Comparison
Hands Free Sites vs Jottful: Done-For-You Websites Compared
11 min read · Updated July 2026
If you are weighing a Jottful alternative, or comparing Hands Free Sites and Jottful directly, you have already made the smart decision. You are not looking for a website builder. You want someone to build the site for you and keep it running.
Both services actually deliver that. Jottful is probably the most philosophically similar company to us in the market: real done-for-you builds, transparent published pricing, month-to-month terms, no lock-in games. We respect them, and this comparison will be fair to them.
The real differences come down to four things: how the site gets built (humans vs AI with human approval), what it costs each month, how changes happen after launch, and what you walk away with if you leave. Here is each one, honestly.
The short version
Pick Jottful if you want a dedicated human team building and co-maintaining your site, you value phone support with real people, and a budget of roughly $65 to $169 a month fits your business. As of July 2026, per jottful.com, they promise your site live in less than a week, and you see a free sample before paying.
Pick Hands Free Sites if you want the same done-for-you outcome at a fraction of the monthly cost, you want to see your complete site in about 5 minutes instead of days, and you want changes to happen by typing a sentence rather than working with an editor or a support queue. The build is free, hosting runs $10 to $12 a month typically, and the only one-time fee ($99 Branded upgrade) is optional.
Both let you cancel anytime. Neither hides pricing behind a sales call. That already puts both ahead of most of this category.
Side-by-side comparison
| Hands Free Sites | Jottful (as of July 2026, per jottful.com) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who builds it | AI builds it, you approve the real live site | Real humans ("No AI agents here") |
| Time to see your site | About 5 minutes | "Live in less than a week" |
| Setup fee | $0. Build is free | $99 setup on all plans (their site also references a $499 regular setup, with $99 as a promotional rate) |
| Monthly cost | $10 to $12/mo typical hosting | $65 to $169/mo ($55 to $145/mo billed annually) |
| Required one-time fee | None | $99+ setup |
| How edits work | Type what you want changed in plain English; the site updates. 5 free changes at signup, then $1 per change | Self-service via their "Magical Editor," or a content update service add-on at $90 to $120/mo |
| Own domain | Optional $99 one-time Branded upgrade (also removes badge, adds Google indexing, free email at your name) | Custom domain support included; domain registration $20 to $25 first year |
| Email at your domain | Free with Branded upgrade | Google Workspace add-on, $84/year per address |
| Support | Dashboard-based | Phone, text, and email, U.S.-based |
| Contract | Month to month, cancel anytime | Month to month, cancel anytime |
| File ownership / export | Full file download on every plan, leave anytime | Not specified on their pricing page (ask them directly) |
| See it before you pay | Yes, the full live site | Yes, a free sample website |
Jottful pricing vs Hands Free Sites pricing
As of July 2026, per jottful.com, Jottful publishes three plans: Let's Go! at $65/month, Grow at $79/month, and Pro at $169/month, each with a $99 setup fee. Annual billing brings those to $55, $65, and $145 per month respectively. Grow adds blogging and event management; Pro adds a dedicated success manager. Optional extras include a content update service at $90 to $120 a month, domain registration at $20 to $25 for the first year, and professional email at $84 a year per address.
That is genuinely fair pricing for human-built, human-supported websites. Their "90% less than designers charge" claim holds up against typical agency quotes of $3,000 to $15,000+.
Hands Free Sites works differently:
- The build is free. We build your entire site and put it live so you can click through every page before spending anything.
- Hosting runs $10 to $12 a month, typically. That covers hosting, SSL, the CDN, and upkeep, and every line of it is itemized on your invoice.
- There is no required one-time fee. The optional $99 Branded upgrade connects your own domain, removes our badge, makes the site indexable on Google, and includes free email at your own name. It is a one-time payment, permanent, and genuinely optional.
- Jottful Let's Go!, monthly billing: $99 setup + $65 × 12 = $879
- Hands Free Sites, base plan: $0 build + roughly $12 × 12 = about $144
- Hands Free Sites with the optional Branded upgrade: about $243
Why the gap? Jottful pays human designers and a human support team for every site, every month. That is a real cost and a real benefit. Our AI does the build and the edits, with you approving the results, so the recurring cost is mostly infrastructure. Neither model is a trick. They are just different ways of producing the same outcome, and the price difference reflects who (or what) is doing the work.
What Jottful does well
Credit where it is due. Based on their public site as of July 2026:
- Real humans, start to finish. Jottful makes this a headline promise, and for some owners it is the whole point. If you want a person who knows your business looking at your site, that is worth paying for.
- You see it before you pay. Their free sample website with zero obligation is the honest way to sell in this category. We do the same thing (with the full live site), and we wish more competitors did.
