# Bounley vs doing it yourself

> To look like a real brand online you need three things: your own domain, an email address at it, and a website. Here is what it takes to put them together yourself, and what Bounley, the platform built for personal brands, does instead.

Source: https://bounley.com/bounley-vs-diy · Updated 2026-10-11

**Short answer:** Doing it yourself means three accounts: a domain registrar (around $10 to $20 a year), an email host such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 (usually from around $7 a month per address) with DNS records copied between them, and a website builder (free to around $20 a month, plus hours of design). Bounley sets up the website, the domain and the email in one sign-up, with the card and signature made from the same site.

## Doing it yourself

| What you need | Where people usually get it | What it takes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Your own domain | A domain registrar, such as GoDaddy, Namecheap or Porkbun | Usually around $10 to $20 a year, plus settings most people never touch |
| Email at your domain | An email provider, such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 | Usually from about $6 to $8 a month, plus DNS records copied between two sites |
| A website | A website builder, such as Squarespace, Wix or Carrd | Free to about $20 a month, plus hours of building |
| A page for your bios | A link-in-bio tool | Another account, another look, another place to update |
| A card and email signature | Separate tools again | Made by hand, and out of date the next time anything changes |

Prices are typical starting prices and change; check each company’s site for today’s.

![Two link in bio pages made with Bounley, on phones: a creator's page with his photo as the cover and a singer's page with a sunset album cover and tour dates. Beside it: “The link in bio that’s yours”, the Bounley logo, bounley.me/yourname and bounley.com.](https://bounley.com/media/own-your-link-in-bio-bounley.webp)
*The link in bio that’s yours. Made with Bounley.*

## With Bounley

- **One sign-up** for the site, the domain, the email, the card and the signature.

- **Records put in for you** on a domain from Bounley, so email works without touching DNS.

- **Everything matches,** because the card, the signature and the picture your link shows when it’s shared are all made from your site.

- **Change it once.** Edit your site and the card, the signature and the preview follow.

Your site, card, signature and stats are free while Bounley is in beta. Premium, for your own domain and email at it, is invitation-only during the beta. [Your own domain and email](https://bounley.com/own-your-name) has the details.

---

Bounley is the platform built for personal brands: your own domain, a professional email at it and your website, set up in one place. Claim your name at https://bounley.com/ (free while in beta).