$590 a Year for Etch Studio? I'll Use Astro.

Etch Studio costs $590 a year on the annual plan, or $708 if you pay monthly. You pay that every year, and the FAQ says there “won’t be a lifetime deal” for it.

Astro is free and open source. I’m not paying rent on a website builder.

I want the code, not a panel

A visual builder gives you control through its interface. I want the code. In Astro I write components, layouts, styles and conditions in plain HTML, CSS, JavaScript and TypeScript, and I keep all of it in Git.

Those skills work anywhere. Etch’s interface works in Etch.

The CMS isn’t special

Studio bundles a CMS and an asset manager, with client editing promised. I can plug Sanity, Storyblok, Directus or Payload into Astro, whichever suits the client. Some of them cost money, but that’s my call on each project. A five-page brochure site doesn’t need a publishing platform’s setup.

AI took away the sales pitch

Visual builders sold you a way out of repetitive work. AI does that work now: scaffolding, components, responsive layouts, CSS refactors, API integrations, finding bugs. I review the result and fix it in the code.

I’m not spending months learning another builder’s quirks. I’d rather spend them getting better at the web itself.

Build your workflow. Don’t rent it.

My starter template, component library, design tokens and deployment config are mine. Every project makes them better, and that value stays in my business.

And then there’s Kevin

I won’t tie my business to one outspoken founder. Kevin Geary called WordPress “the slowly rotting carcass of the WordPress dinosaur” while his company sold lifetime WordPress licences. Then most new features are to be built in Studio first.

I want to build websites, not inherit his drama.

With Astro, my code, my hosting and my components are my own. If an integration stops working for me, I replace it. If a vendor changes direction, I leave.

Astro gives me the foundation. AI gives me the speed. Kevin can keep the $590.

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