- Fast for human-built. Live in under a week is quick for a hand-built site. Agencies routinely take months.
- Transparent pricing and month-to-month terms. Published prices, no contracts, cancel anytime. This is rarer than it should be.
- Real support channels. Phone, text, and email with U.S.-based humans. We do not offer phone support; if that matters to you, advantage Jottful.
Where Hands Free Sites is different
Speed: 5 minutes vs days
You type a few sentences about your business into our start page and see your complete site, live and clickable, about 5 minutes later. Not a mockup. The actual working site, every page, on your phone and your laptop. Jottful's under-a-week turnaround is fast for humans; it is still a different order of magnitude.
Edits by asking, priced per change
After launch, you never touch an editor. You type "change my Tuesday hours to 10 to 6" or "add a page about drain cleaning" into your dashboard and the site updates. Your first 5 changes are free at signup, then each change is $1.
Jottful gives you their "Magical Editor" to make updates yourself, or a $90 to $120 a month add-on to have their team do it. That is a meaningful fork: with Jottful's base plans, ongoing edits are your job in their editor. We deliberately do not give you an editor, because we think "done for you" should include the years after launch, not just the build.
Ownership, in writing
Every Hands Free Sites plan includes full file download. Your complete site as standard web files that run on any host. Domains bought through us are registered in your name at registrar cost, and you can transfer out in one click. Cancel anytime and take everything.
Jottful's pricing page does not state a file export or ownership policy either way, so we will not claim they lock you in. We will just say: ask them the same question you should ask any service. "If I cancel, can I download my complete site files?" Get the answer in writing before you sign up, from them and from anyone else, including us. Ours is on the pricing page.
Monthly cost
$10 to $12 a month versus $65 to $169 a month. Over three years, on entry plans, that is roughly $430 versus $2,440. For a lot of small businesses that difference is a marketing budget.
Who should pick which
Choose Jottful if:
- You specifically want humans designing and maintaining your site, and AI-built is a dealbreaker for you
- You want phone support from real people
- You like making your own small updates in a friendly editor
- Roughly $65 to $169 a month fits comfortably in your budget
- You want the done-for-you outcome at roughly one fifth the monthly price
- You want to see your finished site today, in minutes, before deciding anything
- You never want to open a website editor, for any reason, ever
- You want file ownership and leave-anytime guaranteed in writing
- You want to start completely free and add the optional $99 Branded step only when you are ready
Frequently asked questions
Is Jottful legit?
Yes. Based on their public site, Jottful is a real done-for-you website service with humans building the sites, published pricing, month-to-month terms, and a free sample before you pay. We compete with them and still consider them one of the more honest options in the category.
How much does Jottful cost?
As of July 2026, per jottful.com: plans run $65 to $169 a month ($55 to $145 billed annually) plus a $99 setup fee. Optional add-ons include a content update service at $90 to $120 a month, domains at $20 to $25 for the first year, and email at $84 a year per address. Verify current pricing on their site, since it can change.
What is the cheapest Jottful alternative that is still done for you?
Hands Free Sites builds your site free and hosts it for $10 to $12 a month typically, with no required one-time fee. The optional $99 Branded upgrade adds your own domain, removes our badge, and gets you indexed on Google. That is the lowest-cost real done-for-you model we know of, and we publish every number on our pricing page.
Does Hands Free Sites use AI to build the site?
Yes, and we say so plainly. Our AI designs and builds the full site, writes the copy, and makes your changes. You review the real live site before paying anything and approve everything. Jottful builds with humans and advertises "No AI agents here." Both approaches produce a finished site without you doing the work; the differences are speed and price.
How do edits work after launch?
With Hands Free Sites, you type what you want changed into your dashboard in plain English and the site updates. 5 changes are free at signup, then $1 per change. With Jottful, as of July 2026 per their pricing page, you make updates yourself in their editor, or pay $90 to $120 a month for their content update service.
Can I leave either service and keep my website?
With Hands Free Sites, yes, on every plan: full file download, domain in your name, cancel anytime. Jottful's pricing page does not state an export policy, so ask them directly and get the answer in writing before signing up.
How fast will I see my website?
Hands Free Sites: about 5 minutes from describing your business to clicking through your complete live site. Jottful: their site says "live in less than a week." Both let you see the result before paying.
See yours before you decide anything
The fastest way to compare is to look at the actual product. Tell us about your business. We build the site. Free. You will be clicking through the whole thing in about 5 minutes, and if it is not right, you have spent nothing.
Not ready? Get a free audit of your current web presence, read the full done-for-you guide, or see how we stack up against UENI and Wix.