An agency does the work for a monthly retainer. NetNav gives one person the direction, does the safe fixes, and costs a fraction as much.
Grouped the way NetNav works: watch, decide, do and prove. Where the other option does more, we say so.
| At a glance | An agency or freelancer | NetNav |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Firms that want the work done for them | Firms where one person runs the marketing |
| Its job | Plans and does the work, on a retainer | Watches, decides what matters, and fixes what it can |
| How you see the work | A monthly report or call | Every task, its evidence, and what changed |
| WatchWhat it checks and keeps an eye on | ||
| Checks your site and rivals | Yes: As part of the work | Yes: 200+ checks across ten agents, every scan |
| Security, accessibility and cookies | Partly: Depends on the agency | Yes: Three of the ten agents |
| Watches between reports | Partly: Depends on the agency | Yes: Your site every 5 minutes |
| DecideWhether it tells you what matters | ||
| Tells you what to do first, and why | Yes: In the monthly plan | Yes: A short plan, every week, with the evidence |
| DoWho makes the changes | ||
| Does the work for you | Yes: That is the job | Partly: The safe fixes on WordPress. Steps for the rest |
| Writes content and runs ads | Yes: Often, at extra cost | No: Not included |
| ProveWhether you can show it worked | ||
| Shows what changed | Yes: A monthly report | Yes: A monthly record, checked against predictions |
| Cancel any time | Partly: Often a minimum term | Yes: Yes, from your account |
We would rather you choose the right tool than the wrong one. These are an agency’s real strengths, and where NetNav goes further.
Some firms keep an agency for content or ads, and use NetNav to watch everything else and check what each change did.
Every NetNav plan includes all ten agents and all 200+ checks. You pay for how much it does for you.
For firms where one person runs the marketing, it can be: it does the watching, the deciding and the safe fixes. It doesn’t write articles, run ads or build sites, so if you need those, an agency still helps.
Run the free scan. You get the full picture across all ten agents, and a short plan for the week, most important first.
Yes. Send any task to the person doing the work, with the changes, the files and how to check them. You are copied in.
A small agency typically charges £1,000 to £3,000 a month, and an experienced freelancer £800 to £2,500, according to Whito’s 2026 research.
Checked October 2026, and every quarter after. Prices are approximate, in pounds. Agency prices vary widely. These are typical ranges, not quotes. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.