# Best Durable Alternative for Agencies & Builders

> A website that can't answer the phone is just a brochure. SeldonFrame pairs the AI-built site with an AI receptionist, CRM, and booking calendar — $29/mo flat, unlimited workspaces.

Last updated: July 2026. HTML version: https://www.seldonframe.com/alternative-to-durable

Reviewed by Maxime Houle, Founder, SeldonFrame — facts checked July 2026.

## The short version

- **Durable pricing:** Free tier; ~**$22–$95/mo**; top plan capped at 5 businesses
- **SeldonFrame pricing:** **$29/mo** **flat**, **unlimited workspaces**, first workspace **free forever**
- **Pick Durable if:** You just need a cheap, simple website this week
- **Pick SeldonFrame if:** Your missed calls cost more than your missing website

## Durable vs SeldonFrame: what you need to know

Most people looking for a Durable alternative hit the same wall: the site goes up in 30 seconds, and then the phone rings and nothing answers it. There's no AI voice at all — "AI" here means a chat widget and written content — the output looks a lot like every other Durable site, users report friction moving their domain over, and the top plan caps at 5 businesses with no whitelabel option. That means agencies can't run a real client roster on it.

That said, Durable is impressive. It made instant websites real, the free tier is genuinely usable, and the pricing is refreshingly clear. For a solo operator who just needs a web presence this week, it's a fine choice. But local service businesses don't lose jobs to a missing website nearly as often as they lose them to a missed call.

## Features & pricing comparison

| Feature | Durable | SeldonFrame |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Solo operators who need a cheap site fast | Agencies & builders running AI front offices for clients |
| Pricing model | Free tier; ~**$22–$95/mo**; top plan capped at 5 businesses | From **$29/mo** **flat** — **unlimited workspaces** (agency whitelabel from **$99/mo**) |
| AI receptionist (calls, SMS, chat) | None — AI chat widget and content generation only, no phone answering | Native — AI receptionist answers, qualifies & books across voice, SMS & web chat |
| Website, CRM & booking behind the agent | Partial — site + light CRM + invoicing; no real booking calendar behind an agent | Included — multi-page website, CRM, booking calendar, intake forms, review requests in every workspace |
| Whitelabel & client workspaces | None — not built for agencies | Included — whitelabel client portal, per-client workspaces, custom domains, one-click multi-client deploy |
| AI usage costs | Bundled, capped by plan (messages/images per month) | BYOK — bring your own AI (and Twilio) keys and pay providers at raw cost, zero markup |
| Sell / resell what you build | No | Built in — publish agents to the marketplace or rent them via MCP (**5%** marketplace fee) |

Prices checked July 2026 on [Durable's pricing page](https://durable.com/pricing).

## Pros & cons

### Durable

- **Pro:** A site live in about 30 seconds — real, low-friction magic
- **Pro:** A usable free tier and clear pricing
- **Pro:** Website plus light CRM plus invoicing, bundled cheap
- **Pro:** A good enough web presence for a solo operator
- **Con:** No AI voice or phone answering at all
- **Con:** Sites tend to look alike, with limited differentiation
- **Con:** Reports of friction moving your domain over
- **Con:** No agency whitelabel; top plan caps at 5 businesses

### SeldonFrame

- **Pro:** An AI receptionist that answers calls, SMS, and web chat — and books real jobs into a real calendar and CRM
- **Pro:** The whole front office included: multi-page website, CRM, booking, intake forms, review automation
- **Pro:** $29/mo flat with unlimited workspaces — bring your own key and AI and phone service run at raw provider cost
- **Pro:** Whitelabel built in: branded client portal, per-client workspaces, custom domains, one-click multi-client deploy
- **Pro:** Build it free before you sign up — paste a URL, get a working workspace in about 3 minutes
- **Pro:** Open core and portable — your agents are plain, editable skill files, and your data lives in your workspace
- **Con:** No funnel-builder or email-campaign suite — it's a front office, not a marketing automation platform
- **Con:** You bring your own key (Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini, plus optional Twilio) — setup takes a few minutes
- **Con:** Newer platform — a smaller template library and community than decade-old incumbents
- **Con:** No native mobile app yet (the dashboard works fine on a phone browser)

