Website rental in South Africa · Bunnypants Studio
Rent Only Websites A proper website, on a monthly fee.
For startups, side hustles and small businesses that need to be online this month, without a large upfront invoice.
Rent Only is offered through Rent A Website, our separate rental brand. It is run by the same trained Bunnypants designers, developers and project managers who build our custom websites. Same people. Different packaging.
From R480 a month plus a R1 980 once-off activation fee, with no VAT added. 24-month minimum term. Rent Only does not transfer ownership.
First, an honest word
A custom-designed website is still how we prefer to work.
For 21 years, Bunnypants Studio has designed and built custom websites that businesses own outright, with more strategy, more design time, editing access and room for serious functionality. If your budget allows for it, that is the route we will recommend every time.
Rent Only is for the stage before that, when a proper website matters but a full once-off build doesn't make sense in month one.
Why we built Rent A Website
We kept meeting good people we couldn't help properly.
Affordable because you rent it, not because it's a cheapie.
Startups with a real idea and no budget for a full custom build. Hobbyists going semi-professional. Founders who needed to be online this month, not after a six-week project cycle.
Quoting them our studio rates helped nobody. Discounting our studio work to fit would have quietly devalued it for every client who pays properly for it. So instead of stretching Bunnypants Studio downwards, we built something separate.
Rent A Website is its own brand with its own audience: startups, side hustles, hobby businesses and anyone who needs a proper website but can't justify a full once-off build yet. It works a bit like renting a campsite. You get a great spot without buying the land.
The problem behind the keyboard
AI website tools aren't the problem. Who's directing them is.
More founders are building their own websites with AI tools, and we understand why. But most people can't prompt their way to a brand. The result either looks like a template or, worse, like somebody else's business. Almost nobody gets the SEO right, so a decent-looking website ends up like a pamphlet locked in a drawer. Nice enough. Seen by nobody.
We use AI build tools ourselves, without apology. Rent A Website simply puts a trained designer back behind the keyboard: directing the design, herding the AI and doing the technical work, like SEO, properly.
Designed by a human
Your colours, images and tone, art-directed by our designers. Not a template with your logo dropped in.
Built with machines
AI tools speed up the build. That speed is part of what keeps the monthly fee realistic.
Set up to be found
Basic on-page SEO and Google indexing from day one, structured so AI answer engines can read it too.
A separate brand. The same people.
Packaged differently. Looked after by the same team.
Rent A Website has its own name, its own website and a deliberately more playful personality. Behind it is Bunnypants: the same trained designers, developers, SEO specialists and project managers who work on our studio projects. You aren't handed to a cheaper team. You're given a smaller, clearly defined scope.
What stays the same
- A project manager assigned to your project, from planning to launch and beyond
- Qualified designers and developers doing the work
- Quality control before anything reaches you
- Real people supporting you during business hours
What's packaged differently
- A defined scope. Your plan sets the page count, design concepts and revision rounds.
- A managed platform. There's no backend login. You send requests and we make the changes.
- One monthly fee. Hosting, maintenance, security and support are bundled in.
- A 24-month minimum term. It spreads the build cost, so you don't pay a large deposit upfront.
- No VAT added. Rentals are billed through our sister company, BP Online Solutions (Pty) Ltd, which isn't VAT registered.
Meet Rent A Website
The whole idea, in four minutes.
The Rent A Website marketing is animated and a little silly on purpose. Starting a business is stressful enough. The service behind it is serious.
What every Rent Only plan starts with
The Camp Site core. R480 a month.
Every plan starts with the Camp Site: a professionally designed, fully managed website with the essentials included. There's a R1 980 once-off activation fee, then R480 a month on a 24-month minimum term.
No VAT is added to Rent A Website prices. If your business isn't VAT registered yet, you can't claim VAT back, so this saves you a real 15%.
01 / Your website
Designed for your business
- 3 professionally built pages
- Mobile-friendly design
- Contact form and WhatsApp button
- Basic on-page SEO setup
02 / Your build
A clear creative scope
- 1 design concept
- 1 design revision round
- 1 content revision round
- Your content structured and refined on the page
03 / Every month
Looked after for you
- Fast, secure, managed web hosting
- Care+: software updates, backups and security checks
- 30 minutes of content changes
- Support during business hours
Popular setups
Not sure where to start? Pick a popular setup.
Three ready-made Rent Only plans. Each one can be adjusted in the planner to suit your business and your budget.
The Dome
Get your business online.
From R700/mo
- 5 pages
- 1 design concept
- 1 design revision round
- 2 content revision rounds
Most popular
The Cabin
Give your business room to grow.
From R1 020/mo
- 7 pages
- 2 design concepts to choose from
- 2 design revision rounds
- 2 content revision rounds
The Rooftop
Take your business further.
From R1 730/mo
- 12 pages
- 2 design concepts to choose from
- 3 design revision rounds
- 3 content revision rounds
All setups carry a once-off activation fee and a 24-month minimum term, after which the plan continues month-to-month.
Add-on modules
Add what you need. Leave what you don't.
Modules bolt onto any Rent Only plan, at the start or later on. You can remove them from the next billing month. The Camp Site core and minimum term carry on underneath.
