separate page for each branch, that's an extra page, and if a craft studio wants an English version for international students, multilingual work is added. Hiring someone to write your introduction text or take photos because you can't prepare them yourself can also be an extra item.

If there are pages, revisions or features beyond the basic scope, ISSYMO tells you the price in a quote first and only proceeds after you agree.

What are common mistakes with fixed-price and quote contracts?

The most common mistake is confirming scope only verbally, with something like "That's all included, right?", without putting it in writing. If the two sides had different scopes in mind, cost discussions tend to come up mid-build.

The standard software contracts published by Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT also call for putting the scope, payment, termination and dispute resolution in writing. Even for a small-business website, checking by the same principles keeps you safe.

If a quote is noticeably lower than others, ask why. Checking whether it adapts a basic template, offers fewer revisions or has large separate upkeep fees lets you compare the real total cost.

• Choosing based only on the lowest total
• Leaving vague scope wording like "other necessary features" as is
• Setting a budget without outside costs (domain, payment fees, text message charges)
• Adding more and more features mid-build without rechecking the quote