## Why agencies & builders switch from Durable

- **The site answers its own phone** — SeldonFrame builds the multi-page site AND the AI receptionist behind it — calls answered, leads qualified, jobs booked into a real calendar.
- **Built for a client roster, not 5 businesses** — Durable's top plan caps at 5 businesses with no whitelabel option. SeldonFrame gives you unlimited client workspaces with a branded agency portal at $29/mo.
- **A CRM that closes the loop** — Every call, chat, form fill, and booking lands in the workspace CRM with automatic follow-ups — not just a contact list bolted onto a site builder.
- **Sites grounded in the real business** — Paste in the business's existing website, or just describe it — SeldonFrame pulls out services, reviews, and FAQs so the site (and the agent) speak to the client's actual business.

## Who should use Durable vs SeldonFrame

Choose Durable if:
1. You just need a cheap, simple website this week
2. You're a solo operator with no need for call answering
3. Invoicing plus a contact list is enough of a back office for you

Choose SeldonFrame if:
1. Your missed calls cost more than your missing website
2. You want the site, receptionist, CRM, and booking as one system
3. You're an agency running many client sites under your brand
4. You want the site grounded in the client's real services and reviews

To be fair: Choose Durable if you're a solo operator who only needs a simple website and invoicing this week, with no need for phone answering or client management.

## How to switch from Durable to SeldonFrame

1. **Build the replacement free (3 minutes)** — Paste the business's website into seldonframe.com. SeldonFrame pulls out services, FAQs, and business facts and builds the workspace: site, CRM, booking calendar, intake, and the AI agent. No account needed until you claim it.
2. **Bring what matters over** — Paste in your Durable site's URL. SeldonFrame rebuilds the workspace from its content in about 3 minutes. Move the domain over once it looks right.
3. **Connect your keys and number** — Add your AI key (Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini — about 30 seconds) and, for phone, connect your Twilio number so calls and missed-call text-back run at carrier cost.
4. **Test the agent, then go live** — Every agent ships with automatic tests. Talk to it, watch it book into the calendar, then publish. Point your domain over when the site's ready.
5. **Run both in parallel for a week** — Keep the old tool running while SeldonFrame answers the phones. Cancel it once the CRM shows the bookings landing — cancel-anytime on both sides means zero risk.

## FAQ

**Does SeldonFrame generate multi-page sites like Durable?**

Yes. A full multi-page service site — services, service areas, reviews, booking, intake — built from one conversation or a pasted URL, with a dark/light theme and custom domains.

**Can I move my existing Durable site over?**

Paste in its URL. SeldonFrame pulls out the services, copy, and business facts and rebuilds the workspace around them in about 3 minutes. You point the domain over when you're ready.

**How can SeldonFrame be $29/mo flat when competitors charge per minute or per credit?**

Because you use your own keys. Your agents run on your own AI key (Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini) and, for phone, your own Twilio account. You pay the providers at raw cost. SeldonFrame never marks up tokens or minutes. You pay for the platform, not a meter.

**Do you take a cut of what I charge my clients?**

SeldonFrame works like Shopify: $29/mo flat, plus 2% on sales made through SeldonFrame checkout, plus 5% when you sell agents on the SeldonFrame marketplace. Client retainers you bill outside SeldonFrame cost nothing extra.

**How fast can I see it working?**

Paste in a business's website (or just describe it in a sentence). SeldonFrame builds the whole workspace — site, CRM, booking, intake, and the AI agent — in about 3 minutes. It's free, and you don't need to sign up first.

## Get started

- Start free (build the workspace in ~3 minutes, before signing up): https://www.seldonframe.com/signup
- Book a 15-minute demo: https://app.seldonframe.com/book/seldonframes-workspace-7798/default
- All comparisons: https://www.seldonframe.com/alternatives