- Extra pagesR60/mo per page
- Extra design conceptR90/mo per concept
- Business email hostingR80/mo per mailbox
- Extra email storageR45/mo per GB
- More monthly content changesR55/mo per 30 min
- Blog moduleR20/mo
- Blog post placementR90/mo per post
- Google Business Profile setupR90/mo
- Google Business Profile managementR90/mo
- .co.za domain registrationR40/mo
- .com domain registrationR60/mo
- POPIA compliance packR20/mo
Monthly SEO
Online is a start. Found is the goal.
A website nobody can find is a business card in a drawer. Monthly SEO tiers run from Super Lite at R1 440/mo (one keyword or topic, one location) up to Expansion at R11 160/mo, handled by the same specialists behind our AI SEO services. You can start without SEO and add it later. No one can honestly guarantee rankings, and we don't.
How Rent Only works
From planner to live website. With people guiding you.
- 01
Plan your package
Use the planner or start from a popular setup. You see the activation fee, your monthly total and exactly what's included before you commit. About five minutes.
- 02
Talk to us (optional)
A 15 to 30 minute online meeting. If renting isn't the right answer for your business, we'll say so and point you to a custom build instead.
- 03
The build
You supply your logo and content. Our team designs and builds the site, then works through your revision rounds with you.
- 04
Launch
Your website goes live on your domain with hosting, SSL and security configured.
- 05
Managed monthly
We host, maintain, back up and support the site. You send update requests and we handle them within your plan.
- 06
After 24 months
Your plan continues month-to-month at the ongoing amount shown in your planner, or you can upgrade with a new rental quote.
Choosing the right route
Custom build or Rent Only? Be honest about your stage.
Neither option is the cheap version of the other. They are different ways of paying for, owning and running a website. Here's how they compare.
Want to own your website but still spread the cost? Rent To Own is a separate option where ownership transfers after the 24-month term and agreed payments. Explore Rent To Own options, or read our article on custom websites versus website rental.
The full Bunnypants Studio
When you outgrow your rental, there's somewhere to go.
Rent A Website is for the stage before a custom build. Bunnypants Studio keeps doing what it has done for 21 years, and these are the services we'll recommend when your business is ready for them.
Custom web design
Custom-designed WordPress websites you own outright, from three-page business sites to eCommerce and system websites.
Web design pricesAI SEO and search visibility
Strategy-led monthly SEO for Google, AI Mode and answer engines like ChatGPT, reported in plain language.
AI SEO servicesPerformance hosting
Dedicated NVMe servers with LiteSpeed caching, for websites where speed is part of the job.
Performance hosting pricesMaintenance and security
WordPress core and plugin maintenance, security packs, and backups with restore for websites you own.
Maintenance and security packsAlready renting? Hosting and Care+ maintenance are included in your Rent Only plan. The packages above are for websites you own.
Before you decide
Straight answers. No fine print surprises.
Know what you're signing up for before you sign.
Is Rent A Website part of Bunnypants?
Rent A Website is its own brand and product, run by the Bunnypants team and billed through our sister company, BP Online Solutions (Pty) Ltd. That's why the example builds on rentasite.co.za credit Bunnypants Studio in their footers.
Is VAT added to Rent Only prices?
No. Rent A Website is billed through BP Online Solutions (Pty) Ltd, which isn't VAT registered, so the price in the planner is the price you pay. That matters most for startups, hobbyists and small businesses that aren't VAT registered themselves, because they can't claim VAT back.
Is a rented website just a template?
No. Each site is art-directed by our designers around your colours, images and tone. AI tools speed up the build, but a person decides how your business comes across.
Do I own the website after 24 months?
No. Rent Only is a managed rental service and ownership does not transfer. After the minimum term, your plan continues month-to-month. If ownership matters to you, look at Rent To Own or a custom Bunnypants website.
Can I edit the website myself?
There's no backend access on Rent Only, and that's deliberate. You send a request and we make the change. Thirty minutes of content changes are included every month. Unused time doesn't carry over, and new pages or redesign work are quoted first.
What happens to my domain?
If you already own your domain, it stays yours and we simply point it at your new site. If we register a domain for you as part of your plan, it is held in Rent A Website's name for the term. Talk to us about it before you leave.
Is SEO included?
Basic on-page SEO setup is included, so the site is built correctly for search engines from day one. Ongoing monthly SEO is an optional module. You can start without it and add it later.
Can I have an online shop or booking system?
Not on Rent Only. Catalogues, quote carts and eCommerce stores are available through Rent To Own. Booking systems and more complex functionality are best handled as a custom Bunnypants build.
Does renting cost more in the long run?
Over several years, yes, in the same way a phone contract costs more than buying the handset. You're paying for a spread-out build cost plus an ongoing managed service: hosting, updates, backups, security and support.
What if I stop paying?
The website service may be suspended and eventually removed, though we will always talk to you first. The site stays live while the account is up to date. That's the trade-off for not paying a large amount upfront.
Can I move to a custom Bunnypants website later?
Yes, and that's the point. A Rent Only site doesn't convert automatically. We quote your custom build and carry forward your content and design direction where it makes sense. Your rental agreement still applies during the minimum term.
Your next step
Start where you are. Grow into what's next.
If a custom build is within reach, talk to us. It's still our first recommendation. If it isn't yet, plan a Rent Only package and get a proper website, looked after by the same team.
Prefer to talk first? Send us a message below or WhatsApp +27 73 843 2381.
