FASO is a strong product. It is inexpensive, artist-specific, and unusually feature-rich. Artist Site Co. should not be presented as a cheaper FASO or as the only professional option.
The real distinction is simpler: FASO is an artist website platform. Artist Site Co. is a managed website service. One gives you tools designed for artists. The other gives you a team responsible for shaping, launching, and caring for the website.
What FASO offers for a remarkably low price
FASO’s published plans currently range from $12 to $40 per month when billed annually. Depending on the plan, artists receive a mobile-optimized website, artwork collections, ecommerce, a blog, newsletter tools, marketing education, community resources, contests, print-on-demand, augmented-reality previews, and other artist-specific features.
FASO also offers a separately purchased Kickstart service that can build an initial site, migrate up to 50 images, and create up to five collections. That matters because it would be inaccurate to claim that FASO always leaves every part of setup to the artist.
Who should choose FASO?
- The lowest cash cost is a primary concern
- You want a large set of artist-specific features immediately
- Built-in newsletters, contests, community, and marketing resources appeal to you
- You are comfortable selecting a template and managing your artwork
- You want to experiment with a platform before making a larger investment
- A standardized artist-site system fits the way you want to present the work
For that artist, FASO may be the better economic choice. Artist Site Co. should say so clearly.
Who should choose Artist Site Co.?
- You want professional visual and content direction rather than choosing everything yourself
- You want the initial pages and artwork entries prepared and published
- You care about a presentation shaped closely around your own work
- You want portable content and a flexible selling foundation
- You want one accountable partner for hosting, maintenance, and technical support
- You may want the same partner to produce future artwork updates, articles, emails, landing pages, and campaigns
Artist Site Co. is strongest for a serious emerging artist approaching a concrete professional milestone, a working artist preparing to sell and build an email audience, or an established artist who wants ongoing collector marketing handled.
A direct comparison
| Decision | FASO | Artist Site Co. |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purchase | Artist website software and marketing ecosystem | Professional implementation, technical care, and optional marketing production |
| Initial price | $12–$40/month on published annual plans | Artist Launch $995, Commerce Launch $1,995, or Collector Growth $3,995, plus the selected monthly relationship |
| Design approach | Choose an artist website template | Choose a curated direction that we configure around the artist |
| Content setup | Artist-managed, with optional paid Kickstart service | Defined initial artwork and page preparation included |
| Ongoing work | Artist manages content through FASO | Technical care at every level, with finished marketing outputs in Collector Growth |
| Platform | FASO’s hosted artist system | Managed WordPress and WooCommerce |
What about ecommerce fees?
FASO publishes additional platform transaction fees on Stripe payments: 10% on Intro, 3% on Silver, 2% on Gold, and 1% on Platinum. Its $79-per-month Platinum+ option removes the FASO transaction fee, and PayPal Checkout does not carry a FASO transaction fee.
Artist Site Co. uses WooCommerce with a selected processor such as WooPayments. The artist pays the processor’s published charge, but Artist Site Co. does not add a percentage platform fee to each sale. For most artists, however, transaction-fee differences alone will not justify the higher managed-service price. Presentation, implementation, ownership, and ongoing responsibility must be the real reasons to choose us.
The honest verdict
Choose FASO when you want an affordable, capable tool and are comfortable running the website.
Choose Artist Site Co. when you want a partner responsible for the website and, at the premium level, ongoing collector marketing.
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Sources: FASO pricing, features, transaction fees, and Kickstart description; FASO templates and platform positioning; WooPayments fee documentation. Reviewed August 2026; pricing and terms may change.